The Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust (DNRT) is planning two outings in conjunction with the Dartmouth Grange Fair in Russell’s Mills Village on Saturday, September 10.

DNRT will be opening Allen’s Mill for an “Open House” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, during which DNRT members will give tours of the historic mill.

A mill has been located at this site since at least as far back as 1711 and mill operations occurred here until the 1950s. The mill site was purchased by DNRT as part of its Destruction Brook Woods acquisition in 2000 and the mill was reconstructed in the 2000′s.

Allen’s Mill is located on the north side of Slade’s Corner Road, between 107 and 111 Slades Corner Road, approximately 4/10ths of a mile from Russell’s Mill Village.

DNRT will also be leading a Nature Walk through Destruction Brook Woods starting at the Dartmouth Grange at 11 a.m. Jonathan Waage, Emeritus Professor of Biology at Brown University, will lead an exploration of DNRT’s largest reserve, focusing on the lesser-known “Happy Valley” area just west of Fisher Road.

The 280-acre Destruction Brook Woods Reserve includes miles of walking trails, mature woodlands that include American Beech and Atlantic White Cedar, unusual rock ledges covered with many interesting ferns and lichens, and Destruction Brook itself, once a major source of water power for the mills of Russell’s Mills.

The 1-hour walk begins and ends at the Dartmouth Grange parking lot on Fisher Road in Russell’s Mills Village.