Jay Johnson’s map of Marblehead showing locations of spaces open to the public.

The Education Committee is planning another stellar event in 2012 as a follow up to our joint sponsorship with the Abbot Public Library of the wonderful talk on Bringing Nature Home by Professor Douglas Tallamy last October. This year, on Tuesday, October 2, the Conservancy will again collaborate with Abbot Library to offer a talk by Jay Johnson, familiar to many Marbleheaders for his beautiful artistic renderings of the maps in the book Discovering Marblehead.  Jay’s talk and slide show will include references to his 10,000 mile trip around the Natural spaces in the U.S., images of his paintings, photos of the Trail Crews in Marblehead and the importance of spending time in the natural environment. This talk will appeal to all ages, so mark your calendars and save the date. More details will appear in future newsletters and articles in the Marblehead Reporter.

- Sandi Peaslee, Education Chairperson

A sign goes up announcing part of the former Jermyn Farm as a Marblehead Public School conservation area.

With the mounting of one new sign, Marblehead tied an interest of the School Committee to one of the Conservation Commission. This all began with a request to both organizations from the Marblehead Conservancy’s Trails Committee in 2006. The request was to allow a parcel of the former Jermyn Farm adjacent to the Village School to be used for the construction of a looping trails system that would include the conservation area known as Robinson Farm.

Students from the surrounding neighborhood had worn paths through both lands over many years. The request, then was simply to clean up and link these paths, adding short sections to make two loops. The Village School was interested as the result would not only service those who used the paths to get to school, but also because it provided an opportunity to engage students with their natural surroundings. The School Committee approved the venture, asking that the Conservation Commission oversee any activity involving wetlands.

The project was completed by this sign installation at the end of Byors Road. Many thanks to both Town organizations!

A muddy section of trail at Seaside Park was reworked and improved by the Chris Pedersen Eagle Scout project

In January, the Recreation and Parks Commission agreed to a proposal for continuing the work of the Trails Committee at Seaside Park. Next steps are principally at the harbor end of the park. The work will include the addition of stepping stones and gravel on a particularly muddy length of trail near the harbor end of the park, grading and seeding with a hardy grass in areas prone to erosion, filling low spots, and adding a sign and map dispenser at an entrance to the trails up slope from the ball field. As always, we welcome all volunteers who wish to contribute their labor to these jobs.

“The ‘old abandoned railroad right-of-way’ through Marblehead is now a wonderful nature, hiking, biking, jogging, skiing, dog-walking trail commonly referred to simply as ‘The Path’. It meanders almost four miles through a large portion of Marblehead and didn’t just happen. It first came into being in 1839 when the first train connected Marblehead to Salem and expanded in 1873 when the Swampscott branch opened so riders could go directly to and from Boston without a detour through Salem. On its meanders through town it links some of our most beautiful conservation lands including Ware Pond, Wye Pond, Hawthorn Pond, Wyman Woods, The Pines and the Forest River. Because these natural areas are like jewels, the people who obtained them as forever wild conservation areas in the 1960s referred to them and their connecting path as Marblehead’s Emerald Necklace (with all due credit to Frederick Law Olmsted). Thanks to those people we have one of the most interesting and enjoyable urban nature trails in New England.”

Winter on the Marblehead to Salem branch of the old railroad bed

Remediation of the Lead Mills site followed alongside the old railroad bed into the Wyman Woods Conservation Area. Note the planting of young trees to the left of center in the photograph

The Trails Committee of the Marblehead Conservancy is working with the Conservation Commission to plant native shrubs as understory to the new trees in this area as part of an Earth/Arbor Day project. The shrubs were obtained in the spring of 2011 and first planted in the Conservancy’s tree farm in order to let their roots develop. At this writing they are doing well and will be ready for transplanting by the end of April. Please join us on our celebration of Earth/Arbor Day!

- For the Trails Committee

Major accomplishments this year were: 1) completion of the Phase I & II plans at Seaside Park – consisting of invasives removal, rerouting a trail and filling a muddy area; 2) clearing of the curved portion of the old railroad right of way “wye” connecting the Salem and Swampscott branches; 3) installing three new signs at trail entrances so that the public will be more aware of their existence; 4) completing Authors’ Grove – a redesigned entrance to Forest River across from Carna Road designed by landscape architect Larry Simpson to honor the authors of the book Discovering Marblehead and featuring six tupelo trees, a natural stone bench, a plaque, and several new shrubs; 5) supporting high school student Kathryn Sullivan in her internship program. We continue to monitor our three trial map dispensers at trail entrances and have decided to expand the total to ten. Each map dispenser has a laminated map showing where you are and a dispenser for letter-size maps printed on waterproof paper.

It is time to update ourselves on the interests of our residents in the areas of open space and recreation. Many of the actions laid out in the last plan have been accomplished; some have not. Time has also brought changes to Marblehead, not all of them expected. Where do we go from here?

The Conservancy’s interests focus on open space, but the plan includes recreation activities and spaces as well. The strategies for both are in need of refreshment. We call upon all residents to contribute their ideas and thoughts to this latest updating of Marblehead’s plan. We tell you how in the article on Open Space Planning which can be read here.

With thanks to all,

- Bob French, President

The Open Space and Recreation Plan represents Marblehead’s strategy to enhance and expand the existing open and recreational space and programs within the town. During planning, additional land that the town could acquire for open space and recreational purposes is identified. However, recognizing that Marblehead’s centuries of development have left little open land subject to traditional open space planning, the plan looks for ways to increase the recreational and conservation value of existing town lands, and for other means of protecting the natural resources of the community

The Marblehead Conservancy supports this planning effort. The 1999 plan, in fact, provided the guidance for all the trails, education, and acquisition activities performed by our many volunteers and supported largely by memberships over the last ten – plus years. The work of volunteers, including scout organizations, students, town employees and private organizations has been a direct response to issues identified in the last plan. But, it is time to hear once again from the residents of Marblehead on their interests for the future of open spaces and recreation.

Public input began with an open meeting in the Abbot Public Library on January 23. The gathering of interest and ideas will continue, with much of this activity taking place during February. Survey questionnaires have been mailed to interested organizations and Town Departments. Individuals wishing to speak to their use of Marblehead’s open spaces and recreational services can do so by filling out and returning a personal survey form. These forms are available at the Abbot Library, the Community Center, and Abbot Hall. Forms may be returned at these sites or dropped in the red mailboxes at Abbot Hall or the Widger Road town offices. An electronic copy of the form is also available on Marblehead’s web site home page.

In March, all of the collected information will be compiled and turned into lists of goals, objectives and action plans by the Recreation and Park Commission and the Conservation Commission. A first rough draft of the plan will then be shared with residents in an open public meeting near the end of March. April is given to finalizing a preliminary draft for a quick review by a state official. The final draft will be presented to the State by June 30.

We ask for everyone’s support in providing input to this process. – The Trustees

What’s next? We would like to locate or develop and offer an app that could give users a means of identifying the many trees and shrubs found in the town’s conservation areas. So far we have found no
app sufficiently specific to New England, let alone Massachusetts or Marblehead. We may be missing
something. If anyone has an idea, please let us know. Our web site has contact information in the upper
right corner of the home page, or email us here. We would be most appreciative!

While we were at it we made other changes. A special viewer-enlargeable map of Marblehead has been added to help locate open space trail entrances. The News section provides the means for readers to send comments on individual articles as well as sending notes to the information address on the home page..

Finally, banner photos have been changed to give some emphasis to Marblehead’s
beautiful open spaces. Improving public access to information concerning the Town’s open spaces is part of our mission. We will continue working to that end and welcome your ideas, criticisms, and thoughts.