Essex Heritage board hosts walk tour in Lynn Woods

LYNN – The Essex National Heritage Commission, responsible for increasing awareness of regional historic and cultural resources, is highlighting Lynn Woods on May 4.Photographer Dennis Curtin will lead a core of intrepid walkers, cameras in hand, to this little known hidden corner of Essex County. The exploratory walk, titled “Capturing Lynn Woods,” is from 1-3 p.m. and starts at the Pennybrook Road entrance to the 2,200-acre preserve.Curtin advised participants to dress for New England spring weather, with sturdy shoes and warm jacket.The event, free to Explorers – a corporate membership rank among commission members – and $15 for non-members, is sold out. The walk is limited to 30 participants.According to Curtin, spring is a special time in Lynn Woods when wildflowers emerge from their winter sleep. The woods offers forest reserves, wetlands, streams and plentiful wildlife.Event organizers note the woods walk is an opportunity to learn new photo capture techniques from an expert nature photographer. Curtin’s work can be seen online at www.shortcourses.com/naturelog.The heritage commission will also celebrate the grand re-opening of the Saugus Iron Works national historic site in Saugus on Friday and Saturday, May 16-17. Visitors to the 8-acre site will witness the whirr of waterwheels, the rhythmic bangs of the forge hammer, the blast of heat from the furnace, and even the strains of a Scottish country fiddle.The re-opening marks the conclusion of an 18-month renovation of the Iron Works.The heritage commission also annually organizes the region’s Trails & Sails event that packs dozens of touring and place visiting opportunities into a single weekend, Sept. 26-28.