On a rainy Saturday morning, a handful of dedicated citizens from Carlisle, Massachusetts constructed two footbridges along the River Trail at the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. The footbridges, spanning a total of 180 feet, were constructed by members of the Carlisle Trails Committee. Earlier this year, the same group of hard-working volunteers built a footbridge on the Red Tail Trail to counteract flooding caused by local beavers. In the case of River Trail, these are the third and fourth footbridges built on the trail in three years, which parallels the Concord River.

The River Trail passes through forested floodplain which is dry most times of the year but generally floods each spring. At times offering stellar views of the Concord River, the trail is always tranquil and serene. During the wet season walkers trampled royal fern and other vegetation at several spots along the trail. Now, after a three year partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are a total of four footbridges along the River Trail.

The first two footbridges, which span over 320 feet, were constructed in the fall of 2004. Heavy rains in the fall of 2005 and the spring of 2006 delayed construction of the last two bridges until this fall. The Service contributed $8,000 in 2004. At that time the town of Carlisle provided an additional $3,000 worth of materials. The footbridges built this year cost almost $5,000 and were entirely funded by a private foundation.

All the volunteers are current and former residents of the town of Carlisle, Massachusetts. They maintain many miles of additional trails within this bucolic rural town. The River Trail links to trails on two parcels of Carlisle conservation land known as Foss Farm and Greenough. In 2005, the Carlisle Trails Committee receives a Wild and Scenic River Stewardship Award for their work on the River Trail.