The Conservation Commission and Keep North Attleborough Beautiful are collaborating to add new attractions to The Martin Conservation Area at Lowers Falls Pond.
The Martin Conservation Passive Recreation Project is a one-year initiative that will create new hiking and walking trails, a family picnic area, and a kayak launch.
Conservation Administrator Shannon Palmer said the additions would increase the use of the area, which she considers a town highlight.
“You have the woods, nature and you have the water. It’s a wonderful place of nature,” Palmer said. “We want people to use this space more.”
According to Palmer, the project began in 2019 with conversions on how to make the area more accessible. The project was put on hold throughout 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In spring 2023, work on installing new benches and creating paths began, with funding from grants the Conservation Commission received. Palmer said the project will wrap up by the end of the summer.
“We received a lot of help from the Department of Public Works, The 10 Mile River Project, and the Parks and Recreations staff,” Palmer said. “They have been helping us expand the trails.”
Keep North Attleborough Beautiful Executive Director Marsha Goldstein said the trails will feature new trees and a new stream crossing being built by the local Boy Scouts.
“They are really putting in a lot of work into that crossing,” Goldstein said. “We did our best to make the place.”
Additionally, Goldstein said cameras are attached to the trees of the current pathways to provide security footage to deter any littering or deforestation.
The history of the conservation area dates back 54 years. It is named after Joseph W. Martin Jr., a Republican politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts Legislature and the 44th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
After he died in 1968, the town began acquiring the area a year later in his honor. Martin’s brother, Edward, provided the first donations towards the purchase. Today, the area is known for its hiking trails, fishing and nature walks.
Goldstein said she is excited to see the area with its new additions.
“It’s really beautiful,” Goldstein said. “It’s going to be great once it’s finished, I’m really excited.
