The Rindge Conservation Commission kicked off its summer hike and paddle series June 19, with a walk through Tetreault Park and the Rindge Town Forest, giving attendees a glimpse at the site of future parking improvements and a natural playscape that’s planned to be built at the park entrance this summer.
Rindge Conservation Commission Chair David Drouin started the walk with a brief history of the property, pointing out where the playground is expected to be built near the entrance to Tetreault Park, off Rand Road in Rindge. The entrance includes a wooden cabin that was once lived in by the Tetreault family, and tent platforms for camping rentals.
The playground is being planned by the Rindge Recreation Department, in conjunction with the Conservation Commission. The playground will use natural materials like logs and rope, and natural features such as building a slide into a naturally occurring slope. The Recreation Department is still raising funds for playground pieces, but several key features have already been purchased and are awaiting installation.
Drouin said at the same time, the Rindge Conservation Commission is planning other park improvements, notably a level parking area, where now people have to pull off the trail entrance and park on the grass. He said the excavation work for the parking lot will also contribute to the groundwork needed for the playground. The Conservation Commission is still in the process of obtaining bids for that work, he said.
“Right now is not exactly the time to be doing construction on the cheap, so we’ll be working on that,” Drouin said, but he does expect that the parking lot will be finished by the late summer or early fall.
The group of 13 hikers then took a tour of several of the trails that spiderweb across the 37-acre Tetreault Park and 180-acre Town Forest, learning about the history of the park, as well as learning about some of the native species of plant life, in honor of Pollinator Week.
“We probably won’t see a lot of pollinators today, because it’s so windy, and it’s cool, but I did see bumblebees and a couple of butterflies out in my yard, so maybe in some of the sheltered areas, we’ll see a little bit more,” said Conservation Commission member Deni Dickler. “But they are important – 70% of our important food crops are pollinated by insects, and most of the insects in the U.S. are declining in numbers.”
Dickler said one of the reasons for that decline is increased use of pesticides.
“So, whenever you are going, ‘Ah, I hate these mosquitos and ticks,’ please don’t spray for them. Because when you spray for them, you’re also killing butterflies, bumblebees, honeybees, native bees, any other types of insects that are out there, so please be aware, they are very important to our food crops,” Dickler said.
Along the hike, Dickler pointed out several plants pollinated by bees, flies and butterflies. The hike also included a view of a meadow in the center of the main trail through Tetreault Park and the Town Forest. Once a log landing covered with wood chips, the meadow has since grown back in with plantings of grasses and wildflowers. There is a mown path for hikers, but the majority of the space has been left to grow wild, with signs asking that hikers respect it as pollinator habitat.
This hike was the first in a monthly series exploring local conservation properties in Rindge. Each outing is led by a Conservation Commission member with specific knowledge of the history and natural features present on the conservation land. The next four hikes in the series are July 24 at Converse Meadow, where residents can either hike the trail or take a a paddle tour; Aug. 21 at Schoolhouse Park; Sept. 25 at Miriam Hunt Memorial Forest; and Oct. 16 at Contoocook Marsh Conservation Complex. The events are free and held rain or shine. For information, send email to the Rindge Conservation Commission at rindgeconcom@town.rindge.nh.us.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.