Volunteer on Winter Culvert Hikes

Leader: Charlie McCabe

Starting Location: End of Goodyear Avenue, Melrose

Volunteering Activity Description: We’ll take a hike of a few miles over the course of a few hours in a specific area of the fells. We’ll see where water is pooled, where it's flowing, or where it's not flowing into streams and culverts across trails. We’ll work together to unblock streams and culverts as best as we can and discover places where there’s a culvert or other structure that has been long buried by the usual debris of leaves, sticks, branches, and rocks. We’ll see if we can get the water moving again, and, if we can’t, we’ll note the spot for a future trail crew workday once spring returns.

Winter Culvert Hikes will be dependent on weather conditions and trail conditions, so an announcement will be sent 24 hours in advance letting you know if the walk is a go or not. Generally, if the trails are too icy, if the snow is too deep, or if there’s a blizzard bearing down on us, we’ll cancel. If it’s raining or warm and snow is melting, and water is flowing, we’ll proceed. (Generally, we can learn a lot during times of big runoffs.)

What to bring: Dress warmly in layers and be prepared for the weather, including several pairs of work gloves and a drink of your choice to stay hydrated. The tools of choice are sharpshooter shovels (long skinny shovels) or stiff metal rakes (often used for spreading soil or mulch); both are great for removing debris around culverts and bridges. I’ll bring a few of each in case you need one.

Questions or comments, please contact Charlie at chasmccabe@gmail.com.

Steady rain, heavy snow, or lightning will cancel.