Nature, long praised by poets, has of late caught the attention of brain researchers. Last year the New York Times reported on a study that suggested that a 90-minute walk in “a leafy, quiet, parklike” setting improved the moods of study participants, compared with those who trekked next to a hectic highway. Among the “green” walkers, brain scans taken afterward showed less activity in the part of the brain associated with brooding, what cognitive scientists call “morbid rumination.”

Unfortunately, an awful lot of people who could benefit from contact with nature are excluded, since there are many outdoor places that can be enjoyed by only the fit and adventurous. That’s why the retrofitting of a portion of Brookside Park in Grantham, a 20-acre park off Route 10, is such a fine accomplishment. Thanks to volunteer labor and a modest investment of tax dollars, it now has an ADA-accessible bridge and trail.

The project was led by the Grantham Conservation Commission, which received an appropriation of $2,500 from voters at last year’s Town Meeting to get it off the ground. A $15,000 grant from the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation covered a large chunk of the $20,000 cost. Town volunteers pitched in many hours of work, along with brawn provided by SCA New Hampshire AmeriCorps, a residential program for young people.

According to staff writer Aimee Caruso, SCA volunteers used “muscle power, cables, ropes and pulleys” to move three 1,400-pound steel I-beams into place for the bridge. “It was amazing to see the teamwork,” said Grantham Conservation Commission member Laura Nagy. To which we can only add our own amazement at their ingenuity and strength.

The ADA-accessible portion of the trail is under 500 feet, but it runs along Skinner Brook, home to brook trout, and leads to an overlook. “It is so tranquil to just be there,” said Town Administrator Melissa White.

In recent years, Americans With Disabilities Act requirements have led to real improvements in access to public buildings and accommodations. And as the pages of this newspaper have reported in the past, businesses, sometimes after being prompted by complaints, are also getting on board.

There are limits to how much of the natural world can be opened up to all, but at least some of it can — and Grantham provides a fine example of that. But those with physical challenges aren’t the only ones who could benefit from a visit to the park. A recent Perspectives column in the Sunday Valley News reported a recent rise in “biophobia,” or a “prejudice against nature” among those who rarely or never get out of urban environments. Symptoms include children being afraid of commonplace natural things, such as a flock of birds or a strong wind. Among the college students predisposed to want to save the environment are many who’ve spent little time in a natural one.

The remedy is more nature. A park with easy access might be a first, comfortable step that could lead to many more.