How any endangered species affected the trail?
In September 2003 the rail trail committee received a letter from the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program of the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife about the increased use of the rail trail encroaching on Blanding Turtle habitat in the area between Hollingsworth and Vose and Crosswinds Road in Groton. In the spring of 2004, our committee and Natural Heritage jointly developed a protocol to study how far north along the rail bed in Groton Blanding Turtle habitat extended. Trained volunteers from our committee, the Friends of Willard Brook, and the Squannassit-Petapawag Areas of Critical Environmental Concern Stewardship Committee carried out the study in May and June of 2004. Blanding Turtles were neither observed basking nor nesting nor were any trapped in the study area, located north of the Bertozzi Wildlife Management Area. As of now, the rail trail conversion would only be allowed from Townsend into Groton south to Bertozzi Wildlife Management Area.
