Above: Don’t go exploring Breakneck Hill Conservation Land this week without heeding notice or closure signs. Trail access will be limited. (photo by Susan Fitzgerald)
The Conservation Commission has posted notice that trails will be temporarily closed at Breakneck Hill. The announcement describes limited access.
Trails will be impacted at least through Friday and possibly into next week. Here is the announcement:
(click to enlarge)
Tree work is being done at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land. There will be Limited Trail access while this work is being performed. Please obey the Trail Closure signs. Trails around Areas B, C and D will be closed Wednesday (3/22) through Friday (3/24). Work will continue next week and some continued trail closure is possible. . .
Please contact Beth in the Conservation office at 508-485-0710, ext. 3024, or at conservation@southboroughma.com for updates.
Updated (3/23/17 10:54 am): I reached out to Conservation for more details and heard back after the story was posted. I learned that trails should be available by this weekend. Here is what Beth Rosenblum, Southborough’s Conservation Agent, explained:
The Tree work at Breakneck Hill is being done for 2 primary reasons:
To clear remaining fallen trees from earlier storms that have impacted trails
To work towards completion of the joint goal of the Conservation Commission and Stewardship Committee to restore, support and sustain the 9.6 acre meadow (consisting of Areas B, C & D) for Grassland Bird Habitat. A grant, awarded in 2006 under the Grassland Reserve Program through the federal Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), provided financial assistance to remove invasive vegetation and perform other clearing work at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land in return for creating Grassland Habitat for bird species in national decline. Trees in these sections only of the property are being removed per Best Management Practice guidelines for Grasslands Habitat.
The tree work should be completed today and we expect trails to re-open this weekend.
