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Conservation and Recreation Conservation and Recreation An Element of Sustainable Berkshires, Long-Range Plan for Berkshire County ADOPTED 3.20.14 Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Sustainable Berkshires is a project of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under an award with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS REGIONAL CONSORTIUM 1Berkshire City of North Adams Stuart Chase, President & CEO Mike Nuvallie, Housing and Projects Coordinator Berkshire Community Action Council Compact for Education Kim McMann, Director of Planning Denise Richardello, V.P. of Enrollment Management Mary Nash (Alternate), Project Coordinator Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority Brad Gordon, Executive Director & Staff Attorney Housatonic Heritage Dan Bolognani, Executive Director Berkshire County Selectmen’s Association Julie Hannum MA Fisheries and Wildlife Andrew Madden, District Manager Berkshire Health Systems Ruth Blodgett, Vice President, BHS Planning and Multicultural BRIDGE Development Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant, Executive Director & Ed Perlak (Alternate), Public Health Grants Founder Administrator Lori Gazzillo (Alternate), Board President Berkshire Housing Development Corporation Pittsfield Area Council of Churches/Berkshire Elton Ogden, Executive Director Association of Churches Quentin Chin, Representative Berkshire Metropolitan Planning Organization USDA Nathaniel Karns, Executive Director BRPC Aimee Thayer, County Executive Director Berkshire Natural Resources Council Tad Ames, Executive Director SUBCOMMITTEE Tad Ames, Natural Resources Council Berkshire Regional Planning Commission James Mullen, Chairman Cosmo Catalano, Appalachian Trail Conference Berkshire County Managers and Gene Chague, Trout Unlimited, Berkshire County Administrators League of Sportsmen Gregory Federspiel, Lenox Town Manager Adele Gravitz (Alternate), Lenox Sustainability Shep Evans, Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) Coordinator and Stockbridge Land Trust Lynn Harper, Natural Heritage Endangered Species Berkshire United Way Nancy Stoll, Director of Community Engagement and Program Evaluation Sarah Hudson, Berkshire Regional Planning Kristine Hazzard (Alternate), President & CEO Commissioner Center for Ecological Technology Rene Laubach, Mass. Audubon Nancy Nylen, Associate Director Andrew Madden, Mass. Department of Fish and City of Pittsfield Wildlife Deanna Ruffer, Community Development Director CJ Hoss (Alternate), City Planner CR-i Conservation and Recreation Element: Acknowledgements Jim McGrath, Pittsfield Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Program Steve McMahon, Hoosic River Watershed Association Bob Mellace, MA Department of Conservation Kate Parsons, Natural Resource Conservation Service Dennis Regan, Housatonic Valley Association Caroline Scully, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Angela Marie Sirois, The Nature Conservancy Aimee Thayer, USDA Farm Service Agency Randy Toth, Snowmobilers Association of Massachusetts Jane Winn, Berkshire Environmental Action Team BERKSHIRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Amy Kacala, Senior Planner Lauren Gaherty, Senior Planner Mark Maloy, GIS, Data and IT Manager CR-ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 The Regional Landscape in Context ........................................................................................ 1 One Landscape, Many Uses ...................................................................................................... 2 Biodiversity ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Outdoor Recreation .................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Agriculture ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Ecosystem Services ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Energy .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Private Land Development ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Finding Balance: Three Key Challenges .................................................................................. 5 Land Use Controls ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Limited Resources ........................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Climate Change ............................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Conservation and Recreation Through the Sustainability Lenses ........................................ 7 Economic Development .............................................................................................................................................................. 7 Social Equity and Capital ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Maximizing Environmental Benefits .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Conservation and Recreation Planning Process ..................................................................... 9 Public Meetings .............................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Stakeholder Roundtable .............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Public Forums ................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 Subcommittee .............................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Consortium .................................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Public Workshop ........................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Conservation and Recreation Vision ............................................................................. 11 Achieving the Vision................................................................................................................ 11 CR-iii Conservation and Recreation Element 1. Land Conservation and Management ...................................................................... 13 By the Numbers: Conserved Lands ....................................................................................... 13 Ownership .................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Conservation Easements and Agricultural Preservation Restrictions ........................................................................... 14 Public Access ................................................................................................................................................................................ 14 The Geography of Conservation and Management Activity .............................................. 15 Legal/Geopolitical ........................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Resource- or Amenity-Driven ................................................................................................................................................. 17 Heritage Landscapes ................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Conservation Considerations and Strategies ........................................................................ 20 Land Conservation Tools and Techniques ............................................................................
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