Boardwalk Bash celebrates opening

BARKHAMSTED — The Friends of American Legion and Peoples State Forests will hold a Boardwalk Bash on Sunday1 to celebrate the opening of the Beaver Brook Marsh boardwalk, which was built to allow access to a 55-acre marsh area in Peoples State Forest.

The new boardwalk is 240 feet long and winds its way into the Beaver Brook Marsh. FALPS will hold a vine-cutting ceremony at the boardwalk, and then host a picnic following the ceremony at Squires Tavern at 100 East River Road.

The Beaver Brook Marsh was constructed by volunteers to allow visitors the opportunity to experience and understand the natural habitat and diversity of the marsh. Over a dozen volunteers worked on the boardwalk from Autumn 2017 until its completion in early June 2018. Construction costs totaled just over $4,000.

“We are very excited to offer access to Beaver Brook Marsh on this boardwalk,” said FALPS’ President Ralph Scarpino. “It not only allows visitors access to explore the wetland environment in Beaver Brook Marsh but also to view migratory birds and waterfowl and other plants, insects and wildlife that inhabit this valuable area.”

Joining Scarpino in the vinecutting ceremony, which will begin around 1:30 p.m. at the boardwalk off Greenwoods Road, will be Litchfield Audubon Society President Jeanne Woolley, State Senator Kevin Witkos, First Selectman Don Stein, and senior officials from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental. Those who want to attend the ceremony should meet at Squires Tavern at 1 p.m., where all will then carpool to the trailhead that connects to the boardwalk. The public is welcome to attend.