Thanks to Dan Moriarty for today’s report on beaver activity on the MRG behind the “Miracle Mile” and on the Hypertherm Hope Foundation Trail.
Slope where beavers have slid aspen trees down to the MRG
Gnawed, but still standing tree.
Beaver lodge on far side of the river.
“The current under the Byrne bridge is very fast before it goes over the dam. If you look up river toward Lebanon, the current is still very fast because of the narrow channel near the bridge. It is amazing to me that the beavers can transport the logs up river with the fast current until it gets to the quiet water where they have built their lodge. I didn’t see any active beavers this morning but frequently see them in the river near the Steel Umbrella structure heading upriver toward Gerrish Isle bend in the river.”
There was a time when the Mascoma River was seen as a source of power for industry, with the river hidden behind factories and businesses. The railway served those businesses as Lebanon developed. In many ways it serves a very different purpose today, re-creation in its many forms and maybe even relief from that development. Check out this new PBS special; From Rails to Trails. It’s the story of one of the most unlikely social movements in American history: the struggle to convert thousands of miles of abandoned railroads into trails for cycling and walking. Facing fierce opposition and legal challenges from private property owners, leaders fought to reclaim these corridors for the public, creating a national network of scenic, car-free paths.
A trishaw ride with John Newman on Lebanon’ s railtrails is always an enjoyable adventure. Yesterday’s ride on the MRG included finding a cluster of giant puffballs. (I thought they were styrofoam trash, but John, a forager, recognized the white heaps as puffballs.) Puffballs are decomposers. They feed on organic matter such as leaf litter, dead grass, decaying wood and dead tree roots, in the process breaking it down,
Giant puffballs , which can grow as big as a basketbal, are edible and difficult to mis-identify. (They are edible as long as the flesh is white.) This particular puffball was not edible – it was squishy. meaning it was past prime.
Hats off to nature’s humble decomposers, dung beetles, worms, bacteria, fungi such as puffballs, and the like; these organisms are vital for ecosystems, as they return essential nutrients to the soil, water, and air, making them available for new plant growth and preventing the accumulation of dead organisms.
The West Lebanon and Hanover Greenway is a collaboration between volunteers and municipal staff from Lebanon and Hanover to fulfill one of the key visions in the West Lebanon Action Plan, a safe multimodal route along the Route 10 corridor between the communities. The vision is a three-mile trail that brings the people of West Lebanon and Hanover together. Friends of Lebanon Recreation, Arts, and Parks is a steward of financial support, as the project seeks donations and grant assistance to develop plans. City of Lebanon Engineer Rod Finley is supporting the project by coordinating with consultants to conduct a feasibility analysis of different alternatives for the greenway route. The feasibility study consultant will present the project to our community at a Public House Event. Stop by to share your thoughts and ideas!
Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Time: 2:00 – 4:00pm and 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: Outside at Sachem Field, 1 Field Road, West Lebanon Rain Location: Campion Rink lobby
Questions? Contact the Planning and Development staff through the online contact portal or the Lebanon Pedestrian and Bicyclist Advisory Committee through the Boards and Committees Contact Form.
I remember reading a history of the Northern Rail Road as it came through “The Cut” in Enfield. ” The Cut” was a rocky area that was being cut through by hand and was taking a very long time. There was much work to be accomplished on the Northern side of the area and those responsible for that work were eager to get beyond The Cut. The decision was made to move the engine to north of The Cut by oxen ao that work could progress beyond.
This is similar to our current circumstances. We have not yet been able to make our way beyond the current Glen Road ending of the MRG. While we figure this out, can we be working on other parts that will connect us to Vermont and to Hanover? Can we be working our way North and West? The Bridge Park work was an attempt to hop over the impasse and continue to work our way beyond.
Pollinator Garden at Bridge Park, looking West across the Connecticut River toward White River Jct. VT.
BTW, I will have to admit that I had thought the idea of a Connecticut River monster was a recent imagining . . . but such stories have circulated since the early 1800s! Learn More
These gardens were created by members of the Dartmouth Class of 1989 last year, in colllaboration with Creating Habitat for Pollinators. There are several such gardens along the MRG; these two are in back of the “Miracle Mile”. The Class of ’89 have also created pollinator gardens at the cemetery off of Pleasant Street in West Lebanon and at the Lebanon Airport .
It was encouraging to spot this monarch butterfly at the MRG pollinator garden at the intersection of Mascoma and Mechanic streets. There has been a paucity of pollinators this season, but now that the purple coneflowers, scarlet bee balm, and black cohosh are in flower, we are seeing more pollinator activity.
The Mascoma River Greenway 