Joan Garnett, Trail Pioneer

If you live in Wakefield, there’s a good chance you know Joan Garnett or at least, you’ve probably heard her name. Joan and her partner Norma, who passed away in 2011, moved to the area in 1967. Back then, trails were what you made when you walked thru the woods with your dog, following the call of the birds. 

Joan has witnessed the evolution of a community that co-exists with nature and she completely understands the importance of the preservation of that space.

​“I’ve lived in Wakefield for over fifty years…You can never keep places the way that they are…It’s going to change, there’s no doubt about it…it absolutely needs the trail building and the emphasis on nature. It can’t be emphasized enough…The trails are a vital part of the whole situation. It’s simply wonderful how they’ve tried to restore and keep what nature there is around here….Wakefield has given me my life. It’s just been an amazing place for me.”
 
Hear the heart filled interview with Joan on the “Our Trails, Our Stories” podcast: 

Joan Garnett, Trail Pioneer