Marc Nutter takes James Piet and Pat Vincent-Piet for a test of the new All Persons Trail at the McLane Center on Silk Farm Road in Concord.
Marc Nutter takes James Piet and Pat Vincent-Piet for a test of the new All Persons Trail at the McLane Center on Silk Farm Road in Concord. Credit: Parker Schuerman / Courtesy

NH Audubon invites the public to join in a brief Grand Opening celebration followed by a Birding for All outing. All are welcome to experience the new trail on Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. at McLane Center, 84 Silk Farm Rd., in Concord. Conservation Director, Marc Nutter, initiated the project with successful funding from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation in 2021.

“We are pleased to announce that, after many years of planning and learning from the communities we intend to serve, we have built Concord’s first All Persons Trail, fulfilling the vision we set out to create in 2019,” Nutter announces. “This effort in July 2022 by our own Director of Lands and Ecological Management, Parker Schuerman, and trail building contractor Lew Shelley from SnowHawk LLC, has opened up new wildlife viewing opportunities for all people.”

NH Audubon created the new trail with two goals in mind: to increase universally accessible trail opportunities in New Hampshire, and to increase awareness of the need for native plant and wildflower meadows in our state to support pollinators.

The All Persons Trail features a compacted, gravel surface designed so that people using assisted mobility devices can experience the pollinator meadow and connect with nature. Just to ensure the trail accomplishes this, Schuerman invited a few nearby guests to try out the trail.

“We reached out to VenessaBlais, Project Manager from NH Council on Developmental Disabilities, who introduced us to some fantastic neighbors,” Shuerman explains. James Piet and Pat Vincent-Piet live close to Silk Farm Wildlife Sanctuary and DeodonneBhattarai and her son, Bodhi are also local.

The test riders successfully navigated the nature trail, exploring meadow and woodlands edging the path. ”Bodhi, who I believe is 8, said it was a little bumpy,” says Shuerman, “but he seemed to enjoy the experience, since he gave his mom a kiss when we returned.” James Piet pointed out ‘room for improvement’ in the orientation and placement of signage, the compaction and smoothness of ramps onto and off the trail, and the opportunity for shade and places to sit and enjoy lunch or nature.

Bring your binoculars, or borrow a pair at the celebration. There is no cost for the event; please RSVP online at www.nhaudubon.org/APT.

NH Audubon is a nonprofit statewide membership organization dedicated to the protection of New Hampshire’s natural environment for wildlife and for people. Independent of the National Audubon Society, NH Audubon has offered programs in wildlife conservation, land protection, environmental policy, and environmental education since 1914. For information on NH Audubon, including membership, volunteering, programs, sanctuaries, and publications, call 224-9909, or visit www.nhaudubon.org.