One of the things that make the Highlands special is the individual character of each town in combination with our open space. While hiking local trails, Paul Jahnige, a resident of Williamsburg, recognized the trails as an historic network but only for the few people who knew about them. "In addition these town trails are often endanger of disappearing through negligence or fragmentation", he points out. Paul took the initiative to approach the town's selectboard who saw his vision and appointed a Woodland Trails Committee.

What does the Committee Do? The focus of the committee is to formalize, develop and market trails on public lands. Trails on private lands can also be included in this open network "but only for those individuals who are interested" Paul emphasizes. The Committee began with a few small grants which have allowed them to put together a brochure and put up trail markers on town lands. The committee now puts together two work days per year and leads roughly 4 hikes in town a year. "We're taking a slow step-by-step approach", says Paul "Opening 1 new trail a year is our goal."

The Woodland Trails Committee also tries to promote the efforts of others in the area. They've met with people from Ashfield's and Conway's trails committees and Goshen's open space committee to talk about issues around town trails. In addition they participated in a trails forum sponsored by the Highland Communities Initiative. Paul says he senses that recreation and specifically interest in trails is becoming more prevalent and active in the Highlands.

Projects When asked about specific projects the Committee has been involved with Paul mentioned a bridge building project that occurred on Williamsburg's Hall Conservation Land last fall. In addition they've worked with Americorp, Massparks and the Student Conservation Association to create some new trails in town. These are teenagers that spend their summer building trails throughout the Commonwealth. They work in groups of 5 to 7 and "bring a high level of expertise to our trail projects" says Paul. Projects done with the help of these groups include a loop trail through private woodland owned by town resident, Jim Locke, which connects with Petticoat Hill Reservation owned by The Trustees of Reservations as well as a new section of trail involving stairs and bridges on land owned by the Hilltown Land Trust.

In addition Paul sees the benefit of collaborating with forestry and watershed efforts in town. For example the Committee has signed and MOA with the City of Northampton for passive recreation on the Henhawk trail which is an old road that passes through Northampton's watershed land in Williamsburg. Most recently the committee co-sponsored an informational walk with the town's Water and Sewer Commission on timber harvesting on watershed lands.

Where can I find out about trails open to the public in Williamsburg? Brochures are available at the Williamsburg Town Offices and Meekins Library. In addition there is an online version on their website http://home.comcast.net/~wwtc/trailsandmaps.html