Unpaved Trails for Wildlife Conservation and Community Enjoyment
Why It Matters: The beauty of Haggetts Pond lies not just in its waters but also in the lush surroundings. Most of the trail runs through Priority 1 habitats surrounding the pond that feature delicate balanced eco systems and rare species. Visitors to the pond have in recent months catalogued as many as 70 species of mushrooms, multiple turtles, lady slipper orchids, and a number of delicate mosses, ground plants and flowers that are rare. You can find photos of these specimens, taken by Friends of Haggetts Pond members, throughout this website. Therefore, Haggetts Pond provides a prominent example of why our conservation laws exist.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a priority 1 habitat coincides with a wetland area. Wetlands are offered special protection under the Commonwealth of Massachusetts wetlands protection regulations because of their biodiversity as well as their ability to serve as natural filters of water.
Paving the trail with asphalt is all but certain to be a damaging endeavor. First, to accommodate the 8′ wide path in the current BSC design, a 10′ wide swathe of land must be excavated to allow for 1′ shoulders on either side of the path and provide enough space for “fill” to stabilize the asphalt laid above.
What will excavation do? Much of the path is 8′ – 12′ in width, but many trees border the trail and their roots pass just under. In many cases the roots will need to be cut and capped while the trees themselves may need to be removed as well. The proposed parking lot will require the removal of dozens of trees and filling existing wetlands.
Notwithstanding the loss of trees, the excavation itself will disturb thousands of square feet of rail bed that likely contains pollutants and toxins left over from the railroad. In addition to our concerns about the impact this will have on water quality, Friends of Haggetts Pond are concerned that the disturbance will shock nearby plant and wildlife with a sudden does of contaminants contained within the railbed. Curiously, although the town has conducted soil sample tests in the vicinity, it has not done so within the rail bed itself.
Wildlife habitats along these trails are delicate ecosystems that thrive when left undisturbed. Paving poses a threat to the natural balance, disrupting the homes of various species. Excavating involves a great risk as well since no one knows the extent of contamination contained therein and its impact on the local environs.
Even Andover’s bylaws impose restrictions on a wide array of projects in these areas and the town is not following these bylaws in at least on aspect (read our discussion of Governance) to learn more.
Conservation and Accessibility are NOT at odds.
Why It Matters: Preserving Haggetts Pond does not mean preventing accessibility or “ADA compliance” on the trail. In fact, the trail is rated ADA accessible by third parties already (See Trail Link review of Haggetts Rail Link trail). “ADA compliance” can be a controversial label within the disabled community itself since it emphasizes wheelchair or motorized scooter access without regard to other types of disability. Even still, its basic requirement for woodland trails is a 3′ wide trail that is at minimum hard packed.
To understand this, lets first examine the latest design which favored by most of Andover’s town administration: the one developed by the BSC Design Group, a private for-profit environmental design company, which it revised in December of 2023 after that calls for an 8′ wide trail that will require excavating a 10 ft. wide path.
While a few advocates have argued that only a trail paved with asphalt will provide acceptable access to individuals in wheelchairs or with special conditions, the reality of accessibility is more complex. An asphalt paved trail while smooth in its first few years of existence will ensure a smoother ride for some, it will make the trail inaccessible for disabled residents with joint issues, surgery or with unique sensitivity to heat. In