After over a year of construction, three refurbished hiking trails in Minot Forest will open to the public. 

The Minot Forest Committee will hold a trail opening ceremony on Saturday, June 17 at 11 a.m., in the parking lot at Stillman Drive and Indian Neck Road. The ceremony will happen rain or shine. 

The Wareham Department of Natural Resources worked with the Minot Forest Committee, the Wareham Land Trust, the Wildlands Trust nonprofit, the Wareham Department of Municipal Maintenance and other groups. 

“They’re not as rough,” Department of Natural Resources Director Garry Buckminster said about the trails. “We cleaned out a lot of the rock and a lot of the root systems. We trimmed back on both sides so the trails are wider now.”

That not only makes tick bites less likely, but also makes the trails wide enough for emergency vehicles to pass through in case of a brush fire. 

Minot Forest also has a new parking lot, maps, kiosks, benches and trail markers to make navigation easier. 

The trails are now looped, so there are no more dead ends. Their inclines have been landscaped to make them less steep.

The trails have also received new names, in memory of three late Wareham residents who dedicated their lives to preserving the town’s natural beauty. 

Marjorie Teitelbaum (1931-2009) was a lifelong environmentalist who served on the Open Space and Community Preservation Committees. At the time of her death, she was on the Minot Forest Committee. 

Donald Hall (1934-2020) was a longtime member of the Minot Forest and Open Space Committees. 

Anne Campbell (1932-2021) was the owner of Depot Auto Services in Onset. She organized candidates’ nights for town elections, filmed Town Meetings, volunteered at the Spinney Memorial Library and served on the Open Space Committee, Oak Grove School Association and Onset Protective League. 

Funding for the project came from a $50,000 MassTrails grant and the Community Preservation Act. The most recent round of Community Preservation funding was $8,500, approved by Town Meeting in spring 2017.