BELLOWS FALLS — The Bellows Falls Historical Society (BFHS) recently announced that another stage of the Riverfront Park is completed.
As part of a previous grant acquisition, BFHS started work on building a deck and bird watching overview at Cold Pond. The area is still under construction.
The overview will be dedicated to Alice Hawkes, one of BFHS's founders. The dedication will take place in the fall, as soon as the research is completed and her family is notified. That's also when the BFHS will cut the ribbon for the bike and walking paths.
The deck will be open to the public, good news in particular for school groups, bird watchers, nature lovers, and biologists. Still on the to-do list: planting willows and sedges on one side of the pond, which provides a habitat to turtles and frogs.
As the BFHS noted in a press release, “Some say Cold Pond seems inappropriately named since it never freezes even in the coldest of winters. This could be more evidence of the village's geothermal potential.”
The deck is on the right as one travels toward the Bellows Falls Wastewater plant. It can be reached from the walking/biking trail just before it enters the woodland area, or from the road.
Also, for the first time in more than 150 years, the village of Bellows Falls now has easy and safe access to the Connecticut River. The access way for kayaks and canoes, part of the Riverside Park project, was finished last week. It provides the first unimpeded access to the river since the railroad was built.
After exploring the bike and walking trails, visit the Adam's Grist Mill, the BFHS museum, Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. through October. Admission to the Mill is free, though donations are welcome.