Carpenters representing five Locals helped construct a boardwalk wandering nearly 1,500 feet through forested wetlands at the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Sudbury, Mass. The UPP project gave members the opportunity to lend their expertise on each phase of the boardwalk’s construction.
The boardwalk runs through the Red Maple Trail, which is part of the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge trail network. Because of its proximity to the water, the trail provides great wildlife viewing opportunities to the public. Due to the nature of river floodplains, the trail floods a few times a year with lots of mud and roots outside of flooding events. This boardwalk provides year-round public access to this nature trail, including access for those with limited mobility, as access is linked directly to the parking lot.
The project involved leveling the posts and cross-boards to meet ADA accessibility standards, custom cutting and fitting the stringers to complete the frame between structures, layout of the decking and creating custom joints and angles to fit the boardwalk with safety bumpers.
“Not only were these carpenters able to bring their own techniques to the table, but they were also able to lead unskilled volunteers around them,” notes Tim Puopolo, Great Meadows NWR Visitor Services Fellow, who led volunteer coordination on the project.
"Their caliber of work ensured that this boardwalk was indeed installed and walkable before the first flooding event of the year and we at Great Meadows NWR are very grateful.”
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3 окт 2024
