The New England Sled Dog Races are having two great raffles as a fundraiser for this charity event. Raffle A ($20/ticket or 3/$50) features 3 great prizes: a handmade quilt, a 4 night stay at Loon Mt., or a custom painting. Raffle B ($5/ticket or 6/$25) offers a choice of 12 different items donated by sled dog enthusiasts & local businesses. Click here for more info and to purchase raffle tickets!
With one of the warmest Decembers on record, and no snow forecast for the immediate future, the New England Sled Dog Races have been rescheduled for February 4-5, 2012. Teams of 1 to 8 dogs, driven by mushers of all ages and all levels, will race from Appleton Farms south into Hamilton and back. This is the third year running for this exciting and unique event, which is the only sled dog race held in Massachusetts and the only International Sled Dog Racing Association sanctioned race in New England! This is a great outdoor activity for the family to enjoy some fresh air as they witness a unique sport in a wonderful natural setting. Essex County Trail Association is coordinating the volunteer effort for the event, and will receive a portion of the proceeds from this event, along with The Trustees of Reservation, Essex County Greenbelt, and the MSPCA.
Click here to register as a volunteer.
Click here to watch a “musher’s point of view” video from last year’s event!!
We have received an anonymous pledge of an additional $35 for the first 60 online new memberships or renewals in December at the Family Level or above! Join or renew today and DOUBLE your membership dollars! Read on for more information…
To join as a new member, click here.
If your email is on file in our system, click here and follow the directions to establish your password.
If your email is not on file or does not work, contact us we will help get you started!
Come celebrate with us!! Join us on November 13th for a guided walk of the new Donovan/Sagamore Trail Easement, followed by lunch and our grand opening celebration. Help us raise money to continue our trail work by entering our $1,000 Online Raffle!!Join us at 11:00 am on Sunday, November 13th for a guided walk to celebrate the opening of the new Donovan/Sagamore Hill Trail. Following the trail walk, we will have a hot lunch under the tent at the top of the hill, where Butch Crosbie from the Hamilton Historical Society will give a talk on the unique history of Sagamore Hill.
Walk 11:00 am Starting from the Donovan Ball Fields – Click here for map
Meet at the Parking Lot on Sagamore Street, Hamilton, MA
Lunch 12:00 pm Under the tent at the top of Sagamore Hill – Click here for map
If not walking, the tent can be accessed via the Green Gate at 401 Sagamore Street, Hamilton, MA
To enter the $1,000 Online Raffle click here!
Despite the threats of rain, we had a great turnout for our Volunteer Trail Work Day on Saturday. Over 25 volunteers helped make major progress on the Sagamore Hill Trail which we hope to open in mid-November. Professor John Donovan joined us in the morning to give a brief history of the property and share his vision for the future of Sagamore Hill. Stay posted for details on our Sagamore Hill Walk on November 13th.
Come join fellow ECTA members for a trail work day on Saturday, October 1st from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm. We will be clearing a very overgrown trail on the Hamilton/Ipswich border which will be a part of the Donovan Sagamore Hill Trail Easement. Lunch will be provided on site, and we invite everyone to follow us to the ECTA table at the Ipswich Chowderfest from 12-3 as well!
Please bring any tools that you may have available, including loppers, handsaws, gloves, shovels and picks.
We will meet at 8:30 am at 401 Sagamore Street, Hamilton at the farm driveway – there will be a sign posted.
Special thanks to REI for supporting our trail volunteers! Please register here for this free event so we can plan on numbers for lunch.
The Ipswich Conservation Commission’s Speaker Series will host ECTA’s executive director, Alex van Alen, on Wednesday September 14th at 7pm, Room A of Town Hall as part of their Speakers Series. Alex’s presentation, with the aid of maps and photos, will focus on places to hike, bike and ride throughout Ipswich. For information about the presentation or the Ipswich Conservation Commission’s Speaker Series, call the conservation office at 978-356-6661.
Work has been completed on the Pedestrian and Equestrian Bridge into Bradley Palmer State Park and it is now open for use!! Thanks to the Department of Conservation and Recreation for funding this project and T. Ford Co. for completing this work ahead of schedule so that we can all enjoy this important trail connection.
The summer has provided us with great weather for recreating as well as working outdoors! The construction crew renovating the Bradley Palmer Equestrian and Pedestrian Bridge have taken advantage of these sunny days and are moving along rapidly with their work. The middle pier of the bridge has been completely rebuilt, all of the old decking and railings have been stripped and new decking has been installed. The railings should be complete very soon, which will leave only the finishing touches and cleanup to be done. Construction could be completed as early as the first week of September, giving us all fall to enjoy this wonderful amenity!
PLEASE BE ON THE LOOKOUT!!
Gracie, a mini Italian Greyhound, has been missing since June 20th from Georgetown. There has been a reported sighting of Gracie on 8/13 on Linebrook Road by Hood’s Pond. It would be a miracle to find this dog and get her back to her owners after 58 days!!
Gracie is small, grey and very thin… she almost looks like small fawn or fox with mange. Please contact Heidi Best, President of the Ipswich Humane Group, immediately if you have any information. She can be reached at 978-356-4546 or by email.
For more information, visit the FIND GRACIE Facebook page.
