From the Londonderry Times
Conservation Commission to Host Monthly Community Hikes
by Kaitlyn G Woods
The Conservation Commission plans to host its second monthly community hike at the Kendall Pond Conservation area in April.
The walk, which is scheduled for April 23 at 10 a.m., will offer local nature enthusiasts views of streams flowing from Beaver Brook, Eastern White Pine trees, Red and White Oak saplings, native shrubs and a variety of wildlife species.
Members of the Commission will lead the hike, which is expected to take about an hour to complete.
The Commission hosted its first guided walk on March 26, leading residents along the Orchard Connector portion of the Adams Pond Trail, which offered participants a glimpse of beaver activity in town and scenic views of Mack’s orchards (See related story page 7).
“Although I have lived in Londonderry for several years, until I joined the Londonderry Conservation Commission, I was not aware of all the conservation areas and the well-developed trail systems within Londonderry,” Commissioner Michael Noone said in an email.
Noone and Commissioner Mike Byerly have been working to organize monthly hikes of the Town’s conservation areas in an effort to increase their utilization and to raise awareness of the benefits Londonderry’s conserved lands offer.
“We thought that this would help to promote more use of the trail systems and teach citizens more about the protected spaces right here within Londonderry,” Noone said.
Noone and Byerly have also started publishing a monthly conservation newsletter to inform residents of outdoor recreation opportunities in Londonderry, to educate subscribers on conservation and wildlife and to provide another opportunity for the Commission to connect with the community.
The newsletter features outdoor recreation events in Londonderry and neighboring communities, local conserved properties, wildlife and botanical highlights and news related to the Commission.
In addition to the community hikes, the Commission is planning monitoring walks in town, which the public is welcome to attend.
To sign up to receive the Commission’s monthly digital newsletter, visit http://goo.gl/luDcu6 online or text ‘CONSERVATION’ to 42828.