Help Restore Nature-Viewing Blind on Western Greenway Trail by Shady's Pond

In 2012, the Waltham Land Trust (WLT) used grant funds from the Foundation for MetroWest to enhance one’s experience in nature while on the Western Greenway Trail in the Shady’s Pond Conservation Area in Waltham. In addition to adding benches along the trail, and building small bridges and boardwalks over streams and wetlands, the WLT wanted to create a structure where trail-users could view wildlife visiting Shady’s Pond without disturbance.

After lots of searching but only finding structures that resembled hunting blinds, the Land Trust was introduced to artist Carolyn Lewenberg, a local public artist whose medium is re-purposed invasive plants. Carolyn provided instructions, and volunteers of all ages and backgrounds pull bittersweet from local paths and open spaces to make them into art. On site while standing on tarps, these volunteers removed the leaves and berries from the vines and threw these into the trash so the invasive plant wouldn’t spread. Then the vines were twisted into circle wreaths of various sizes and set aside.

Once there was a wide variety of wreaths, supporters of the Waltham Land Trust used natural twine to attach concentric circles within each other, making approximately 100 bittersweet bull’s eyes. At Shady’s Pond, the bull’s eyes were attached to each other forming two ”quilt-like” panels that then were tied to three wires connecting three trees in front of the pond, essentially forming a slight ”v” screen to stand behind and look through to the pond.

Because the blind is made from all natural materials (except the three wires), it has been breaking down over time. Earlier this year, the WLT received a grant from the Jones Partnership Fund of the First Parish Church in Waltham to restore the nature-viewing blind to its former glory! This Saturday, November 15th, the WLT invites folks to help by helping them attach newly constructed bittersweet bull’s eyes and re-enforce old ones to the wires that remain. Meet at 10:30 a.m. by the basketball courts at the end of Broadway Road in the Chesterbrook Garden apartments on Lexington Street across from the Wal-Lex shopping center. The group will then head into the woods with twine and bull’s eyes to repair this extremely unique feature of Waltham and the Western Greenway trail.

Find out more information here at the Waltham Land Trust’s website:

http://walthamlandtrust.org/calendar-events/shadys-pond-blind-restoration