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| Removing 'private property' signs along the Nicholdale Farm boundary |
The City of Shelton took title to land owned by the late, great Guy Beardsley in December, tripling the size of the Pearmain Preserve. The price was $218,000 for over 14 acres of land off. The property had been partly protected by an agreement in 2002 that prohibited subdivision of the property but still allowed a residential home and several farm buildings to be constructed near the Nicholdale Scout Camp. No worries about that happening now.
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The old sign warning about hunting on
private property . |
After the deed was filed, it was time to update the signage. The old signs reflected land that was privately owned and hunted, but partly protected by an easement through which a public hiking trail passed. The "POSTED - PRIVATE PROPERTY" sign was the first to come down. This was right at the entry to the Pearmain Path at Nicholdale Farm. Next, the signs required by the CT DEEP recognizing their grant contribution were swapped out. The old ones said, "You are entering private property" and carried a prominent warning to wear bright colors during hunting season. The new signs simply say that this open space was acquired with help from the DEEP.
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| New signs |
On a side note, there are at least two deer stands in the new open space that will need to come down. Guy Beardsley had granted some people permission to hunt the property, but the Open Space Ordinance currently prohibits hunting on city land. We'll let the deer stands stay up for a while to give their owners a chance to come and retrieve them, but the stands will be removed one way or another before the next deer hunting season begins (Fall 2023).
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| Trail closure sign |
A number of new Open Space markers were installed along the new line, along with a sign making it clear that dirt bikes and ATVs are prohibited.
Then there is the problem of rogue trails and signs for that. An old version of the Pearmain Path located alongside the gas pipeline was closed down a couple years ago at the request of Guy Beardsley, but some people kept using it, possibly due to an AllTrails listing where people got credit for following the old route in the AllTrails App computer system. Makes no sense otherwise, since the new route is much superior. The old signs imploring people to stop using the old route where taken down, and our "Wildlife habitat protection area - Trail Closed" signs installed, with yet more sticks placed across the trail entrance (which someone keeps removing). These 'habitat protection' signs seem to work well. One big reason we don't want a proliferation of rogue trails is that wildlife needs areas for resting and nesting where they know they aren't going to be disturbed by hikers. Every hiker coming through is a disruption and it takes time and energy away from animals trying to survive and raise their young. Not to mention the dogs people have off-leash running through the woods. We want to maintain a balance of hiking trails for people and undisturbed forest for the animals.
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| Rogue access trail |
So it was annoying to find a new rogue trail coming in from Pearmain Road, all raked out and marked with survey tape. Somebody didn't like the official blazed and mapped access trail and decided they would build a better one. That's not the way to do it. Members of the public can always contact the Trails Committee with suggestions for trail improvements or relocations. Never, ever just build another trail across City conservation land without permission. It confuses other hikers and disrupts wildlife. And in this case, it also makes the trail system easier to access via ATVs. Please respect the land and use the blazed trails only.
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