PARIS — Resident Murad Sayen told selectmen Monday night that he was speechless when he discovered orange spray paint on rocks and roots on trails at Cornwall Nature Preserve.

He asked the board to rectify the problem.

Sayen said he and his two golden retrievers have probably visited the 147-acre Paris Hill Road nature preserve 3,000 times in 12 years. He said he spoke to Parks and Recreation summer coordinator Josh Little on the phone recently about why Little had painted part of the preserve, noting it was his understanding that “someone had complained they had tripped over a rock.”

Sayen said he went to the preserve on a recent morning and saw that Little had “decided to paint the rocks and roots on various trails bright orange. It was pretty haphazard. When I saw it, I was speechless. When I spoke with Josh on the phone, I understood he was trying to make it a safer place.”

Sayen said the point is Cornwall Nature Preserve is not a park, even though he said Little referred to it as such during their conversation.

“It is intended to be as natural as it possibly can be,” Sayen said. “The Cornwall family gave it to the town of Paris with the clear stipulation that it remain natural.”

He suggested painted over the orange with camouflage paint “so it doesn’t look as unnatural as it does now,” he said.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Mike Risica said he respected Sayen’s concerns.

“I have to thank Josh with doing a good job with the Rec Committee,” Risica said. “He has had no guidance.”

After the meeting, Little, who has been on the job for four weeks, stood by his actions.

“I’ve been told everything I have done so far has been the right decision,” Little said. “People are going to have issues with it.

“To me, the most important thing is making sure the park is accessible and safe for everyone,” he said. “And if that includes painting a few rocks, then that’s going to be done because the last thing that I want is either the elderly or a child going in there, tripping over a rock and hitting their head on another rock.” 

Newly elected Selectman Scott Buffington asked for a copy of the 1981 deed of the nature preserve for selectmen to review.

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