My Nonprofit Reviews

Covid quarantine taught me what matters and what doesn't, and I learned that getting out into the fresh air really matters for health of body and mind. I walked the Concord River Greenway whenever the weather allowed, and if Rockport is Motif # 1 then the Wamesit Falls deserve to be Motif #2. The path was short but worth it for the view.

Then, two things happened: vaccines allowed us more flexibility AND the Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust installed the long-awaited bridges, expanding the Concord River Greenway from a five-minute walk to a fifteen-minute walk.

In May, I watched my friend, braver than I, on her LP&CT sponsored whitewater rafting trip to celebrate her 75th birthday. I stood on the beautiful bridge as the rafters rowed beneath, impossible before the bridge opening.

At several points, the view is way more Colorado than industrial Lowell, MA. The great blue herons in flight evoke Jurassic Park. The night heron perches on one foot, well aware that we are photographing him. Birders, dog walkers, fishermen have different reasons for visiting, but all have delight on their faces at this mid-city treat. The plantings along the riverbank are beginning to change color, adding to the beauty.

So, vaxxed and boosted, I could forgo the outside walk for a diner breakfast, but exercise outdoors is not a chore anymore, it’s a joy. Thank you, Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust for the splendid expansion of the Concord River Greenway.

I was born and raised in Lowell, a lifelong reader and English major, and I am embarrassed to admit that I was barely aware that the Concord River, Henry David Thoreau’s Concord River, flowed through my city. When I became a volunteer land steward for the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, it became my duty to observe a short segment of the river called the Concord River Greenway, near the Lowell Cemetery.

Walk just three minutes along the path and the rush of Wamesit Falls will tune out the hum of traffic. Take a look into the trees and observe goldfinches, Baltimore orioles, catbirds and, one early morning, a splendid bald eagle perched on a city tree on a city street, observing the Concord whitewater. Great blue herons and cormorants and ducks of all sorts abound.

The Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust has carved out a walking path and arranged for whitewater rafting in the spring. There are morning birdwatching walks and teen activities. Families and seniors enjoy a little walk in the country in the middle of their city. This particular land steward has enriched her life immeasurably by slowing down and looking closely at the slice of the Concord River that has been made accessible by the Parks and Conservation Trust.