Conservation Commission clears Kestrel Land Trust to expand bog bridging at Whately Center Woods

WHATELY -- March 18, 2026, Whately Conservation Commission clears 330-foot bog bridge expansion at Whately Center Woods. The commission voted unanimously Wednesday to issue a negative determination of applicability, requiring no wetlands permit, for a Kestrel Land Trust project to extend existing bog bridging along a chronically wet stretch of trail that the land trust has been forced to close each spring following snowmelt. A representative of the Kestrel Land Trust described the new structures as functionally identical to bridging already in place and said installation is planned for late April or early May, using volunteers from a University of Massachusetts Amherst service fraternity. The commission imposed no conditions on the determination, and staff was directed to complete paperwork and transmit it to the land trust by the following day.