Ferry Landing - West Newbury Open Space

State-Owned Land
Shoreline Property
Walkway with park
benches and “Science Walk”
interpretive panels
Remove asphalt and
add landscaping
Keep green space
with sign & garden
Keep all remaining trees for
shade, add picnic tables
Remove Old Boat Ramp and
Improve Beach Access to Shoreline
Turnaround Area
12 trailer
spaces
3 car spaces
Loading area &
handicap spaces
Ferry Landing
New Boat Ramp and
120’ Floating Dock
6 car spaces
with stairway
access to river
for kayaks
West Newbury
OSC Site Plan: November 6, 2013
Photograph courtesy of West Newbury Historical Society
Image created using “Option D” plans provided by
Mass Fish & Game. See Pages 2 and 3 for examples of
Ferry Landing Science Walk and boat ramp photograph.
The Triangle
Town-Owned
Municipal Land
Interpretive panels could be located throughout the park.
SCIENCE WALK
Ferry Landing
4. The Clovis People: First Human Settlers
• Life before Europeans arrived.
• Start with post-ice age Clovis People, followed by the Native Americans
who called this land Pentucket.
Arrowhead collected near River Rd and Coffin St in the 1930s: 6,000-8,000 years old.
Davistown Museum, Liberty, Maine.
5. Rocks Village Bridge
• Ferry activity starting in 1694 and history of the bridge.
• Use photographs available from Historical Society and “Images of
West Newbury,” by Susan Follansbee and Jane Wild.
• Old historical map of Newbury Parish . Show changes in development
from small farm town to bedroom community of today.
• Install bronze/granite historical marker at the old boat launch site.
6. Flooding, Pollution, Past & Present
1. Fresh & Salt Water Fish
• Pictures and names showing all the
different fish species.
• Include information about fishing
license requirements, disposal of fish
guts and other rules and regulations.
• Pollution by textile factories up river in 19th century and
environmental impact during the Industrial Revolution.
• Map showing towns and cities who currently use river for drinking
water supply.
• Highlight Spring flood in 2011: 8 to 9 million plastic septic disks spilled
into Merrimack from sewage treatment plant in Hooksett, NH.
2. Bird & Wildlife Habitat
• Pictures and names of bird species along the river.
• Highlight bald eagles in West Newbury.
• Feature photographs from local residents.
7. Climate Change: Are Sea Levels Rising?
• Install water level gauge with lock box to store recorded data.
• Page School students could make annual field trip to the site to record
and track the data – for years. Could include septic disks found.
• Plum Island erosion: Photographs and newspaper clippings showing
storm damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.
3. Mount Lafayette to the Sea
• Map showing Merrimack River watershed.
• Include geological features, Earth’s early history
to the ice age.
• Aerial photos and map showing drumlins/hills in
West Newbury and Haverhill along river created
from receding glaciers.
8. Famous Peonies of Ferry Lane Park
• Origins of “Helen” created by Win Thurlow of Cherry Hill Nurseries.
• Other information provided by the West Newbury Garden Club about
the local plants in town, including invasive species, poison ivy, etc.
Photographs provided by Mass Fish & Game
showing new boat ramp and floating dock
system completed in 2012 at facility located on
the Bass River in Yarmouth, MA.
This boat ramp design is similar to what the
State envisions for West Newbury’s Ferry
Landing location. The State estimates their cost
to be $550,000 plus $25,000 to $30,000 in
engineering and permitting.