Roots & Rivers
Haverhill Conservation in Action
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Sign up & join us for a Sustainable Trail Building Workshop with New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) & Haverhill Conservation!
November 7th & 9th, from 9AM - 1PM
If you've visited Winnekenni recently, you have probably noticed some new work taking place. With funding assistance through MassTrails, Haverhill DPW is making some significant improvements to the Winnekenni trails, including fixing the trail surface on the Plug Pond Trail, improving the parking areas, and installing informational and directional signage!
As part of these improvements, we're offering a Trail Building Workshop with guidance provided by NEMBA! If you're one of Haverhill's trail users or a trail steward, or simply like to get your hands dirty, help us at Winnekenni Park to install a new trail and make improvements to others while learning some sustainable trail building practices!
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Conservation Department, Conservation Partners, Improve Trail Signage in Haverhill
One of the top comments we received in the 2024 Open Space & Recreation Plan survey was the need for improved signage in our conservation areas. This past year, Conservation Partners have been replacing and installing new markers at several CAs, including Wheeler Woods, Crystal Gorge, Rurak Point, Crystal Shores, Meadow Brook, and Brandy Brow Forest. Volunteers will be continuing this trail marking effort through next year to make trail signage clear and consistent across Haverhill's conservation areas.
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In addition to wayfinding signage, the Conservation Department is working to install trail kiosks, similar to the one just installed at Wheeler Woods, at each conservation area over the next few years. As these maps are finalized, they will also be available on our city website. If this project interests you, reach out to the Conservation Department for more information.
Parks, Trails and Conservation Areas | City of Haverhill
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Haverhill-Methuen I-495 and Industrial Ave Bridge Replacements Public Information Meeting
Thursday November 13, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Haverhill City Hall - 4 Summer St, Haverhill, MA 01830
MassDOT will host a public meeting to provide the public with an opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed replacements of I-495 NB and SB Bridges over the Merrimack River, as well as Industrial Avenue Bridge over I-495 in Haverhill-Methuen. After a presentation by the project team, meeting attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and offer comments. All views and comments submitted in response to the meeting will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.
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DPW Curbside Leaf & Pumpkin Pickup
November 8th & December 6th by 6AM
Compost your undecorated, organic Halloween decorations! Undecorated pumpkins are a great 'green' ingredient for wintertime home composting when there's much less green material to add for this time of the year. Cut up and add to your home compost pile or share with a neighbor or farm who composts.
If you don't compost at home, take advantage of the City's curbside leaf & pumpkin pickup program on November 8th (and again on December 6th!) to help keep compostables out of the waste stream.
If you can't make it to either of these dates, the City's compost & brush pile is open until December 13, 2025.
Composting and Yard Waste | City of Haverhill
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EEA Funding for Clement Farm Disc Golf & Softball Fields
Haverhill will receive state funding through TWO grants from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) to bring improvements to Clement Farm Conservation Area!
The Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) helps cities and towns create and renovate outdoor recreation areas. A PARC grant for $425,000 will include improvements to the parking area, bridge replacement, an ADA-accessible practice basket, a pollinator meadow, entrance improvements, a picnic pavilion, and trail mapping.
Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards Over $12 Million to Create & Improve Local Parks and Protect Natural Land Across Massachusetts | Mass.gov
Another grant for $555,378 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Grant Program will bring much needed renovations to the softball fields. The project will renovate the ballfields, improve access to the forested trails and disc golf course from the parking area, and construct a bathroom facility.
Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Over $6 Million in Land and Water Conservation Fund Grants | Mass.gov
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Gobbling up the spotlight: The conservation comeback of wild turkeys | Wild turkeys have made a remarkable comeback through dedicated reintroduction efforts that began in the 1970s. Now thriving statewide, turkeys have become a common sight with a population of around 30,000-35,000. | | | | | | Safety tips for non-hunters | Hunting is a safe activity, and non-hunters can safely visit the woods at any time of year. Hunting accidents among hunters are extremely rare. Accidents involving non-hunters are even more rare. If you plan to enjoy the outdoors during a hunting season, review these tips. | |
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IT'S HUNTING SEASON!
Please wear bright orange blaze throughout the hunting season.
Currently Active Seasons:
- Deer (archery) - Oct 6 – Nov 29
- Turkey - Oct. 6 – Nov. 29
- Black bear - Nov. 3 – Nov. 22
- Crow - July 1, 2025 – Apr. 10, 2026
- Squirrel - Sept. 2, 2025 – Feb. 28, 2026
- Raccoon - Oct. 1, 2025 – Jan. 31, 2026
- Opossum - Oct. 1, 2025 – Jan. 31, 2026
- Rabbit, Hare - Oct. 18, 2025 – Feb. 28, 2026
- Coyote - Oct. 18, 2025 – Mar. 7, 2026
- Fox - Nov. 1, 2025 – Feb. 28, 2026
See the 2025 Hunting & Fishing Seasons and Bag Limits
| | | Recent Volunteer Projects | | An area long in need of a thorough cleanup, Team Haverhill Volunteers, Trail Stewards, and Ocasio Karate kids pulled 30+ bags of litter from the trails around Pentucket Lake & JG Whittier schools. Food wrappers were a huge culprit. | | The Trails Stewards beat back some of the bittersweet surrounding John's Woods parking area. Continued maintenance will be needed to keep it in check. | | Trails Stewards inspected the Brandy Brow Forest trails for the October Let's Hike Haverhill hike. Volunteers found another cache of tires (we wish we could say we were surprised!). | | |
Haverhill Trails Stewards
Do you love spending time in Haverhill’s parks and open spaces?
Give back to the trails you hike, bike, birdwatch, or ski by becoming a Haverhill Trails Steward! Stewards work on their own time by reporting issues, picking up litter, clearing small debris, and performing light trail maintenance and also join group workdays to tackle larger projects as a team.
Learn more about the program
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