Guardian and guide: Bill Robichaud’s woodland watch

Getting Bill Robichaud to talk about himself is difficult. 

Instead, he speaks at length about Acton’s trails, usually the Reformatory Branch Trail. But it might also be the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, the October Farm Riverfront Trail, or the small, unmarked trails dotted around Acton — some of which he blazed. 

He knows the history, the ownership, and the politics. He will veer off onto 10-minute tangents about the most scenic spots to hike — but when it comes to himself, he’s reserved. 

Others are less reticent. 

“I definitely would call him an unsung hero, a behind-the-scenes guy,” said Wade Rubinstein, president of Bike Connector, a non-profit that distributes bikes to those who cannot afford them, and a place Robichaud regularly volunteers. “He does it in a very unassuming, quiet way, but I think he is just driven by a passion.”

Robichaud was Acton’s volunteer trail steward for the Reformatory Branch Trail for nearly 20 years. A year into his “retirement” from the position, he can’t stay away, because he believes anyone should be able to get around Acton without a car.

Robichaud, now 76, grew up in Cambridge and moved to Acton 40 years ago.  

“I would use [the trail] to get back and forth to some extent, but it was never maintained by the town, or anybody for that matter,” Robichaud told The Acton Bridge in an interview — one delayed so he could attend a Trails Committee meeting. 

“I just got involved with walking it and eventually biking it and just cleaning things up as I went,” he said. Then, when the Trails Committee was officially set up, Robichaud jumped on board to help. 

“When I got started about 13 years ago,” said Bob White, current chair of the Trails Committee, “Bill was already at it, and he kind of showed me how it’s done, made me comfortable with the idea of working on trails.” 

Farewell, red tape 

Robichaud knows full well that land ownership gets tricky on the Reformatory Branch Trail. 

He said the trail intersects with land owned by the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and with town infrastructure like the sewage treatment plant. “This whole thing right here,” he said, tracing a section of the Reformatory Branch Trail on a folded map, “is all Natural Resources land.”

It’s part of the reason he stepped aside last year. 

“I didn’t want to deal with all of the bureaucracy anymore,” Robichaud said. “Don’t get me wrong, I know why it’s there. But I thought that I could be more useful by walking the trails and clearing things as I see them.” 

Robichaud demonstrated this to a Bridge reporter on a walk along a trail near his home. He grabbed a large, broken branch dangling near the path and pulled it down to ensure it wouldn’t fall on anyone.

This is what he’s done for years — moving rocks out of the way, clearing branches, and cutting back overgrowth. “If I see a problem, I take care of it,” he said. 

For bigger issues that need things like rakes or saws to fix, Robichaud has his ways.

“He goes to tax sales and gets inexpensive tools nobody wanted to stash them in the woods,” White said. “That way, he can also do a bit of work when he is out on his bike or walking along the trails.” 

Steps toward access 

Robichaud believes biking and walking should be as easy as traveling by car. 

“We have two Concords — Acton Center and West Acton — and they are split by Route 2,” Robichaud said. “You can’t bike or walk between the two without crossing Route 2 on foot.”

In the Acton he envisions, students in West Acton could safely bike to Acton-Carlisle High School, and those near Acton Center could ride to the Ellen Garrison Building at Acton Middle School. 

“Bill wants to make these trails accessible to people, so it’s not just for elite bikers,” said Rubinstein, who lives in Acton, “but for recreational bikers, for anyone who wants to experience being connected to nature or get somewhere.”

Though a new overpass on Route 2 might not be in the cards now, Robichaud still wants to make Acton’s trails better for as long as he is able — even if he occasionally takes a little heat for it. 

“Sometimes I’ll get a person complaining,” he said, laughing. “But Natural Resources usually understands ‘Oh, that’s Bill.’”