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"There has to be a long-term plan. 
I mean the river is always going to be there." 
- Margaret Neville of Clarksburg, November 9, 1998

“We have to look at the vision of the river.”
- Robert Tublitz of Stockbridge, August 12, 1998

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Methodology

The Housatonic River Restoration Plan was initiated in the fall of 1997 by the Housatonic River Initiative (HRI), a local citizen's group advocating for the removal of PCBs from the Housatonic River.  Working closely with Berkshire Natural Resources Council and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, HRI decided to launch a formal process in which the views of the general public would be sought to craft a comprehensive plan for the restoration of the Housatonic River.

Although the prospect of a Natural Resource Damage (NRD) award resulting from the General Electric PCB contamination of the Housatonic River provided the impetus for the endeavor, the river restoration plan takes a holistic approach to the revitalization of the Housatonic River as a natural resource for the benefit of the people of Berkshire County. Funding was secured from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs to pay for the costs of the project.

A series of meetings was held in late 1997 and early 1998 with representatives of several different organizations to organize the project. Rachel Fletcher was selected to serve as coordinator, and a steering committee was formed of individuals and representatives from organizations interested in the restoration. The Steering Committee eventually grew to twenty-three members:

• Tad Ames, director, Berkshire Natural Resources Council; chairman, Massachusetts Board of Environmental Management, DEM; Pittsfield

• Sarah H. Bell, attorney; former chairman, Massachusetts Board of Environmental Management, DEM; Lenox

• Erik Bruun, writer; Great Barrington

• George Darey, chairman, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Board of Directors; Lenox

• Shepley W. Evans, real estate broker; chairman, Stockbridge Conservation Commission; HVA Stream Team Coordinator; Stockbridge

• Rachel Fletcher, founding director, Housatonic River Walk; Great Barrington

• Benno Friedman, Housatonic River Initiative; Sheffield

• Mickey Friedman, Housatonic River Initiative; Great Barrington

• Tim Gray, director, Housatonic River Initiative; president, Lee Land Trust; Lee

• Mark P. Jester, president, Berkshire County League of Sportsmen; Pittsfield

• Tom Keefe, Western Wildlife District supervisor, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife; Pittsfield

• René Laubach, director, Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries, Massachusetts Audubon Society; Becket

• Frank Lowenstein, Berkshire program director, The Nature Conservancy; Sheffield

• Michael Makes, vice chairman, Pittsfield Conservation Commission; Pittsfield 

• Steve McMahon, Western Regional director, The Trustees of Reservations; Stockbridge

• Tom O’Brien, Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) Watershed Team Leader for the Housatonic Watershed; Otis

• Amy Pfeufer, environmental planner, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission; Pittsfield

• Dennis Regan, Berkshire director, Housatonic Valley Association; Hinsdale

• B. Carter White, vice president, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation; West Stockbridge

• George Wislocki, president, Berkshire Natural Resources Council; Pittsfield

Past members

• Don Roeder, professor, Department of Environmental Studies, Simon’s Rock College; Housatonic (1997-April, 1999)

• Tom Stokes, former Berkshire director, Housatonic Valley Association; president, Stockbridge Land Trust; Stockbridge (1997-January 1999)

• Virgil Stucker, former president, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation; Great Barrington (1997-December 1998)

The Steering Committee decided to hold several public hearings focused on different communities and interest groups to solicit public opinion. For each public hearing, Rachel Fletcher developed an extensive mailing list to inform residents, property owners, environmentalists, sportsmen, town officials, businesses, and others who might be interested in participating in the events. Each public hearing was announced to the media with press releases. All public hearings were cosponsored by town boards or community organizations.

All told, seventeen public hearings were held from March 1998 to February 1999. Twenty-four sponsoring organizations representing five towns, the city of Pittsfield, and a diverse range of specific interests collaborated in hosting the events. More than 3,000 invitations were mailed notifying citizens about the hearings. Attendance at the hearings totaled 437 people, or an average of twenty-six people. More than 150 people provided written or oral comment because they could not attend the hearings. In addition, more than fifty meetings were held with individuals, selected groups and the NRD Trustees as part of the planning and comment gathering process. 

In January 1999, the Steering Committee endorsed a summary report stating guiding principles and the general recommendations that came out of the public hearing process. A complete draft report by Erik Bruun was submitted to the Steering Committee for review in March 1999. The Steering Committee made several revisions, resulting in a draft report that was unveiled to the public in May 1999.  The draft was published on the internet and public hearings were held on June 24th in Pittsfield and June 29th in Great Barrington, resulting in  further modifications.

On October 29th, 1999, a student conference was held with 262 students and educators attending and approximately 250 additional students participatng in pre-conference events.

Total participation, including attendance at meetings, student conference programs, written surveys, and telephone interviews was 1083.

The Housatonic River Restoration (HRR) plan is intended to articulate the concerns, issues, and goals of the people of Berkshire County concerning the future of the Housatonic River. More than 5,000 hours have been spent on the development of a restoration plan by hundreds of people, reflecting the extraordinary importance the Berkshire community places on the restoration of the Housatonic River.

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