Above Socially distanced walkers explore Reading Town forest with Ipswich River Environmental Planner Patrick Lynch.
Heads up to our Headwaters Communities: Reading Town Forest and other sites along the Ipswich River are getting an upgrade! Reading’s kiosk was improved as part of a two-year cooperative trail project, funded by the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Recreational Trails Program. Volunteers have already made much needed repairs to the kiosk’s structure. Soon new Reading River Warden Emma Shmulsky will install the upgraded informational posters. New QR codes at the kiosks will allow walkers to use a smartphone to find trail-curated content to learn while you explore.
This phase of the Water Trail project sought to improve recreational access to the Ipswich River through signage, print and digital maps, and new landings. Improvements finish up this fall. The fifth of five new kiosks will be installed soon at Jenks Bridge in Wilmington, just upriver of the Town Forest’s riverside rest stop.
Environmental Planner Patrick Lynch, recently met a group for a socially-distant walk in the Reading Town Forest. “This is one of those truly beautiful stretches of the river,” says Lynch. “It’s crazy to realize I grew up here and didn’t even know we had a river in the Town Forest! Back then it just looked like a swamp.”
The chief highlight of the walk was learning about the Town of Reading, which became a leader among Headwaters communities in 2006 when it switched over its water supply from the highly-threatened Ipswich River to a more secure source. Since then this portion of the river has rebounded. Even during drought, when other stretches run dry, the Reading Town Forest still has waterfront views for visitors to enjoy. “The Town Forest is a great place to get your nature fix and learn about our history as a Headwaters community,” says Lynch. “I encourage people to check out more information when they’re visiting through the QR codes we’ll be posting, both in Reading and throughout the Ipswich River Water Trail.”
Reading Residents are also encouraged to fill out a Town survey by this Friday, November 13th. The Town is updating its Open Source and Recreation Plan, and they want to hear from you! The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ReadingOSRP.
If you’d like to support more work like the Ipswich River Water Trail, please give what you can to the annual appeal today!