Opinion: Mud Season Is Here, Be Kind To Our Trails!

On a run amongst the towering pines along the Brookfield Trail, I pause to catch my breath, deciding whether to go for another loop or to call it a day. My dog lifts her nose to the air, sniffing for squirrels. To me, the air smells like Spring. The vernal pools are showing signs of new life, skunk cabbages poke up with their gorgeous maroon spathes, birds I haven’t heard all winter call out to one another in songs I try but fail to mimic. 

There are other (masked) people on the trail today, more than I have seen in years past. As we pass, giving distance, I am reminded of the gift that conservation land is, especially throughout the past year. I think about how we can make access to these areas increasingly universal, and not just for a privileged few in our town. I am also reminded, as I pick up a bag of someone else’s dog waste that lays next to the path, of the responsibility we all have in continuing the legacy of these spaces. 

Throughout the past year of pandemic-life, we have found solace, joy, and more through time spent outside. A study from UVM found significant increases in outdoor activity during the past year, with notable jumps in activities such as watching wildlife (up 64%), and walking (up 70%). We have seen the impact of this increase on our local trails anecdotally, in the number of calls for trail maintenance, and in the wear on the trails themselves. 

The promise of Spring coaxes many of us outside, and gives us a great way to practice responsible land practices through the much-dreaded “mud season”. As the snow melts and spring rains begin, the ground gets soft and muddy, and puddles may begin to form on the trail. If you encounter muddy areas too large to step over, please turn around and try the trail again once it has had a chance to dry out. Walking or biking through the mud can lead to soil compaction and erosion for the trail. Avoiding the mud by leaving the trail and walking around it might seem like a good option, but remember that trails are there for a reason. Especially with the increased use they are seeing this year, creating your own trail damages vegetation, and leads to the same soil compaction issues, just in a new spot. 

Amherst is incredibly fortunate to have the amount of conservation land that we do. We owe many gratitudes to our conservation department, especially our Land Manager Brad Bordewieck, for the work done on the trails over the past year. We also all bear a responsibility as stewards of this community resource. My fellow dog-walkers, please leash your dogs on conservation land. The only exceptions to this rule are Mill River and Amethyst Brook between dawn and 10am, and that exception goes away (and all dogs must be leashed at all times on all conservation lands) from April 1st through June 30th to protect ground-nesting birds. Please pick up after your dog, and take the waste with you if there is not a designated receptacle. Leaving it trailside for when you come back through makes for an unpleasant experience for anyone walking behind you.

As stewards of this community resource, we have a shared responsibility in sustaining this gift for all members of our community and for generations to come. We have a long way to go to make our conservation areas truly enjoyable by all. We need to ensure that trails and recreation areas are accessible via public transportation. We need to  update maps to keep them up to date and understandable. We need to educate, so our community knows what to expect when they head out in these areas, and how to treat them with the respect and reverence they deserve. And yes, sometimes that means staying away while nature takes a moment to solidify, or carrying a bag of something unpleasant your dog left behind. 

Returning to my rest amongst the pines, I listen to the birds for another moment. Then, having caught my breath just enough, and sensing my dog eagerly awaiting my decision, I turn to do one more lap, taking in the gift that this protected land is. 

Ana Devlin Gauthier

Ana Devlin Gauthier is an Amherst Conservation Commissioner and a resident of District 5