Page 226 - Microsoft Word - Annual Report 2016

BTA/BOLT, INC.

The Boxford Trails Association/Boxford Open Land Trust is an all volunteer private, non-
profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting natural and aesthetically pleasing
important lands and wildlife habitat, including fields, forests, wetlands and trails to
preserve the nature of Boxford.

BTA/BOLT board members and volunteers monitor many land parcels and maintain the
extensive Boxford trails system. Tax deductible contributions and member dues support
BTA/BOLT, INC.

One of BTA/BOLT's most significant achievements in 2016 was to raise $270,000 to
purchase a small lot at 27 Hemlock Road (in 2017) which is at the corner of Hemlock and
Kelsey, making it possible to have a connection from the current National Grid pathways
from Pond Street on to Georgetown Road and beyond. This is the "junction" of the Bay
Circuit Trail, National Greenway and Border to Border, as well as making this a great
connection for local hikers and cyclists. Part of the Trail goes through the Kelsey
Arboretum, a hidden jewel of shrubs and trees. We plan to hold an opening sometime late
this summer, 2017 and christen Hemlock Junction! We are grateful to all our members and
friends who made this possible!

We applied for, and got a large grant to help us re-build the destroyed bridge at Lowe's
Pond and we also hope to get some funding for a bridge at Nason's 46 acres to make access
easier.

We continued putting up signs on Town property and on our own. These signs have been
well received.

Please become a member, check out our website for various activities; we are planning
some new ones this year.

As usual, many townspeople participated in our various events, such as our Annual
Meeting. This year, on May 11, Wayne Castonguay of the Ipswich River Watershed Assoc.
will be our speaker. In 2016 we organized our Dog Show, Horse Show, Trail Ride and
Annual Pumpkin Hunt. We conducted almost weekly walks not just in Boxford, but in
surrounding towns as well. We offer our Guide to Walks in Boxford and other publications
at our booths at the Apple Festival and Winterfest, as well as at the CO-OP, Paisley's and
Butcher Boy, among others; and they are available on our web site: www.btabolt.org, as is
our quarterly publication, the ACORN - by mail and on line.