New Natick Group Revamping Town Trails (And Deceiving Beavers)

NATICK, MA — If you're experiencing a little cabin fever right now — whether due to winter weather or the pandemic — there's something to look forward to this spring in Natick.

The newly formed town Trails and Forest Stewardship Committee has been working since the fall on a slate of projects to improve Natick's outdoor spaces. It's the first committee in Natick in recent times tasked with just focusing on trails and forest health — and there's lots of work to do.

Chair Doug Drenik said the committee formed after members of the Open Space and Conservation committees realized there wasn't a single group working on trail and forest stewardship. The work used to be done by the now-defunct trails maintenance committee.

Over the past few months, the committee has come up with a list of projects to tackle this spring. The group has received funding for new trailhead signs, trail markings and kiosks at trail heads. Interpretive signs will also be installed near Pickerel Pond to describe beaver habitat and a device installed by the town known as a "beaver deceiver" — it keeps water flowing under dams so the critters don't flood trails.

The committee also plans to launch a trail steward program: a team of volunteers that would identify and help fix problems on local trails, whether it's a downed tree or a guerilla BMX bike obstacle. Drenick said the committee may begin looking for volunteers as soon as April.

The committee also hopes to raise awareness. Natick has miles of trails spread across multiple parks and opens spaces. Drenick said the committee will be working to clean up some of those trails to help people use them. For example, the Middlesex Path link between the new dog park and downtown. There's also an under-the-radar trail that begins behind the Mary Ann Morse Healthcare Center off Union Street. (You can see a variety of town trail maps here.)

Further down the line, Drenik said the committee hopes to tackle forestry issues, in particular areas that are overrun with invasive species (think English ivy or water milfoil). There's also work to be done restoring meadows around town, although local Boy Scouts have already volunteered to begin that work.

Drenik said the work is especially needed now because more people are using trails during the pandemic. Spending time outdoors has been highlighted as one of the safest activities during coronavirus.

"It's a nice time to have these enhancements coming," Drenik said of the upcoming projects.

Here are a few examples of the committee's work so far. The town had two graphic design interns from Framingham State University help design the new markers.