Robbie Littlefield gets a little help from his friends in building a bridge for a muddy
section of the trail at Guernsey Sanctuary. In upper row from left are Bill Cooper,
Josh Littlefield, David Cooper, Scott Crawford, Chris Plugls. In the lower row are
Brittain Lovett, Jesse Chen, Robbie Littlefield, Billy Littlefield, Alexandra Krieg.
Wellesley High School senior Robbie Littlefield recently completed his Eagle Scout project in Guernsey Sanctuary. His project consisted of building a bog bridge over a wet area of the trail and also re-routing a section of the trail around a muddy area. Eagle Scouts must do a final capstone project that shows their leadership ability and maturity and their project must be one that helps the community.
Because Littlefield enjoys hiking and uses the Wellesley Trails frequently, especially during the cross-country season when he runs on the Brook Path, he was interested in working with the Wellesley Trails Committee for his Eagle Scout Project. Bob White and Denny Nackoney of the Trails Committee told Littlefield about the problem of the muddy sections of the trail at Guernsey Sanctuary. Littlefield liked this project and was actually familiar with these areas because he uses the trail when he ice skates on Sabrina Lake.
There was a lot of preliminary work to be done before the project could be started. Working with the Trails Committee and Wellesley's Conservation Administrator, Peter Keenan, Littlefield designed the bridge, wrote up the project description and presented his project to the Wetland Protection Committee. This was the first time a bog bridge over a wetlands had gone before the committee.
Approval was granted on the condition that all of the cutting and drilling be done off site. Littlefield then had to determine what type of materials should be used in the bridge construction. He decided on pressure-treated wood for the cross boards but for the sleepers he wanted to use a material that would not leach chemicals into the ground and the water. He chose XPotential, a nonpolluting material made from recycled cars.
Troop 185 helped Littlefield finish the project, and the Wellesley Conservation Council, which owns the property, and the Wellesley Trails Committee were extremely pleased with the results. Littlefield estimates that it took approximately 95 hours of combined work done by himself and members of Troop 185 to complete the project
Guernsey Sanctuary is a 25 acre woodland that has views of Sabrina Lake, an island, a lowland, two ponds and a brook. In 1961, Mr. and Mrs. William G. Guernsey gave Guernsey Sanctuary to the Wellesley Conservation Council. Guernsey Sanctuary has an interesting history. It was part of the Baker Estate and in the 1870s was an amusement park with passageways leading to caverns and grottoes and a menagerie, including a bear pit A steamboat used to run on Sabrina Lake carrying forty passengers on sightseeing tours of the lovely fountains and the beautiful gardens.
The Guernsey trail begins near the parking area on Winding River Road. After walking along the path from the parking lot, you will see the Guernsey Sanctuary sign to the left. After crossing over a footbridge, the trail loops to either the right or to the left. A map of this area can be found on the Wellesley Trails web site.
Published in Townsman: 12/30/04
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