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When she talks to the voters back home about the rise of artificial intelligence, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan hears concerns that are mutating almost as quickly as the technology itself.
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A small New England city known as a popular summer destination in the region was recently named among the best in the country for its waterfront allure.
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., has collected the endorsement of one of Capitol Hill’s top progressives as he heads into the final days of his primary fight against U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-6th District.
Before the first practices of preseason start, 20 teams from across the state converged in Needham on Friday for the state’s second annual High School Football Media Day. The event was organized by Alex Agrella of Recruiting Board.
From The Republican's story: You won’t find it marked on Google Maps.
About a mile-long trail cuts through wetlands and tall ferns across the more than 50 acres of lush woods that sit nestled behind Nordica Street Community Farm and two schools in the Liberty Heights neighborhood.
The trails, maintained by Todd Crosset and volunteers, are open to the public.
“It’s fantastic,” Crosset said while walking on the trails on a recent afternoon. “What’s nice is that we get to share it.”
Crosset moved to the property near Springfield’s border with Chicopee about five years ago when he and his partner purchased it and started Nordica Street Community Farm.
Behind the farmland is about eight acres of woods, including some wetlands, that he owns. The property abuts city-owned conservation land surrounding Abbey Brook. When Crosset moved to the home, he found trails in the woods that a neighbor had long maintained. He’s taken the reigns on trail upkeep in recent years.
He keeps the trails clear with a string trimmer and removes dead leaves from the paths to make them more visible. Each year, Crosset works with Keep Springfield Beautiful to organize a trail maintenance volunteer day.
The trail on his land is open to the public. Private landowners who make their land open to the public for recreation are largely shielded from liability under state law, Crosset pointed out. “As long as it’s free an open to the public,” he said before walking over a bridge in the woods that he and a friend constructed to navigate over a creek.
Deeper in the trees, he pointed to a damp section. “New federal rules would say, ‘Oh no, that’s not wetlands anymore,’” he said, gesturing to an area. That’s because there wasn’t a visible connection between it and a body of water — a key piece of a proposed federal rule.
Stemming from a 2023 Supreme Court ruling, the Environmental Protection Agency late last year announced a proposed rule that would narrow what counts as wetlands and significantly reduce the amount of area protected across the country.
Many wetlands across the country are at risk of losing federal protections under the Clean Water Act. Massachusetts, however, has strong state laws protecting wetlands that would minimize the impact of the loss of federal protections, experts told The Republican.
The state has “one of the strongest wetland protection laws in the nation,” said Scott Jackson, an extension professor emeritus in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Springfield also has an ordinance that further protects wetlands. There’s pockets of wetlands all over the city including in Blunt Park, Forest Park and Van Horn Park.
“In ever-growing population, it’s more important that ever to maintain what we have left of green space and wetlands,” said Adam Anulewicz, a natural resource manager in the city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development.
Wetlands are important for flood protection, absorbing excess water during storms, Anulewicz said. They also keep water clean, he said. “If there are any chemicals and any contaminants in water, they basically act as kidneys and help purify the water.”
They are also key habitat for wildlife. A trail camera in the woods captures wildlife like turtles, coyotes and deer, for example. A few beavers also make the area home.
The city’s conservation commission and Crosset teamed up on a Community Preservation Act grant last year to improve the trails. A large part of the money went toward constructing a bridge over a stream.
“To the best of my knowledge, more people are using it than ever,” Anulewicz said of the area. “It serves a good purpose.” He hopes the city will take on more wetlands projects like it.
Read the full story on MassLive's website here: https://www.masslive.com/westernmass/2026/06/neighbors-maintain-this-springfield-trail-weaving-through-wetland-and-wood.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor
Photos by Douglas Hook.