Starting January 1, Sippican Lands Trust will offer specific reservation slots to our 1,800-foot long Osprey Marsh accessible boardwalk for visitors at high-risk or otherwise unable to social distance safely. Visitors needing a one-hour time slot can set up at an appointment at sippicanlandstrust.setmore.com for a visit to the Osprey Marsh accessible boardwalk on Sundays from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Mondays from 10:00 am – 11:00 am, Tuesdays from 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm, or Wednesdays from 1:00 pm – 2 :00pm. To reserve one of these specific time slots, please visit sippicanlandstrust.setmore.com.
Visitors not needing any special assistance can now visit the Osprey Marsh accessible boardwalk any day of the week without a reservation. Please be mindful if boardwalk is temporarily closed for those visitors requesting one of the abovementioned special appointments.
Sippican Lands Trust introduced its popular reservation system on June 4 to keep visitors safe during the pandemic and has modified the reservation system over the past few months to safely accommodate visitors at Osprey Marsh.
SLT’s Osprey Marsh is located on Point Road in Marion. The accessible boardwalk project builds on the generous donation by members of the Smoyer/Howland family of the 20-acre Osprey Marsh property of forest and marshland on Planting Island Cove. The project has been designed to minimize environmental impact and to maximize accessibility for infants in strollers, older adults, and persons with mobility impairments, including those in wheelchairs. The accessible boardwalk starts at the Osprey Marsh parking area and passes through maritime forest, wetlands, and fragile salt marsh habitat to a viewing platform overlooking Planting Island Cove.
Numerous SLT donors, members, and friends have stepped up to support this project, including a $38,000 grant from the Town of Marion’s Community Preservation Commission for project design and permitting. The boardwalk was designed by Peter Jensen and built by local contractors, W.S. Bradford and Sherman Briggs.
Sippican Lands Trust continues to seek donations from the public to support the long-term maintenance of this boardwalk. More information about the project and how to support it can be found at sippicanlandstrust.org/2017/10/osprey-marsh-boardwalk-project/.