BERNARDSTON — The Charity Farm Lot has opened the spring season with several improvements for visitors.
According to John Lepore, one of three caretakers of the 84.64-acre property at 327 Bald Mountain Road, the Selectboard provided funding to improve the parking area.
“No longer will our guests have to worry about creating ruts or getting stuck in the mud,” Lepore said in a press release. “Brian Miner, head of the Highway Department, came to us with the idea of resurfacing the area with the same recycled material used on unpaved roads.”
Additionally, a state trails grant funded other improvements, such as a kiosk that volunteers built in 2021.
“Over the winter, we created a large, easy-to-interpret map, and we added a container for printed copies,” Lepore continued. “We hope that our visitors will sign the guest log to help us better understand who they are, where they’re from and the experiences they have with us.”
Three color-coded trails, totaling 1.5 miles, are marked by arrows and signs to assist visitors, the release states. A highpoint offers a 180-degree view of the valley. The northern portion of the property, named Land of the Giants, includes trails that have been left unmarked for those who wish to explore away from the blazed trails.
In 1832, Job Goodale gifted the Charity Farm Lot to the town as a source of income to “assist the industrious and deserving poor,” Lepore explained in the release.
For decades, the property sat idle until 2012, when a team, led by Lepore, wrote a Recreation and Conservation Plan following a series of site visits. Several public meetings were also held.
Soon after, the Selectboard appointed the Friends of the Charity Farm Lot, a committee of three volunteers tasked with improving and caring for the property.
“We’re situated on the side of a hill. The trails can be described as easy to moderate on rolling terrain,” Lepore said in the release. “Being located where we are, erosion has been a challenge and we’ve done extensive repairs. We encourage our visitors to use good judgment, especially during wet periods.”
Additional information can be found on the group’s Facebook page, “Friends of the Charity Farm Lot,” and at townofbernardston.org.