BUCKFIELD — Virgil Parris Forest, a project of the Western Foothills Land Trust, will receive technical assistance from the National Park Service’s Northeast Regions Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program. The award will provide trail and management planning assistance by NPS employee Julie Isbill.

The Virgil Parris Forest is a large parcel, 1250 acres, which embraces the 49-acre South Pond in Buckfield and Hebron. The parcel’s resources include numerous natural habitats, recently harvested forestlands, 300 acres of wetlands, whalebacks, eskers, talus slopes and ridges. The Trust has recently begun construction on a two-mile hiking trail called the Packard Trail off the Sodom Road, and hopes to complete construction in 2013.

In addition to the hiking trail, 2.5 miles of the former Buckfield Railroad, the active ITS89, runs through the middle of the parcel on lands retained by the towns.

As part of the trail and management planning process, the Trust will be invite community stakeholders to a few gatherings during the next year. Community partners include area schools, ATV clubs, snowmobile clubs, hiking clubs, historical societies, town representatives and neighbors. Trail location and type, trail funding and future management, signage, collaboration and educational potentials are all potential topics.

WFLT was awarded RTCA assistance at Roberts Farm Preserve some years ago which was invaluable to the management planning of that preserve. More information on the RTCA program is available at www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/rtca.

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