HRR home | Plan Preface | Plan Summary | Goals & Recommendations |
"There are a lot of
critters [in the Hinsdale Flats] that are >>related photo>>
Land Acquisition Berkshire residents and environmentalists view the acquisition of key parcels of land to be preserved as open space as a central part to the restoration of the Housatonic River. "Land acquisition is one of the best ways that controls can be imposed," botanical consultant Pamela Weatherbee said. "You don’t have to worry about people dumping into the river or building along the banks if you own it. It will give the wildlife a chance to prosper. Land acquisition is the best way to go. It gets you out of trying to make people do things they may not want to do." Land acquisition was considered to be an integral part of virtually every category of restoration, particularly water quality, ecological restoration, and access. The overriding importance of land acquisition was repeatedly stated by residents and officials alike as critical in achieving all of the primary goals of a restoration and almost all of the specific goals outlined in the accompanying sections. "Acquisition of at least an easement or lease is key to having the authority to manage land for wildlife, recreation or ecological restoration," Nature Conservancy Berkshire Program Director Frank Lowenstein said. "It is essential to maintaining water quality into the future. It is necessary for access, education, or hunting. Land acquisition is integrated into every other aspect of the restoration plan." The issue of land acquisitions was not specifically pursued during the public hearing process, however, because of concerns that publicity about specific parcels might damage the negotiating position of those attempting possible land purchases. Nevertheless, several properties were suggested and there was universal agreement that key parcels of open space along the river should be purchased. "Acquire as much open space along the river as possible," Frances Paddock said. "I’d like to see the [river’s] frontage protected," wrote David Jaicks of Lenox. "I believe it would make it more richly wild." Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Director Wayne F. MacCullum said the acquisition of land early in the restoration process would help accelerate efforts to improve the quality of the river’s water. Further, the longer one waited and focused positive attention on the river, the more expensive it would become to purchase land, he said. MacCullum emphasized that buying land was a positive action with permanent, positive implications for the restoration of the river. MacCullum and Deputy Director of Administration Jack Buckley said their agency had conducted a land inventory and identified more than $70 million worth of land that should be acquired for the proper restoration of the Housatonic River. In addition to the outright purchase of land, John Ballard of Dalton suggested that information be disseminated encouraging riverfront property owners to donate land and easements along the river to assist in the restoration. The sportsmen advocated acquiring large tracts of land for hunting and fishing through the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Several people observed that passage of the 1996 Rivers Protection Act will help preserve open space along the river without having to actually acquire the land. Key habitats should be prioritized in determining which properties to preserve, said wildflower specialist and author Joseph Strauch. "When you buy the most important properties you can just let nature take its course," he said. Habitats that residents, environmentalists, and sportsmen repeatedly cited as having priority were the Hinsdale Flats, areas where tributaries converged with the Housatonic, and a forested floodplain in Sheffield. "The truest headwaters to the Housatonic River are around Muddy Pond in Hinsdale and the Hinsdale Flats," Berkshire Natural Resources Council Director Tad Ames said. Much of the land along the Housatonic just north of Muddy Pond is held by the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. "This is a part of the river that is clean. You can fish in this part of the river and eat the fish." The land around Muddy Pond has not been protected and is very wild, said Dennis Regan of Dalton. He suggested that limited access be provided. "It’s pretty much all wildlife there," said Vivian Mason of Dalton, who owns land on Muddy Pond. "There are a lot of bears and coyotes. There are a lot of critters that are depending on us not to do anything there. It’s very thick and hard to get to. The critters love it." Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Board Chairman George Darey of Lenox said a priority should be acquiring open space around the mouths of major streams that flow into the Housatonic River. He specifically listed Hop Brook in Lee, Larrywaug Brook from Stockbridge Bowl, and Ice Glen Brook in Stockbridge as important tributaries. Attorney Sarah Bell said Marsh Brook, which goes into Stockbridge Bowl, should be included on the list. Other key tributaries cited were the Green River in Egremont, Williams River in West Stockbridge and Great Barrington, and Hubbard Brook and Konkapot River in Sheffield. Finally, Nancy Smith of the Sheffield Land Trust, Weatherbee, and Strauch said there was a very unusual forested floodplain in Sheffield that should be a candidate for land acquisition because of its interesting wildlife habitat. Other specific proposals pertaining to land acquisition included:
|
