By Susan Morse
Hampton Union, Friday, October 25, 2002
The nature area off Mill Road is one of the few places in town where residents can be surrounded by trees, said Selectman Bonnie Searle at the Board of Selectmen's meeting Monday.
Those trees are Norway maple, American elm, common apple, white oak, red pine, yellow birch and quaking aspen, among others, to be exact.
Bashline made it part of his Eagle Scout project to identify the trees along the one-half mile trail. He placed numbers on the trees, which correspond to numbers in a pamphlet he prepared. The pamphlet, which also contains a map of the trail, is expected to soon be made available to the public at the Lane Memorial Library.
Bashline, of Hampton, also cleaned up part of White's Lane, a town-owned dirt road, painted the gate which extends across the road entrance, put up a sign designating the area as a nature trail and put in birdhouses.
"His enthusiasm increased weekly," said Ellen Goethel to selectmen. "I think you're going to be pleased."
Goethel, who has known the Bashline family for years, presented the plaque to Austin on behalf of the Conservation Commission.
Selectmen commended Bashline for his work.
Bashline is the son of Gary and Kate Bashline of Hampton. Bashline is with Troop 176 in Hampton. He will be presented with an Eagle Scout badge for his work on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the Hampton Falls Baptist Church. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for White's Lane is expected to be scheduled soon.
Bashline and volunteers put in more than 350 hours on the nature trail.
"I did a lot of the work myself," Bashline said, "but most of it was people coming in to help on the project."
White's Lane offers a half-mile walk through the woods, beginning off of Mill Road, just past Barbour Road. Parking is available. The land surrounding White's Lane at the beginning of the trail is privately owned; the remaining land was acquired by the Conservation Commission.
and Eagle Scout Project Applauded,