WESTBROOK - Irene's winds and rain didn't hit and damage only along the shoreline-they also left a destructive wake inland of felled trees and dangling branches, which left a number of open space paths the Conservation Commission had hoped to develop into hiking trails impassable.

Discouraged, the Conservation Commission reached out to the town's national wildlife refuge for help. Now a route to new paths has been opened with the support of a new grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The funds awarded to the Conservation Commission will provide funds to remove dangerous obstructions in town open space.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide us with funds to hire a contractor to clean up Chapman Mill Pond. The funds are to remove dead branches that obstruct [paths] and remove trees that are dangerous to walk by," said Conservation Commission Chairman Tom ODell. As a secondary benefit, "The tree removal will also protect vernal pools."

Storm damage has also blocked paths the commission marked-but hadn't improved yet-through the Horse Hill Woods town open space on Route 145.

"Trails are still there, but they're not fully passable because of the deadfall," said ODell.

Last summer the town's Public Works Department built a small parking area on Route 145 to provide safe access for users of Horse Hill Woods open space. Right now, ODell says the marked routes are unsafe for walkers due to the downed trees. Commission volunteers, along with the commission's summer intern, plan a coordinated effort to clear some of these routes this summer.

For the sixth summer, the Conservation Commission's summer intern will assist with trail work and to help remove invasive species like bittersweet vines from town open space.

Although no trails are yet built to bring walkers from the area behind the post office to the top of Salt Island Overlook, commission volunteers have been working there. So far, clearing has been done and many invasive species have been removed. Wood chips from the chipping of trees and branches will be used for a planned path.

With invasive species removed, the commission also plans to plant and re-establish native vegetation, but young plants will require regular watering in the summer months. So the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to install a 1,000-gallon water tank at the highest point of the overlook open space. This will allow a gravity-feed watering system for the new plantings.

Developing walking trails for passive recreation is still a goal of the town's Conservation Commission-it's just that Storm Irene set back progress on this task.