Westford Conservation Commission clarifies trail usage
“Please, please, do not walk on the groomed trails,” Beth Alberelli said in a Front Porch Forum post titled “Westford School Ski Trails.” Alberelli voiced her opinion on a topic which other skiers, snowshoers, and hikers have discussed on Front Porch Forum. Hikers have walked on the groomed trails around Westford Elementary, marring the sections groomed for skiers.
In a Front Porch Forum Post, Andre and Becky Roy wrote, “I'm not sure why it is expected for the non-skiing community to have to resort to walking on the roads and putting ourselves and our dogs in danger with vehicles being driven too fast or to leave town when this land was acquired for outdoor activities.”
Any public trail is open to all non-motorized travelers. The only groomed public trails in the Westford area snake around the Westford Elementary School. Both the Westford Conservation Committee (WCC) and some local volunteers groom the trails. This is done for student skiers and for the general public.
Sarah Pinto of the WCC said, “a member of our group [WCC], along with at least two other volunteers from the Town, groom the trails as a means of trying to provide another winter activity option.”
According to the WCC, these trails are not skier exclusive, but proper trail etiquette asks that certain guidelines be followed:
If you are walking or snowshoeing, please remain off the groomed portion as much as possible or walk on the side of the groomed surface.
If a track has been set please do not walk in it.
The WCC and the Westford Recreation Department purchased the groomer last year. The volunteers who groom the trails are not an organized group, though they work with members of the WCC.
“We [the WCC] don’t have exclusive rights to groom the trails. I think it’s being done just because people like to cross-country and skate ski,” Pinto said.
Wendy Doane, in Front Porch Forum, added one other piece of advice: “If the track is allowed 12 hours to set up after grooming, it will become a harder more durable surface.” She said that if you see someone grooming the trails, “It would really be kind to delay your outing a few hours.”
In her post, Doane explained the history of the trails. According to Doane, the trails have been open to skiers since 1989. She said a group of parents formed a ski club and requested permission to use the trails from the school. “A used snowmobile was procured.” Doane wrote. “I think that Dale Rodgers brought it to town. The next ten years or so, Tom Lane kept it going with his own time, money, and Alaskan ingenuity.”
Doane wrote that he club maintained the trails and would find skis for students who wanted to participate in the afterschool program. Continuing, she wrote, “Eventually, Keith Wakefield, (I think it was Keith) as the PE teacher added skiing to the curriculum. The effort to keep skis for students became a joint effort of the ski club and Keith.” Many other folks would join the effort, Doane said, all of whom were volunteers.
Doane urged all travelers to respect the care taken to maintain the trails: “We all have the right to walk anywhere on town land. We all have the choice to respect the desires of those who have given selflessly for years to maintain trails and then groom them for skiing.”
Doane concluded her post by noting “This dedicated volunteer effort has grown these trails; and Westford has a treasure in the heart of our town as a result.”
WCC trail guidelines for winter and spring travel are posted at https://westfordvt.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Trail-Use-Guidelines.pdf. Information about the WCC can be found at https://westfordvt.us/boards/conservation-commission
