Paths into the Future
An exploration of site uses, work flows, and visitor access at April Hill Conservation and Education Center.
Prepared by Hannah Andersson & Eric Rose
Paths into the Future
An exploration of site uses, work flows, and visitor access at April Hill Conservation and Education Center.
Index
Introduction
Regional Context
Legal Restrictions
Existing Conditions
Existing Conditions–April Hill Center Detail
Soils & Drainage
Drainage–April Hill Center Detail
Habitats & Vegetation
Habitats & Vegetation–April Hill Center Detail
Wayfinding
Slopes & Accessibility
Design Preview
Design 1: Meeting Grounds
Design 1: Meeting Grounds–April Hill Center Detail
Design 2: Warner Field Grows
Design 2: Warner Field Grows–April Hill Center Detail
Grading Details
Design Details 1
Design Details 2
Design Precedents We would like to thank the following for their contributions:
Prepared by Hannah Andersson & Eric Rose
Susan Bachelder, Cory Hines, Cosmo Catalano, Alexander Thorp, Kristina Smith, and the staff at Greenagers.
Introduction
Greenagers
Greenagers is a thriving non-profit supporting local teens and young adults through education and paid employment programs, internships, and apprenticeships in the fields of agriculture, conservation, and vocational skills building. The organization formed in 2007 and on January 1, 2013, Greenagers incorporated as its own organization. In 2019, Greenagers moved from North Plain Farm to April Hill Conservation and Education Center, a 100-acre historic farmstead in South Egremont, Massachusetts. The buildings at April Hill currently provide office and meeting space for Greenagers' team of 14 staff, shared housing for two to three staff, some storage, and a few small indoor workshop and event spaces. Much of their programming is primarily outdoors, and happens both on site at April Hill, and throughout the region.
Various outside organizations also use April Hill to host their events through the year. Supporting the local community through these collaborations is important to Greenagers, but workshop space, storage, and accessibility are limited, which can cause logistical complications. Greenagers' are exploring how they want to inhabit the landscape in a way that supports the breadth of work they do with youth and offers more to the local community. More specifically, they wish to evaluate activity sites for both current and future programming, create accessible pathways for public recreational and programmatic activities, clearly connect areas of interest for staff and visitors, and increase public awareness of all that Greenagers and April Hill has to offer.
Primary Project Goals
Improve Wayfinding and Site Connectivity
• Better defined spaces to host workshops and events
• Safe, sustainable, and clear pathways for foot and vehicle traffic Increase Accessibility
• For staff, program participants, and public visitors
Evaluate Activity Sites
• Locations of current programming spaces
• Storage space for the four programs
• Staff housing for two to three year-round agricultural employees
Explore Potential Future Programming
• Small-scale sheep or chicken husbandry, primarily for educational purposes
• Tree nursery with native species for Greenagers projects and broader region
• Silvopasture to expand environmentally friendly agricultural practices
Trails
The work of Trail Crews revolves around new trail construction, improvement, stewardship, tool maintenance, and other environmental conservation practices. Crew members will often begin and end their days at April Hill Center, gathering tools from the garage and garden shed before packing into a van and heading to a project site.
Education
Greenagers offers school and summer programming, and leads on- and off-site field trips. Programming aims to help youth develop confidence, problem-solving skills, and empathy while learning about the environment through hiking, hands-on projects, exploration, and studying the local landscape.
Trades
Greenagers engages local high school students in design and building work experiences. Crews participate in various trade-related jobs at April Hill and in the community, collaborating with the Farm Team and Trail Crews. The program aims to connect students with apprenticeships in trades they're interested in, offering school credit and a weekly stipend.
Farm
Farm Crews can most often be found working between the 1-acre garden, hoophouse, compost area, and new 4-acre crop field in progress. The farm focuses on sustainable agriculture with hand-scale and low-till methods and engages the community through workshops, field trips, and local food distribution. Seasonal staff often live onsite in tent platforms, while year-round staff live in the main house.
Trail Crew members at a project site.
Bog bridges built by Trail Crews.
Local students on a hiking field trip.
After-school program activities.
Trades Crew working outside at April Hill. Trades workshop space in the lower level of the barn.
Plant seedlings in the one-acre garden.
Visiting student helps harvest chard.
Regional Context
South Egremont is a village in the mostly rural town of Egremont in southwestern Massachusetts. According to the 2020 census, Egremont had a population of 1,345. It is fifteen minutes from Great Barrington (population 7,172) and forty-five minutes from Pittsfield (population 43, 927). Most of the youth who are employed by Greenagers are from these areas. While most Greenagers projects are in Berkshire County, Trails crews range as far away as Holyoke, MA; Hudson, NY; Kent, CT; and Bennington, VT for projects.
Ecoregions and Communities Served
Land Cover
There are denser human populations in the Marble Valley than the surrounding mountains because the terrain is less rugged, winters are milder, and the soil is more suited to agriculture. Nonetheless, it is less populated than the eastern portion of the state and has a generally rural feel. The landscape surrounding April Hill contains hayfields, pastures, and crop fields juxtaposed with forests and wetlands as well as occasional pockets of turf coinciding with residences, businesses, and other developed areas. Many of the forested areas coincide with bedrock outcroppings, steep hillsides, or low wet areas. The combination of agricultural and natural resources present throughout the region serves the needs of the Greenagers programs well at April Hill. There is arable land for the Farm program; open space for trail-building and forestry workshops and demonstrations for the Trails program; logs which can be harvested for Trades, Trails, and Farm to build with; and one hundred acres of nature- and science-based experiential learning for Education.
Egremont is nestled within the Western New England Marble Valleys ecoregion, which wends between the Taconic Mountains to the west and the Green Mountains and Berkshire highlands to the east. Calcitic and dolomitic marble and limestone lie under most of the valleys, resulting in calcium-rich, alkaline soils and water bodies. The resulting soils are well-suited to agriculture. Harder outcroppings such as schist and gneiss punctuate the valley. The Appalachian Trail descends from the Taconic's Mount Bushnell, just west of April Hill, crosses the Marble Valley, and ascends into the Berkshires. This route carries it directly along the southern edge of April Hill, providing access from April Hill to the trail for day hikers and an opportunity for AT through-hikers to stop at April Hill to get water, charge their phones, or catch a lift into town.
Looking northwest: April Hill in the foreground, Mount Bushnell rising on the left in the mid-ground, and Mount Washington in the distance. (Drone image by David Weber.)
Looking southeast: April Hill in the foreground with the Berkshire Hills rising in the distance. (Drone image by David Weber.)
Legal Restrictions
While Greenagers is the custodian of several parcels of land in South Egremont, this project is concerned with the tract west of Route 41, once the heart of the 150-acre Westover-Bacon-Potts Farm. The farmhouse, which now houses offices, meeting rooms, and living spaces, was built in 1744 and all modernization has been conducted with the intent of preserving its historical integrity. Mary-Margaret Kellogg purchased the farm in 1976 and created Historic Preservation, Agricultural Preservation, and Conservation Restrictions on what she called April Hill Farm. She also granted easements to the Appalachian Trail Conference (now the Appalachian Trail Conservancy) and ultimately donated the property to that organization with the understanding that the ATC would create a regional conservation center on the property. The ATC later chose to divest the bulk of the property, retaining the southernmost portion directly abutting Appalachian Trail. For the rest, it found a suitable steward in Greenagers, which took up residence in 2019.
Agricultural Preservation Restriction
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources holds the APR on this fifty-acre parcel, and the restriction is intended to protect the agricultural viability as well as the view-shed. Terms of this restriction include:
• no non-agricultural use or development
• no activities detrimental to the agricultural viability of soil and water
• new roadways for agricultural purposes require permission
• structures (including seasonal agricultural worker housing) are allowed only within the three-acre building envelope in the northwest corner of the parcel.
Conservation Restriction
Appalachian Trail Conservancy holds the CR on this fifteen-acre parcel and the restriction is intended to protect open space, scenic vistas (from the Appalachian Trail as well as from April Hill), working farmland and forests, wetlands, and core and endangered species habitats. Terms of this restriction include:
• livestock and agricultural activities are allowed
• no commercial, industrial, or residential use
• no construction, excavation, or dumping
• cutting, removing, or destroying vegetation is restricted
• no manipulation of waterways
• new trails are allowed with permission
• temporary structures (no foundation) are allowed with permission
Historic Preservation Restriction
Historic New England holds the HPR on this four-acre parcel and the restriction is intended to protect the historical integrity of the structures and landscape. Terms of this restriction include:
• the house, barn, sheep shed, and garden shed cannot be altered inside or out without written permission from HNE
• the garden shed may be moved so long as it is north or west of the house
• only one building under 1200 square feet and less than 18 feet tall may be added by right
• other structures cannot be added without permission
• no topographical changes of more than 2 feet
• no vegetation more than 25 feet tall can be removed or destroyed
Exceptions are allowable for preserving and protecting the premises; maintenance of vegetation and utilities; providing water, sewage, and utilities to the barn; and accessibility.
The Westover-Bacon-Potts Farmhouse, now Greenagers headquarters.
Cold storage and a hoophouse at the north end of the building envelope. The field around it is known as Warner Field. (Drone image by David Weber.)
Existing Conditions
April Hill is a roughly trapezoidal tract. Lines and swaths of trees separate large open hayfields and pastures. There is one cluster of buildings in the middle of the east side, near or within the Historic Preservation area and referred to as April Hill Center. There are also several buildings in the northwest corner of the hayfield known as Warner Field. These lie in the building envelope of the APR. The high point of the property is along the north edge where the wood bank is located. The low point is in the middle of the southern boundary.
Warner Field
The approximately 22-acre area in the northwest corner contains the APR's 3-acre building envelope and approximately 12.5 acres of open field.
A shipping container provides large-item storage for the entire organization.
A pair of cold storage units occupy a 600-squarefoot building, serving the Farm program and outside organizations.
A 3,000-square-foot hoophouse enables the Farm program to start plants from seed and extend their growing season.
A 3.5-acre crop field is being permanently fenced during the summer of 2024 to protect crops from fauna.
An overgrown old orchard which predates Greenagers tenure at April Hill, claims about three-quarters of an acre in the woods.
An expanse of gray dogwood occupies a large swath on and at the bottom of the slope in the southwest corner.
A ford of crushed stone with a fabric underlay was installed in spring 2024 to provide a consistent offroad access route across the forested wetland between Warner Field and April Hill Center.
A forested wetland running northwestsoutheast divides April Hill.
The wood bank and sawmill are separate but conjoined work spaces that sprawl over approximately two-thirds of an acre. There is a driveway entrance from Warner Road but it can become very muddy. There are logs, firewood stacked and scattered and discarded in the tree-line, lumber, scrap lumber, splitting blocks, a log splitter, and of, course, the sawmill. The area has a slightly chaotic but productive feel.
Tractor lanes on the property tend to be informal and can meander as ground conditions and operator needs vary.
April Hill
The trail links to a trail loop on a Greenagers-owned property across the road.
April Hill Center
Most Greenagers activity currently occurs in this area. It is presented in more detail on the following page.
A one-acre garden stands at a relative high point with a 900-square-foot pavilion for shade. The demonstration/ education/production fruit and vegetable garden is maintained by the Farm program.
Neighbors cut and bale the hayfields, taking the hay for their own use but keeping the field vegetation in check.
Approximately 10 acres of pasture are grazed by a neighbor's sheep, although not on a consistent basis. This provides husbandry-based experiential learning for Greenagers crews.
Looking across the wetland at Warner Field. (Drone imagery by David Weber.)
April Hill Center. (Drone imagery by David Weber.)
The wood bank and sawmill. (Drone imagery by David Weber.)
Existing Conditions
April Hill Center
The dumpster sits on the north corner of the parking lot, a fence to the south masking it from view.
The parking lot holds about fifty vehicles and can accommodate buses. Greenagers fleet vehicles tend to park on the north end.
recently installed kiosk orients visitors to the site.
The pool shed provides limited organization-wide storage as well as water and electricity access.
The cold storage trailer provides refrigeration for Farm crew produce.
Many of the fruit trees south of the parking lot were planted after 2019. Several are within five feet of the driveway.
The garden shed's Historic Preservation Restriction allows it to be moved north or west of the farmhouse. The shed currently houses Trail equipment.
The garage is not protected by the HPR. The Trails program stores chain saws and other gas-powered equipment here.
April Hill Center
The one-acre garden is a demonstration/education/production fruit and vegetable garden maintained by the Farm program and also used by the Education program.
The pavilion, a recent Trades project, shades Farm crews, Education programs, and employees at lunch.
A trail leads hikers through the woods to the northeastern corner of the property, or to the road where they can cross to another trail loop on a different Greenagers tract.
Tent platforms provide summer housing to Greenagers youth crews and host occasional overnight camping programs.
The storage shed at the northeast corner of the parking lot provides organization-wide storage. Items too large to fit inside, such as orchard ladders, are placed adjacent to it.
The apple orchard has some gaps where trees have died.
The leach field is a conspicuous raised mound between the orchard and Route 41.
Historic Home
Offices, meeting spaces, a kitchen, and ADA bathroom fill out the eastern portion of the building.
The summer room, in the center portion of the structure, is an informal meeting and gathering space.
Housing for two employees occupies the western portion.
The gravel driveway entrance from Route 41 curves between the farmhouse and barn then proceeds to a large parking area where it loops back onto itself. There are several smaller parking areas for loading, ADA access, and tenants near the structures.
The barn holds the Trades program on its lower level. The upper level is used for events and a Trades staging area.
The sheep shed, protected by the HPR, stores large equipment as well as hand tools and supplies for the Farm program.
A
A massive willow tree shades picnic tables for employees and visitors.
The Westover–Bacon–Potts Farmhouse with three small parking areas visible.
The pavilion in the one-acre garden.
The historic barn and sheep shed.
Soils & Drainage
Soils
The table below, drawn from the Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), shows characteristics attributed to soil types thought to be present at April Hill West. This data should be verified on site, but the indication is that most of the property is ill-suited for roads, basements, or septic, including Warner Field and the building envelope. The more suitable areas are subject to use prohibitions which push new infrastructure into the Warner Field building envelope. While building there is not impossible, doing so may require more effort and expense than building elsewhere on site. Creating multi-seasonal roadways anywhere on site may likewise be difficult.
Hydrologic Soil Groups indicate how quickly water flows through the ground when it is saturated. This rate has bearing on how quickly the soil will dry out after saturation. For April Hill, it can give an indication of how long a roadway, path, or garden bed in one area might take to dry out relative to another area. We can see that Warner Field may not dry out as quickly as the eastern portions of April Hill West.
From the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide:
Hydrologic Soil Group B: Soils having moderate infiltration rates when thoroughly wetted, consisting chiefly of moderately deep or deep, moderately well or well drained soils with moderately fine to moderately coarse textures. These soils have a moderate rate of water transmission.
Hydrologic Soil Group C: Soils having slow infiltration rates when thoroughly wetted, consisting chiefly of (1) soils with a layer that impedes the downward movement of water, or (2) soils with moderately fine or fine textures and slow infiltration rate. These soils have a slow rate of water transmission.
Hydrologic Soil Group D : Soils having very slow infiltration rates when thoroughly wetted, consisting chiefly of (1) clayey soils with high swelling capacity or potential, (2) soils with a high permanent water table, (3) soils with claypan or clay layer at or near the surface, and (4) shallow soils over nearly impervious materials. These soils have a very slow rate of water transmission.
Soils Classifications
Drainage
A ridge runs generally north-south in the eastern portion of the property. Stormwater run-off sheds east or west from this ridge. Water moving east will eventually cross under Route 41, either by means of culverts or filtering directly through the ground, and into the streams and wetlands to the east. Water moving west finds its way into wetlands running northwest-southeast across the property. The western portions of the tract mirror this drainage pattern, with stormwater run-off flowing to wetlands off-property to the west or into the wetlands in the center of the property. When the water is high these wetlands can drain to the south by mains of an intermittent stream.
Drainage Detail
April Hill Center
A berm and swale created within the last five years along the north edge of the parking lot prevent storm water run-off from flowing into the parking lot from the field to the northwest. There is no retention basin associated with the swale and in heavy rains water flows into the woods immediately to the east, where it has washed away all leaf litter from the top of the slope. Because the swale overflow disperses through the woods, there are not clear signs of soil deposition downslope, but the removal of the leaf litter indicates soil erosion potential.
A swale carries stormwater run-off into a pipe which conveys the water under the west parking lot into the infiltration basin in the center of the parking lot.
There is minor pooling under the willow, although it seems to infiltrate fairly quickly and does not seem to inhibit the use of the space when it is not raining.
Water is channeled between the sheep shed and the barn The are signs of erosion on the south end of the sheep shed. Greenagers staff have reported that water occasionally seeps into the lower level of the barn from the west, and that the source may be a leaky gutter pipe going into the ground. The Trades program will attempt to address the issue.
The parking lot infiltration basin overflows through a outflow pipe at the northeast corner of the parking lot. Water has flowed at full capacity through this eighteen inch pipe during large storm events. There is some vegetation loss where the pipe daylights, indicating a potential erosion risk. This outflow is located just uphill from the newly cleared and wood-chipped area surrounding the tent platforms, which could be especially prone to wash-out.
A French drain was recently installed along the north side of the house to help divert water coming from the parking lot area. The water from the drain and gutters daylight and infiltrate into the lawn with little obvious impact.
A drain and a drainage basin collect water coming down opposite sides of the driveway. They daylight separately, one past the tree line to the southeast, and one to the lawn. The Trails Crew clears sediment depositions from the ends of each pipe as part of spring maintenance.
The infiltration basin in the middle of the parking lot.
The parking lot infiltration basin's outflow.
The French drain along the north side of the house.
The drain along the north side of the barn.
Pooling under the willow tree.
Habitats & Vegetation
The agricultural history of April Hill continues to shape much of the landscape. The west side of April Hill is predominantly open hayfield, with expansive almost 360 degree views. Some thinning tree rows running east-west break up the expanse of open field. Along the western border and northeast corner are areas of more contiguous mixed forest. A narrow wetland separates the lower elevation areas on site from the hilltop fields and central area. Overall, there are diverse habitats on site that support all sorts of educational, conservation, and recreational activities.
Mixed Forest
The forest cover at April Hill is primarily deciduous species with some conifers (oak, hickory, ash, willow, cherry, maple, birch, eastern white pine, eastern hemlock, etc). The forest along the western border connects through abutting parcels to Mount Everett State Reservation, Jug End Wildlife Management Area, and various other intact protected lands in the nearby Taconic mountain range which the Appalachian Trail winds through.
Wetlands
A forested swamp runs north to south, separating Warner Field from the larger upslope hayfields to the east. This area has a high water table and an intermittent stream formed from a seepage in the middle of the wetland which drains south across the ford and through a calcareous fen. This formerly grazed fen is a designated Natural Community under the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program for its biodiversity conservation value of statewide importance. While about 2 acres in total size, only 0.6 of the fen lies on April Hill, upstream, while the rest stretches through the Appalachian Trail corridor and southern neighbors' parcels. West of the fen is a large gray dogwood patch. The fen and dogwood areas provide habitat for diverse plant species with some invasive plants present. Greenagers has been collaborating with NHESP and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to monitor the fen for sightings of rare animal species such as bog turtles.
Shrubland
A 3-acre field of mostly gray dogwood lies in the southwest corner of the property. This dense thicket is bordered by mixed woods to the north and west, by the fen to the east. Many insects, including bees and butterflies, are attracted to the dogwood for pollen and nectar. It's fruits are a good food source for many songbirds. They are also enjoyed by black bears, raccoons, squirrels, and chipmunks. In dense thickets, the shrub provides shelter for birds and small mammals as well as nesting sites for birds.
Hayfields
Three hayfields are divided by thin tree hedges dominated by shrubs, dying black cherry, and ashborer-afflicted ash. The southernmost fields are occasionally used as pasture for a neighbor’s sheep. Grassland bird species such as bobolinks and meadowlarks are present on the property. A local farmer cuts the hay one to three times per season for their own use, the timing of which is irregular and not aligned to minimize impact on wildlife.
Crop Fields
A one-acre fenced-in garden with a mix of annual and perennial crops has sweeping views of the landscape to the east, south, and west. A newly built fence in Warner Field encompasses about 4 acres for educating youth about larger-scale crop production.
Orchards
In the southwest area there are remnants of an old apple orchard, an old roadway, and a small open area with milkweed and other meadow species that is a certified Monarch Waystation. Much of this area is overgrown with native and invasive vegetation but the area could be rejuvenated for apple production and outdoor education for Greenagers programming, and as a recreational destination for public visitors. Along the eastern border of the property a newer orchard lies north of the main home and west of the leach field. However, some of these apple trees are struggling to produce fruit. Greenagers has expressed a desire to revitalize them and to plant more to support programming.
Gray dogwood patch in mid-April.
Old orchard in the southwest area of the property.
Thin tree hedges separating hayfields.
Looking north across the fen.
Monarch Waystation in the small meadow near the old orchard.
Forest edge of mixed woods near the southwestern border of the property.
Wetland
Shrubland
Hayfield
Mixed Forest
Orchard
Crop field
Looking west from the one-acre garden towards the Taconics.
Habitats and Vegetation
April Hill Center
Vegetation in April Hill Center, where the majority of buildings are, is primarily a mix of of unmown vegetation, mown lawn, fruit and shade trees, and perennial garden beds.
Unmown Vegetation
A few areas are mown infrequently because they are not well suited for use, resulting in meadow-like conditions. This includes the leach field and sloped eastern border of the large parking area. In the center of the parking area, a large infiltration basin has primarily forb vegetation, with elderberry and other small shrubs starting to grow along the upper edges.
Trees
Large shade trees surround the main house. An old willow on the western edge of the driveway and a honey locust in the center of the flagstone patio are especially favored areas for people to gather. A small grove primarily of mature shagbark hickories stands north of the house, and a small apple orchard stands between this grove and the tent platforms. Other tree species are planted around the April Hill Center area, including Eastern hemlock, crabapple, and buckeye. These mature trees provide shady, cool areas, a welcome respite from the sunny conditions found across much of the site.
The client would like to mow less and have defined pathways in this area, preferably ones that are ADA accessible. Mown lawn surrounds much of the driveway, parking areas, and buildings and there are no established pathways across it. This wide open mown lawn can leave visitors unsure of where to go. Additionally, mown lawn is not ADA accessible as it does not have a firm and stable surface. Lawn areas are not irrigated and Greenagers does not use chemical applications.
Plantings
Clumps of borage and young fruit trees are planted along and around the main parking area, remnants from previous staff projects. Some are within a foot or two of the driveway, which could damage or be damaged by the passing traffic as they mature. There are some large blueberry bushes in a narrow area between the garage and cooler. The placement of this vegetation is not ideal for education or production because the plants are hidden between structures, or very close to the driveway and parking areas. There are no pathways leading to them. There are perennial garden beds along some areas of the main home, barn, and stone walls on the property.
Mown Lawn
Orchard
Large shade trees Mown lawn
Borage and young fruit trees along the driveway.
Looking north at the orchard with the tent platforms in the background.
Honey locust and flagstone patio outside the summer room of the main house.
Crabapple near the stone wall and barn.
Unmown area on the eastern border of the parking with borage plants and apple orchard on the left.
Mown lawn around shade trees and north side of main home.
Looking south across the mown lawn towards the garden and sheep shed.
Vegetated infiltration basin in the center of the main parking area.
Wayfinding
Both the April Hill landscape and Greenagers have much to offer the community, but the arrival and orientation for firsttime visitors is confusing due to a lack of signs, established pathways, and/or other landscape cues. Visitors are often unsure of where to park, what is available for them on site, and how to get around. Greenagers would like to improve the welcome and orienting aspects for first time visitors to April Hill, while also making clear and efficient pathways for programmatic activities.
Greenagers activity nodes are spread out across April Hill. Crews often collect tools from their respective storage areas in April Hill Center, and then move around the property by foot or vehicle to complete their work. Crews sometimes need to make trips back and forth to change tools, check-in with crew leaders, or use the restroom. Distances between activity nodes slows the pace of work which is seen as a positive thing for staff to connect with each other and the land. However, the lack of restrooms and clear and maintained pathways can also cause unwanted delays and detract from the mission.
Foot paths
Most foot traffic (work and recreational) is through open lawn and along driveway and tractor lanes. The most established areas for foot traffic are mown lanes leading from the garden down to the ford, offering beautiful views and a connection to Warner Field. Mown paths are irregular in their creation and maintenance as site use patterns develop. A newly built trail begins near the east orchard, crosses Route 41 to the east parcel, and loops through the woods and around a marsh. There is no crosswalk across Route 41 and the trailheads are not directly opposite each other so hikers must briefly walk along the road, which creates an unsafe crossing.
Signage
A small trio of signs for April Hill Conservation and Education Center, Greenagers, and Egremont Land Trust marks the entrance of April Hill along Route 41. The small size and different names can confuse visitors as to what the site is and whether it is open to the public. A newly built kiosk placed near the parking lot awaits information to help visitors orient themselves. There are some signs designating infrastructure use placed on various entrances and buildings. Specific parking signs for tenants and Appalachian trail hikers are posted but there is no formal map or welcome area and the overall direction for where visitors should park and orient themselves is unclear.
Route 41 and Warner Road
There is only one entrance/exit to April Hill off Route 41. The 40 mph speed limit and blind summit to the north of this intersection makes it somewhat hazardous, especially for younger drivers. Larger signs and other visual landscape cues at the entrance may help passing drivers recognize there is a center of activity there and encourage them to slow down or even turn in to learn about April Hill and Greenagers. Warner Road, a dirt road and dead end, stems off Route 41 about 900 feet north of the entrance to April Hill, and gives access to the sawmill, wood bank, and Warner Field facilities.
Driveways and parking
A packed stone driveway off Route 41 goes past the barn, wraps around the main house and ends in a looped parking area. Per the historical restrictions, the driveway cannot be moved and another entrance along Route 41 cannot be created. A short driveway off Warner Road to the sawmill and wood bank area is often muddy and difficult for Greenagers vehicles or the occasional logging truck to navigate without risk of getting stuck. Gravel has been periodically laid to help mitigate the muddy conditions through the year. A second more finished driveway off Warner Road provides access to the cooler and hoophouse with undefined areas for parking.
Tractor, truck, and van access
Work vehicles take multiple routes across the fields as farm lanes tend to shift depending on how muddy and sloped the land is, and how experienced the driver is. The client would like fewer driving lanes through the landscape, and ones that are more established and safer for driving year round.
Mown path around the southern garden fence line.
Large open parking area forks to right and left; empty kiosk on left.
Muddy tractor lane near sawmill. Entrance sign off
Slopes & Accessibility
Project stakeholders have expressed a desire for more accessible trails in the region and at April Hill in particular. There are different trail accessibility guidelines depending on the intended purpose of the trail and its relation to the built environment. For example, the Forest Service Trail Accessibility guidelines (FSTAG) apply to new or altered trails that are designed for pedestrian hiking and which connect directly to a trailhead or to another trail that currently complies with these guidelines. Accessibility standards issued under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) apply to places of public accommodation, commercial facilities, and state and local government facilities in new construction, alterations, and additions.
According to Unpaved Trails for All, a Massachusetts advocacy group, out of the 4,000 miles of unpaved trails in state parks only 7.5 miles are universally accessible, and almost half of Massachusetts residents could benefit from accessible trails (see pie chart). Greenagers would like to make their programming and recreational opportunities available to persons of all abilities. Addressing this desire and the regional need for more accessible trails is an opportunity to showcase Greenagers trails and trades programs by building accessible grade trails, boardwalks, benches, wheelchair-friendly picnic tables, etc. With mostly gentle slopes on April Hill West, the site offers a variety of terrain well suited for recreational and agricultural activities. Although there is only one established trail on site in the northeast area of the property, and there are no accessible paths on site, much of the site has gentle slopes that are compatible with FSTAG and ADA guidelines.
April Hill Center
Most of the slopes in April Hill Center vary between 0 and 8.3%. Some steeper areas above 5% include the lawn stretching from the parking lot to the sheep shed and wrapping around the northeast corner of the garden, as well as the orchard north of the main home. There are signs for accessible parking near the main house and barn but no clear pathways leading from them to destinations. The patio on the south side of the home is uneven as the flagstones have heaved over time, creating unsafe changes in level and a tripping hazard for pedestrians, especially those with vision or mobility challenges. The summer room entrance off the patio is the only ADA entrance to the home and an accessible bathroom is found just down the hall in the main office area. The event space in the top level of the barn has an accessible entrance but no ADA pathway leading to it.
April Hill Site-Wide
Along the wide hilltop ridge of April Hill and across Warner Field are areas of dark green (under 2% slope). Water doesn’t drain well in these areas, complicating vehicle passage with muddy terrain. Additionally, these areas with little to no positive drainage are less suitable for building and agriculture. In the northeast corner and along the southern border are areas of steeper slopes from 8.3 to 20%. These areas, especially when wet, can make novice tractor drivers nervous.
Design Preview
Two Designs
The following designs are loosely detailed mid-to-long term visions for April Hill. There are two site-wide design options with zoom-ins for April Hill Center. Many of the details are very similar because of physical circumstances and legal restrictions. In places, the designs push against these restrictions, notably in moving the Trails or Trades program to the Warner Field Agricultural Building Envelope. These moves are in large part predicated on the future spatial needs of these expanding programs and the lack of developable space at April Hill. The plans are certainly exploring the limitations of the Agricultural Restriction, and do so based on the following considerations: 1) The Trails program is doing forestry work on site and forestry is a form of agriculture, and 2) items made by the trades program from timber harvested by Greenagers could be considered a value added product.
Some of the details, such as shifting the mowing patterns on site or increasing the Farm program's presence in Warner Field, are immediately actionable and are clearly not contrary to any of the restrictions. Other details, such as moving non-Farms program bases to Warner Field, are longer term propositions which would require not only careful consideration and detailed planning on the part of Greenagers but also permission from the entities holding the property restrictions.
Primary Project Goals
Improve Wayfinding and Site Connectivity
• Better defined spaces to host workshops and events
Meeting Grounds
• Safe, sustainable, and clear pathways for foot and vehicle traffic
Increase Accessibility
• For staff, program participants, and public visitors
Evaluate Activity Sites
• Locations of current programming spaces
• Storage space for the four programs
• Staff housing for two to three year-round agricultural employees
Explore Potential Future Programming
• Small-scale sheep and chicken husbandry, primarily for educational purposes
• Tree nursery with native species for Greenagers projects and broader region
• Silvopasture to expand environmentally friendly agricultural practices
The first design alternative expands on the current Greenagers model with activity areas and work spaces distributed across the site. It is a wide-spread, mixed-use working, educational, and recreational site. Landscape changes at April Hill Center reduce logistical conflicts for multiple groups making use of the property by better defining spaces and the routes between them. Many of the paths in April Hill Center are now ADA accessible.
Greenagers programming and public recreational opportunities stretch across the site. Walking trails, educational signs, and interactive destinations invite visitors to explore the property and to learn about the local environment and the history of April Hill. Several outdoor classrooms provide the Education program with varied environments for diverse programming. The trails and other landscape features provide examples of the work that Greenagers does. Areas to view the surrounding landscape or livestock, or to have a picnic, are found throughout the trail system.
There is moderate growth at Warner Field, including an increased presence of the Farm program as cultivation increases and a complete relocation of the Trades Program to Warner Field.
Warner Field Expansion
The anticipated spatial needs and limited development potential at April Hill inspired the second design alternative. April Hill has become a destination for educational programming, events, and recreation. Most functions shift into Warner Field and April Hill Center becomes the primary public interface for first-time visitors and short-term educational experiences. Warner Field becomes the hub for educational deep-dives. Cooperative educational programming and site work at April Hill Center maintain the connections between the two organizational aspects.
Condensing heavy human activity into the smaller Warner Field footprint increases the ecological impact there but reduces it elsewhere. It also reduces cross-site traffic, increasing efficiency. New structures with common walls may reduce the overall footprint. Building for specific uses will allow for greater efficiency in construction and use.
Many of the new destination features have been created by Greenagers crews, serving as models of what Greenagers is and the work that Greenagers does. These features are generally located along ADA paths close to April Hill Center to ensure they are accessible.
Design 1: Meeting Grounds
Site-Wide Design
The first design alternative expands on the current Greenagers model with activity areas and work spaces scattered across a mixed-use working, educational, and recreational site. Walking trails, educational signs, and interactive destinations invite visitors to explore the property and to learn about the local environment, the history of April Hill, and the work that Greenagers does. Several outdoor classrooms provide varied environments for diverse programming. There is moderate growth at Warner Field, including an increased presence of the Farm program and a complete relocation of the Trades Program to Warner Field.
Outdoor Classrooms
A wilderness skills area uses the forested areas along the western border trail for backcountry camping experiences, shelter building, and other skills. This is the area on site farthest removed from the noise of human activity and should therefore yield a more authentic backcountry experience.
The old orchard has been cleared of undergrowth and undergoes a gradual reclamation pruning, which may only go as far as removing hazardous limbs. A stump seating circle and various gathering/ play activities are here for Education and community members. This educational area recognizes the history of the farmstead.
A living willow structure overlooking the fen provides shade and features an educational sign about wetland conservation. The willow thrives in this wet area and creates a nonconstructed structural experience within the conservation restriction.
Two boardwalks for foot traffic cross wet areas on site facilitating access across the property and showcasing Greenagers' work. One at the north end of the property allows dry passage across the wetland, and a second just north of the ford allows dry passage across the intermittent stream and wetland.
An ADA trail connects April Hill Center curves through hayfields and pasture to connect with the living willow structure, a round trip of about a third of a mile.
Split-rail fencing defines and contains the wood bank and sawmill.
Duplex housing for agricultural staff is close to Warner Road for ease of access in winter. It is 125' from the hoophouse and 350 feet from sheep shed which both need daily attention.
Trees and unmown fields buffer the house visually and auditorily from the main activity areas south and east of the dwelling. The private driveway also provides a degree of separation from the workplace.
Proximity to the utilities at the north end of Warner Field and the pre-existing driveway mean lower costs compared to building a structure farther south. The building orientation allows for rooftop solar, with the buffering trees planted far enough away to not shade the panels.
A bare-root tree nursery raises seedlings, started from seed in the hoophouse, in raised soil-filled beds. Bare root seedlings are for onsite use, for Trails crews to plant in off-site conservation projects, and for sale.
A fenced crop field is used for soft fruits and perennial vegetables.
An open-air communal area includes a Trades-built pavilion and play structures for shaded and unshaded open-air work, education, and play space that the Education department and local community can use.
The Trades program resides in a dedicated work space. The shop includes built-in and portable work stations and an air filtration system.
A wash/pack room provides the Farm program with ample space to clean and package their harvests. Adjacent space includes hand-tool storage, an expanded flammables cabinet, and rodent/insect proof storage. There is a break room for Trades and Farm crew members.
A large garage houses large farm equipment, including the tractor. There is also room for shared lumber storage for all programs, keeping it dry and consolidating the many lumber piles across the property.
and
A packed-gravel tractor road follows the gradient from the central parking loop to Warner Road, where there is a truck turn-around and room for one or two vehicles to park.
A mowed path parallels the roadway and connects to other trails around the perimeter of the property.
Silvopasture trees have been added in the western portion of the fenced-in sheep pasture that occupies the center of the property, providing day-long shade in part of the pasture.
A large mowed area serves as a large open gathering space in the center of the meadow, close to the classroom and parking, with a winding mowed path connecting it to April Hill Center.
April Hill Center
April Hill Center offers a designated welcome area for visitors to orient themselves, an ADA path system to guide people, and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces. A plan detail of April Hill Center can be found on page 14.
The sheep shed houses up to a dozen sheep,
opens into 1.5-acre pasture to the south.
Warner Field
Design 1: Meeting Grounds
April Hill Center Detail
Signs, kiosks and an information pavilion orient visitors to the sight. Trap rock gravel ADA path (shown in gray) connect parking to the buildings as well as outdoor gathering and resting/recreating areas.
Two 5% grade trap rock gravel ADA paths line the eastern and western edges of the parking lot and connect to the various buildings. A kiosk orients visitors who choose to park in the western lot area.
The infiltration basin in the middle of the parking lot is filled with elderberry, cattails, and dogwood.
A two-story education center holds a kitchen, bathrooms, and classroom on the top level. The lower level has storage, a bunk room for Americorps service members, and a bathroom. Shrubs mask the non-public entrance from the path and a picnic table is added to the flat area near the entrance.
A swale carries storm run-off from the field to the west along the west side of the north end of the driveway. The water flows through a culvert under the path and along the next swale draining southeast to the field south of the barns.
Mowed lawn (shown in light green) has been reduced in favor of unmowed areas to be brush-hogged once per year. The more frequently mowed areas define use spaces and foot traffic routes.
The former parking area south of the willow becomes part of the lightly maintained meadow that surrounds it.
The historic sheep shed continues to hold tools necessary for general site maintenance and caring for the one-acre garden.
The upper level of the barn is used for events and programming. A ten-foot-wide 8.3% (1:12) ramp with handrails allows ADA access. A door in the east corner of the south wall opens onto a small viewing platform with steps leading to the lower ground level.
A set of steps leads to a path which curves around a gathering area with picnic tables on the south side of the barn. The steps from the upper barn level descend into this area. Vegetation on the south side of the barn has been removed to create a more open space and better view of the mountains to the south.
The lower level of the barn is now a 1,500-square-foot storage and workshop space for the Trails program. An outdoor work area is framed by native shrubs.
A swale carries water from the parking lot's infiltration basin to a roadside drainage basin which outlets into a stream across the road.
Tent platforms provide short-term staff housing. A vegetative buffer encloses the area, shielding the tents from sun and wind and providing privacy for the occupants.
The orchard is filled out with small fruit trees removed from the area between the pavilion and parking lot.
Shrubs along the road shield the site from the sight, sound, and smell of passing vehicles.
A 5% grade trap rock gravel ADA path loops through the orchard, connecting the welcome pavilion, a bench and pull-off area, a picnic area, and a fire pit–all surfaced with trap rock gravel for ADA compliance.
One one-half-hour and two ADA parking spots are adjacent to the welcome pavilion so that first-time guests can stop to get oriented.
The garden shed has been moved north of the farmhouse to reduce congestion and make footpaths more intuitive. It now holds dry firewood for the nearby ADA accessible firepit.
The garage is converted into an open-air covered pavilion with trail maps and informational boards about April Hill and Greenagers.
The west end of the house has been converted from housing to an office space and a youth lounge on the lower level and storage and meeting space on the upper level. The entrance has been altered to include a 5% ADA ramp.
The stone patio is re-leveled for a smoother surface with a fifteenfoot wide stone extension, suitable for vehicles, reaching out to the driveway. A picnic table on the extension discourages parking but still allows for vehicle access if the table is moved.
The kiosk-shaped entrance sign signals that April Hill is open to the public.
Design 2: Warner Field Grows
Site-Wide Design
The Farm, Trails, and Trades programs all shift their primary bases of operations to Warner Field. The compost and wood chip piles, the wood bank, and the sawmill also move to Warner Field to consolidate operations for increased efficiency and decreased site-wide impacts. Warner Field becomes the working center of the site. Most building needs are consolidated into one long building to fit everything within the building envelope and still have room for further expansion.
Warner Field (continued)
A vegetative buffer shields the neighbor from the sights, sounds, and smells of the increased activity at Warner Field.
The wood bank is close to the road with a pull-off for loading.
A tree nursery raises purchased seedlings in gravel beds. After one season bareroot seedlings are ready for on-site use, for Trails crews to plant in off-site conservation projects, and for sale.
The sawmill is enclosed by a hazelnut hedge or some other tall, dense vegetation.
A fenced-in crop field is used for soft fruits and perennial vegetables, possibly transitioning to ball-andburlap tree production.
The packed gravel roadway is a long U with a smaller loop near the road and parking for twenty-eight vehicles. Roadside signs on either end orient visitors to the site.
A footbridge south of the ford allows dry passage across the intermittent stream and wetland, facilitating access across the property and showcasing Greenagers' work.
A new 900 square foot wash/pack barn also provides storage and is sited on the north end, across the roadway from the cold storage.
Offices, bathrooms, a kitchen, and communal room occupy the 1,800 square feet adjacent to the wash/pack room. There is also clean, climatecontrolled, rodent-proof storage for farm supplies such as seed.
The Trails program has 1,200 square feet for storage and a workshop, with some storage needs met in the adjacent garage.
A 1,200-square-foot garage houses large equipment, including the tractor, as well as hand tools, an expanded flammables cabinet, and rodent/insect proof storage.
The Trades shop fills 2,400 square feet at the south end of the building to mitigate the impact of noise from the power tools. There is also adjacent lawn space to the south that Trades can work in.
Materials bunkers with concrete floors provide storage for bulk items such as wood chips, shavings, stone, or composting materials.
Two 900-square-foot housing units, one on each floor, are for agricultural workers. The housing is close to the sheep barn for ease of animal care, but isolated from the rest of the working spaces.
Six tent platforms provide seasonal housing for agricultural workers. Hazelnut hedges are planted with an overlapped gap at the north entrance to allow vehicle access while blocking site lines from outside the hedge to the inside, providing privacy.
A two-story livestock barn at the south end of the building envelope has hay storage on the upper level adequate for up to a dozen sheep for a year.
The silvopasture thins the existing wooded area to increase the grazable understory and incorporates rotational grazing, with additional grassland pasture in the center of the site.
A pavilion provides a solid-roofed, open-air work, education, and play space.
A permeable-roof shade structure provides protection for shade plants or hardening off.
An open air lumber crib allows wood to cure while keeping it relatively dry.
A large mowed area to the west of April Hill Center serves as a gathering and play space.
The trail connection to the loop across Warner Road shifts north to align with that trailhead across the road and a crosswalk is added.
A mowed perimeter path balances access with habitat preservation.
April Hill Center
April Hill Center is still the home of Greenagers offices the Education Program. All curated educational spaces comply with ADA guidelines and are in or adjacent to April Hill Center to achieve accessibility with the least site-wide impact. Areas farther afield will still be available for programs but they may not be accessible to all persons. A plan detail of April Hill Center can be found on page 16.
Warner Field
The Long Barn
Warner Field Grows
April Hill Center Detail
Strategically placed signs and kiosks orient visitors to the site. Trap rock gravel ADA paths (shown in gray) connect destinations, while fencing, vegetation, and the topography, define use areas.
Two willow structures, one dry and one live, arch over an ADA boardwalk which encircles an infiltration basin planted with water-loving plants. The boardwalk has a small landing facing into the basin on the northeast and southwest ends. The basin provides a holding area for storm run-off which otherwise might have posed an erosion hazard for the ADA paths to the north (see page 15.)
A service area includes two open-topped materials bunkers flanking the dumpster area which has a gate to screen it from view. The bunkers are in turn flanked by trees and shrubs, reducing their visual impact.
A 5% grade trap rock gravel ADA path edges most of the parking lot and connects to all of the buildings and other destination areas in April Hill Center.
A sound sculpture, bench, and sign at the path junction near the northwest corner of the parking lot are located to draw people onto the ADA path leading north to the willow structures. The sign orients people to the site and the view.
A white oak towers at the north end of the parking lot's infiltration basin. Elderberry bushes fill the basin.
The two-story education center holds a kitchen, bathrooms, and classroom on the top level. The bottom level has a bathroom, classroom, and storage. Retaining walls extend from the northeast and southeast corners of the structure to frame a gathering area, which is partially shaded by a pergola extending from the east face of the building. Stairs at the end of the north wall provide outdoor non-ADA access between levels. The south wall features a built-in seating bench within the gathering space.
The south-side patio's under-five-percent trap rock gravel surface provides an outdoor ADA gathering area with excellent views. Short hedges border it on the west and south, and a sight-permeable fence runs along the top of the wall keeping the space well-defined and safe yet open. An ADA path connects the patio to the one-acre garden.
An accessible raised-bed sensory/herb garden borders the pavilion with concentric beds creating a maze effect.
A rip-rapped basin protects the hillside and downhill tent platform area from the force and volume of the basin's outflow pipe. The surrounding water-loving vegetation softens its appearance.
The tent platforms are used primarily for programs providing a controlled nature-based experience for first-time campers, short-term housing for multi-day event participants, and non-agricultural employees. Ramps from the ADA path and railings make the two easternmost tents suitable for ADA use.
The orchard has been filled out and expanded with apples, peach, plum, quince, and cherry trees. Its orderly rows create an allee for the ADA path.
The garden shed has been moved north of the farmhouse to reduce congestion and make footpaths more intuitive. It now holds dry firewood for the nearby ADA accessible firepit, a focal gathering point between the house and the orchard.
Fruit trees that were within ten feet of the driveway have been removed to reduce long-term stress to the trees and potential scratches to vehicles. They have been replanted between the driveway and the hickory grove.
The garage becomes a Welcome Center with site history and information about Greenagers on the walls, benches along the exterior west wall, and a phone charging station inside.
Housing is for Americorp service members. A gate has been added to the path to the door, and a hedge extends northeast from the Welcome Center to guide visitors elsewhere.
A concrete path cuts through the stone patio in the middle of the south side of the house, providing a smooth, level ADA path into the building.
The kiosk-shaped entrance sign signals clearly that April Hill is open to the public. A split-rail fence curves along both sides of the driveway.
A kiosk southeast of the four-space ADA/fifteen-minute parking area, framed by an ADA pathway, orients visitors to the site. There are picnic tables, one ADA accessible, under the large willow northeast of the lot.
The lawn east of the barn is divided into "rooms" by a split-rail fence, defining distinct overflow spaces outside the lower level of the barn during events or programming. A bench and an acoustic installation stand in the east "room", providing ambient sound and drawing visitors from the house or upper level of the barn.
Both levels of the barn are used for event programming. An 8.3% (1:12) ramp with handrails ensures ADA access into the upper level. A door in the east corner of the south wall opens onto a small viewing platform with steps leading to the lower level. An acoustic sculpture and seating near the bottom of the steps lures visitors around the building where they can enjoy the view to the east.
Stone steps leadfrom the ADA path to a mown path and thence to a footbridge through the split rail fence to the mown path beyond.
The historic sheep shed continues to hold tools necessary for general site maintenance and caring for the one-acre garden.
Grading Details
ADA accessible paths with a running slope of 5% or less connect parking to different areas of interest. ADA paths have a trap rock gravel or crushed stone substrate of 3/8” and smaller. Accessible picnic and rest areas along the trail enable passing and multiple users to enjoy the space. Existing swales have been improved and new drainage infrastructure has been added in some areas.
Meeting Grounds Warner Field Expansion
A vegetated infiltration basin northeast of the parking area catches the outflow of the existing parking lot basin, and any excess stormwater. flows to the street drain.
Stone walls and grading changes around the new kitchen classroom building remain unchanged from the architect's proposed design.
A 12-foot-long accessible ramp with handrails and a landing at the top provides access to the crew member lounge in the west side of the main home.
Vegetated 6-inch-deep swales infiltrate water flowing off the east and west sides of the upper driveway near the main parking area. On the west side, a small culvert runs under the ADA path and connects to a wider swale, partially unmown, that leads south across the lawn, past the sheep shed, and ends in the unmown field south of the barn.
A minimum 2% cross-slope sheds water run-off away from the north and south edges of the sheep shed to discourage further erosion of the dirt floor.
A 24-foot-long earthen ramp at 8.3% with an ADA pathway and handrails leads into the upper barn event space. The ramp width follows the shapes of the existing stone walls, which taper from fifteen to eleven feet wide. Stone steps and a mown path between the barn and sheep shed wraps around to the south and west side of the barn.
An existing swale north of the main parking area is expanded and leads into a vegetated infiltration basin with an accessible boardwalk wrapping around the basin.
A rip-rapped, catchment basin northeast of the parking area at the outfall of the existing infiltration basin in the middle of the parking area handles excess stormwater.
The architect's proposed grading for the new kitchen/classroom has been adjusted to allow for a wider gathering space at the lower level around the pergola. A secondary, lower stone wall on the south side provides raised perennial bed and seating. Stone steps wrap around another stone wall on the north end to connect the lower and upper levels of the building.
Regrading the 844 contour in the one-acre garden allows for accessible pathways throughout a set of raised garden beds.
A minimum 2% cross-slope sheds water away from the north and south edges of the sheep shed to discourage further erosion of the dirt floor.
A 30-foot wooden ramp at 8.3% with handrails leads into the upper barn event space. Stone steps between the barn and sheep shed lead to a mown path wrapping around the south and west side of the barn. A wooden bridge provides passage across the swale.
Design Details 1 Meeting Grounds
A living willow classroom sits at the outer edge of the wetland buffer overlooking the fen, blending in with the surrounding environment. Stump seating and educational signage about wetland and wildlife conservation
Design Details 2
Warner Field Expansion
Interactive musical elements such as pitched logs or wooden sound funnels provide points of interest for Greenagers programming and public visitors and provide an opportunity to showcase Trades Crew member skills.
Stereo acoustic amplifiers to listen to the sounds of nature.
Pitched logs provide a more interactive experience.
Design Precedents
Accessible picnic table along FSTAG accessible trail
Accessible path with crushed stone crossing over a small culvert. Sections of split rail fencing separates an adjacent open area on the other side of the trees.
Mown paths along a forest edge and meandering uphill through a meadow.
An angled information sign with a single post invites engagement from passersby.
Felled logs are notched and stacked to create a nature-based play structure adjacent to an ADA path.
Permeable shade cloth cover over wood and metal growing tables.
The mowed path continues along the fence, with unmowed areas distinguishing the path from what would otherwise be a wide expanse of mowed lawn.
A mowed path along a split-rail fence that also distinguishes use areas–note the multihued beehives.