Nettleton Preserve Gets A Facelift

By Shannon Hicks

Howard Bowles, who lived for many years on Old Castle Drive and took it upon himself to take care of much of the Nettleton Preserve property across the street from his home, was honored posthumously last weekend when a red maple was planted in his memory on the property his loved so much. The planting and a brief post-Earth Day ceremony on May 2 opened a work session to clean up and maintain much of the 23-acre parcel that includes the popular view from Castle Hill toward the center of Newtown with the flagpole sandwiched by church steeples.

Bob Eckenrode, president of the Newtown Forest Association (NFA), the group that owns and maintains the property that extends from Old Castle Hill Road down to West Street, coordinated Saturday’s efforts.

“I presented the tree and we did the planting, and offered our appreciation for all of the efforts Howard had put in, to Bobbie [Barbara Bowles, Mr Bowles’s widow], who was there with us. And then we got to work,” said Mr Eckenrode.

About 20 people showed up for the event, which included maintenance of trees planted on previous Earth Days, work in the property’s upper meadow (along Old Castle Hill), including cleaning and mulching around trees, clearing weeds and mending fences, and upkeep along a stream closer to West Street that needed some serious work.

“There is an extensive trail network throughout the lower part of the property, which we encourage the public to access and enjoy, so we did a lot of cleanup along that trail,” said Mr Eckenrode, who said volunteers also spent a lot of time removing invasives.

The streamwork, with residents of adjacent properties also helping, necessitated some of the most intense efforts of the day, said Mr Eckenrode.

“Along the West Street stream, people were restoring the banks and clearing debris, returning the stream back to its natural state after years of neglect,” he said. “That was the major difference for the day. It was a long time coming, and it was welcomed by the entire neighborhood.”

Members of Boy Scout Troop 270 showed up for the restoration work, as did members of the Benedict, Fitzsimmons, and Lubinsky families.

In addition to Mr Eckenrode, NFA board members Coke Cramer, Dan Dalton, Steve Maskel, Bart Smith, and Cara-Leigh Wilson contributed manpower to Saturday’s effort, as did Mark Boland, Robert Eckenrode, Jr, and Mike Toll. While initially planned to run until about noon, the cleanup effort continued to about 3 in the afternoon.

“You know what it is? You get lost in this,” said Mr Eckenrode. “You can step back after working for a few hours and look at what’s been done and just say ‘Wow, this is so much better than it was before.’”