The Riverbend campus of the Ipswich River Watershed Association is growing! The developers of Residences at Riverbend, a senior living facility off of County Road in Ipswich, are donating 5 acres of land to IRWA, which will expand their existing trail network. In conjunction with the land transfer, IRWA is granting a trail easement to ECTA to ensure public access to the property. This easement will be the first in what ECTA hopes will be a series of trail easements connecting Riverbend to Appleton Farms and the Julia Bird Reservation on Waldingfield Road.
ECTA plans to make significant improvements to the existing trails at Riverbend, and to add new trails that will highlight some of the interesting features, such as the rockery and fish pond, that were part of the extensive turn-of-the-century landscaped gardens. We are also working with Essex County Greenbelt Association to expand the trail network across the road to the Greenbelt conservation property east of County Road.
Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) has generously awarded ECTA a $10,000 grant to accomplish these repair and expansion projects. Thank you to REI for their continued support of our trail projects!
The trails at Riverbend are open to all trail users and provide direct access to a public canoe/kayak launch.
We hope to start work this fall and will be planning a volunteer trail work day. Please keep posted for more details!
IRWA Riverbend Campus Trail Map Thank you to REI!
Public Canoe/Kayak Launch; Rockery at Riverbend; Dense Vegetation at Greenbelt Property