Manhan River on the Rebound Pascommuck Conservation Trust Working to Preserve Its Beauty by ANN HARRISON Said
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PAGE 14 DAILY HA MPSHIRE GAZETTE THURSDAY, MAY 3, 1990 28 Cottage Sc. Tel.: 5274000 __Ch_~!f:~~~t _fimn-an __(_aS_t_h_am_~tOU area Manhan River on the rebound Pascommuck Conservation Trust working to preserve its beauty By ANN HARRISON said. "Any law is subject to Gazette Starr repeal and change." Carroll said that of the 14 EASTHAMPTON - The for miles of the Manhan riverbank ested banks of the Manhan Riv located in Easthampton, two er are turning green once again. miles now ·have conservation and the members of the Pas restrictions or are protected by commuck Conservation Trust trust ownership. One to two are working to make sure they miles of riverbank now are always will. being preserved by other con The conservation organiza servation organizations, two tion, which seeks to preserve miles are developed and 10 lo 12 open la nd in Easthampton, miles still need protection from plans to create a "greenbelt" of development. Carroll said. protected acreage on both sides Current Trust Chairman Ken of the river. neth Larsen said members of Since 1979, eight individual the trust approach individual parcels of land have been added landowners with the idea of to the trust's holdings through donating development rights to ANN HAIUUSOS/ Gut'tt.e SU.fl purchase or donation, said their land. Even when initially Ken Larsen, chairman of Easthampton's Pascommuck man, tour the trust's largest holding, the Old Pascom former Trust Chairman William rebuffed, Larsen said, members Conservation Trust, and William Carroll, former chair- muck Conservation Area on River Street. Carroll. Some property owners keep asking. "You knock on the have donated entire lots. while door and keep knocking," he pie trillium, violets and trout others have chosen to donate said. lilies are beginning to make just the development rights to Larsen noted that donating their ·appearance, as are an their land, he said. development rights to a conser array of wild creatures. During Carroll said the gr oup's mem vation organization can make their walk, Carroll and Larsen bers hope to acquire enough the property more appealing to happened upon a non-poisonous contiguous parcels to construct those who are worried about garter snake who was celebrat· an II-mile public footpath along encroaching development and ing Earth Week by napping in the banks of the river. " It's the who enjoy the wildlife. "With the sun. type of thing that takes quite a increased environmental aware Larsen said members of the while to accomplish," Carroll ness, it can enhance the value," organization maintain the land said. Larsen said of the arrangement. entrusted to them by building According to Carroll. the idea The first piece of land the trails to discourage erosion and of a greenbelt through town was trust acquired was a 5-acre by cleaning up Jitter left by included in the 1971 Master Plan parcel on River Street known as spring flooding. The trust a lso of the town and in the East the Old Pascommuck Conserva tries to promote more environ hampton Open Space plan in tion Area. The site includes 610 mental awareness among peo 1984. A swath of open land in feet of riverbank path. which is ple who visit undeveloped land this area makes sense since part of the E. Florence Smith and waterways. much of the riverbank is locat Memorial Nature Trail. Observing that the number of ed on a floodplain. which is not To save it from becoming the discarded Styrofoam cups suitable for building lots, Car home of an aspha lt plant, the washed up on trust land seems roll said. acreage was bought in 1983 by to be lower this year then in the Although the state's Wetland the Connecticut River Wat past, Larsen wondered about Protection Act protects some ershed Council, then sold to the the change in people's attitudes wetlands from development, trust in 1985. toward conservation. "Maybe Carroll said the trust can offer Carroll and Larsen, who visit they're not drinking as much more conservation controls as a ed the site two weeks ago. noted coffee on the Oxbow these private organization. "We are that the riverbanks offer a wide days," said Larsen. "or maybe looking for more permanent variety of terrain and support they're just hanging onto their protections not based on the richly diverse plant life. Wild cups. I'd like to think that's whims of state legislation," he flowers such as blood root, pur- what it is." a,z~ 7'-d?'l - 9-/ Neighborhood's help asked in averting illegal dumping By KATHRYN CRAWFORD spread by word-of-mouth, and Children who play in the area Special to the Gazette that people will keep an eye on will be encouraged to write down the area. and give to police the license plate EASTHAMPTON - The Pas "It's your land too," Davis told numbers of cars dumping on the commuck Conservation Trust is residents at a community meeting land. working to enlist help from the this month. In the session, held at "Kids should act as watch Terrace View neighborhood to the American Legion hall on Fer dogs," said Watling. "If people keep an area along the Manhan ry Street, she and others from the are dumping on their playground, River free of trash. trust urged residents to make an the kids are going to get hurt." Volunteers and inmates from investment in the public use of the the Hampshire County House of trust land to keep it a clean, safe Children in the neighborhood Correction have cleaned about place. admit the trash became a hazard. two thirds of the area, after Barbed-wire fences will be "You had to pick up your bike Health Inspector Charles Kaniecki erected around the land most and move it over the garbage," cited the trust and other property exposed to the dumping. said Corey Savoie, a 14-year-old owners last May. "It is unfortunate that fences Easthampton resident who lives Over the years, the area had are needed, because they limit on Arlington Street. become, in effect, an illegal land public access to the land," Davis fill. said. A hiking trail that runs The trust plans a final cleanup Now, having tidied up the area along the Manhan still will be of the area on Aug. 10 - after in a community effort in June, the accessible. which the land will be covered trust plans to combine continued Further, the trust plans to post with soil and seeded. Once the volunteer efforts with strict law signs prohibiting dumping and to land has stabilized, the trust enforcement to prevent dumpers offer a reward for catching a hopes to organize regular cleanup from discarding refuse. dumper who is successfully prose drives. Debra Davis, the president of cuted. "The seed has been planted," the trust, said that increased pub "We are all interested in mak said Carol Watling, a member of lic awareness of the problem is ing people who do stuff like that the trust. "A lot of people are the first step to deter the dump pay for it. It's not fair," said John really relieved to see the area ing. She said she hopes that inter Watling, a member of the trust's cleaned up. And maybe it will est in protecting the land will board of directors. deter people from doing it again." 10/15/1992 Dear Member, Your Board of Directors has met on several occasions and discussed a pressing issue which must be resolved soon. The Board remains split over the issue and has therefore decided to be bound by the vote of the membership of the Trust. THE ISSUE: Crown Meadow Estates The State Department of Agriculture has approached us to accept between 50 and 60 acres of land under their Agricultural Protection Restriction (APR) on a large tract of land owned by Bernard Gawle who wishes to develop it into single family residential dwellings, in excess of 115 houses are projected. Mr. Gawle is offering the Trust two parcels on either end of this property, each of which is 25 to 30 acres for a total of 50 to 60 acres. Apparently, Mr. Gawle cannot begin to proceed further with his development project for Crown Estates unless some body such as a non-profit land trust or a conservation committee be used in junction with the APR program. The reasons for the split over the issue by the Board Directors are many but can be encapsulated as follows: (1) We are a Land Trust. As such, we should preserve land and block large residential development projects (CON). (2) We are a Land Trust. As such, we should work with developers toward cluster development concepts and preserve open space such as these two parcels (PRO). (3) As the Pascommuck Conservation Trust, if we do not accept this free offering, someone else will, and we will miss the opportunity to maintain these parcels unaltered(no liability)(PRO). (4) After 12 years, as owner of these parcels, we will have the option of reaping any profit from the exclusive use of farming the land only(PRO). ( 5) Despite generally being held harmless on unimproved land, courts have found , by exception, in favor of plaintiffs in the past. We would incur additional public liability exposure by accepting these parcels(CON). (6) If we do not accept this land, Bernard Gawle is free to develop and incorporate his own non-profit land trust as are others: Development would proceed with or without our endorsement(PRO). (7) The land is beautiful ..