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The Story of the Yawgoog Trails

Appendix I: Service Project Ideas
 

Ashville Pond Work - Hopkinton, Rhode Island

Bridging is needed over small streams that flow into the western end of Ashville Pond on the Narragansett Trail (see Seven Pond Path). The parking area is off Stubtown Road. A collapsed shelter exists near the parking area; the remains should be dismantled and removed. The area is managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Protection.
 

Beach Pond Erosion Bars - Exeter, Rhode Island

A short section of the Tippecansett and Pachaug trails is eroding, just as it heads north from Beach Pond Road (Route 165) -- near the former swimming area. The land is managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Protection.
 

Blue Pond Cleanup - Hopkinton, Rhode Island

The failure of the Blue Pond dam in 2010 created an opportunity to remove litter and other debris around the pond edge. Most of the area around the pond is state land, managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Protection. Land along the southern tip of the pond is owned by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and the Ashville Corporation. Blue Pond is on Seven Pond Path.
 

Douglass Cemetery Restoration - Voluntown, Connecticut

This small overgrown cemetery is on the eastern side of Noah's Ark Road, south of Beach Pond Road (Route 165), at N 41° 34.153' W 071° 47.622' (Datum: WGS84). It is near the Pachaug and Tippecansett trails. The Pachaug State Forest is managed by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Another resource is the Connecticut Gravestone Network.
 

Green Fall River Bridges - Voluntown, Connecticut

A footbridge on the Narragansett Trail is needed where the Green Fall River flows into Green Fall Pond on the eastern shore. This area is accessible to four-wheel drive vehicles from a gated gravel road that connects to the road that serves the swimming, picnicking and camping areas. A bridge, perhaps a simple plank bridge, is needed where the Narragansett Trail crosses the Green Fall River in a ravine south of the pond; care should be taken so that the bridge is not washed away after heavy rains. Sand Hill Road/Green Fall road is to the south. The Pachaug State Forest is managed by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.
 

Phillips Cemetery Restoration - Voluntown, Connecticut

The overgrown cemetery in the Pachaug State Forest is southwest of the intersection of Bitgood and Tippecansett roads and beside/west of the enduro trail, at N 41° 35.689' W 071° 47.769' (Datum: WGS84); it is a short walk from the yellow-blazed Tippecansett Trail. Overgrowth needs to be removed and the dry stone walls need repair. More advanced work would involve repairing headstones and returning them to their correct locations; to do this, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) could be used to locate burial sites. A map of the cemetery compiled in the 1970s by Mr. and Mrs. Burton Jernstrom can be used to match the headstones to the burial sites; the map is available at the Voluntown Public Library under "Voluntown Cemetaries" [sic]. An earlier transcription, without a map, of the headstones was made by Charles R. Hale in 1933. The Pachaug State Forest is managed by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Another resource is the Connecticut Gravestone Network. The cemetery is accessible with four-wheel drive vehicles: Follow the Shetucket Turnpike northeast from Voluntown center and turn right (southeast) onto the gravel Tippecansett Road at the intersection with Bailey Pond Road. Nearby, a foundation hole west of the intersection of Bitgood and Tippecansett roads is filled with litter. The map of the Pachaug State Forest from Great Swamp Press covers the area; the map is available at the Reservation Trading Post.
 

Rhode Island Historical Cemetery: Hopkinton 79 Restoration - Hopkinton, Rhode Island

This small cemetery, consisting of only fieldstones, is on Yawgoog property, just south of the Tippecansett Trail. Perhaps the overgrowth can be removed and dry stone walls can be built. More information is available from the Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission and its database, including coordinates; the Commission may also have information on obtaining a sign. Permission must be obtained from Narragansett Council.
 

Road Rut Repair - Rhode Island and Connecticut

Vehicles have caused ruts in dirt roads in the area; as drivers try to avoid the ruts, the roads and ruts widen, expanding the damage. Perhaps it is possible to fill ruts with rocks, gravel and sand. Areas of concern are:

• Bitgood and Tippecansett Roads - Pachaug State Forest, Voluntown, Connecticut
  On the Tippecansett Trail. Please consult with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the Town of Voluntown.
• Noah's Ark Road - Arcadia Wildlife Management Area, Exeter, Rhode Island
  On the Tippecansett Trail. Please consult with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Town of Exeter.
• Old Voluntown Road - Arcadia Wildlife Management Area, Exeter, Rhode Island
  On the Tippecansett Trail. Please consult with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Town of Exeter.

Yawbucs Brook Bridge - North Stonington, Connecticut

A footbridge across Yawbucs Brook is needed on the Narragansett Trail just south of an unnamed pond to the southwest of Wyassup Lake; the current crossing involves stepping on unstable rocks. The area is accessible to four-wheel drive vehicles by a gated gravel road that leads northeast from Cossaduck Hill Road/Route 201. The Pachaug State Forest is managed by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.