1961, reprinted with permission of the family of the late George P. Fitzpatrick. P. George late the of family the of permission with reprinted 1961, ; Courier Berkshire Linder, Ronald to 1960, ; Courier Berkshire ; 1930, “The Housatonic River Speech,” Speech,” River Housatonic “The 1930, ; Darkwater 1920, Bois, Du B. E. W. by Excerpts 800-328-6515. , www.uscatholic.org Publications, Claretian ne, magazi Catholic U.S. from permission with reprinted Berry Wendell by xcerpt E alk w river the about berry -wendell It’s just a little narrow walkway, scaled right, but it’s an enormously suggestive thing. suggestive enormously an it’s but right, scaled walkway, narrow little a just It’s wrong. go can’t that like thing a me to and common, in have can everybody that local something cherishing It’s Church and River Streets. River and Church at Park River Bois Du B. E. W. the through entered be also can It Bridge St. Bridge DOWNSTREAM Complex Searles/Bryant RIVER WALK RIVER River Street and ends at Bridge Street. Street. Bridge at ends and Street River River Park River * W.E.B Du Bois Du W.E.B on lot parking Corporation Berkshire Town Hall Town Housatonic River Housatonic Route 7 Route * accessible and begins adjacent to the the to adjacent begins and accessible Birthplace section of the trail is wheelchair wheelchair is trail the of section Castle St. Castle W.E.B Du Bois Du W.E.B River St. River on Dresser Avenue. The downstream downstream The Avenue. Dresser on Church St. Church Railroad St. Railroad lot parking Church Peter’s St. to stairs Main Street Main Stanley Overlook. The trail exits at the the at exits trail The Overlook. Stanley Rite Aid on Main Street to the William William the to Street Main on Aid Rite Pleasant St. Pleasant at board bulletin Walk River the from Elm St. Elm w. e. b. du bois, 1961 bois, du b. e. w. extends section upstream The Street. Route 7 Route great barrington native native barrington great Overlook * Ct. Elm River and Avenue Dresser by linked William Stanley Stanley William Dresser Ave. Dresser Railroad flowing gently as the life stream of the town. the of stream life the as gently flowing N River are trail of sections completed two UPSTREAM of the Town of Great Barrington, Barrington, Great of Town the of Housatonic Housatonic RIVER WALK RIVER Tracks * The Street. Bridge and Street Cottage Street Main natural the is River Housatonic The Rite Aid Rite Rosseter St. Rosseter bank of the Housatonic River between between River Housatonic the of bank Rubberware Factory Rubberware west the follows roughly Walk River Cottage St. Cottage Where does it Start? it does Where BARRINGTON GREAT WALK RIVER HOUSATONIC HOUSATONIC Welcome to River Walk, a greenway trail along RIVER WALK the Housatonic River in the downtown center of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. CONTRIBUTIONS River Walk is a project of the Great Barrington Land Conservancy. The Conservancy oversees the leases and easements granting public access to the trail, Please enjoy your visit. on behalf of the local community. Greenagers tend to River Walk’s daily care. In 2009, River Walk was designated as a National Recreation Trail, joining it to America’s 12,000 mile TRAIL ETIQUETTE National Trail System. n Please remember that you are passing through private property and are here as a guest. For more information about volunteer workdays, internships, educational programs or tours, FOR MORE INFORMATION n Please remember that it is unsafe to use the trail please contact Rachel Fletcher, 413-528-3391 during icy conditions and therefore the trail is Cupo, Heather and Monica Fadding, ed. 2008. River Walk Guide. closed during the winter months. or [email protected] 20th Anniversary Edition. n Please leash and curb your dog. Waste bags are Donations are tax-deductible and may be sent to: Drew, Bernard A. 1995. River Walk: History Underfoot. provided on both trail sections. Our volunteers Housatonic River Walk appreciate their use. ______. 2002. Fifty Sites in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, PO Box 1018 Associated with the Civil Rights Activist W. E. B. Du Bois. n Please remember that the path is constructed for Great Barrington, MA 01230 walking and nature viewing only. No bicycles. ______. 2006. Fifty Sites in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Or donate online: n Please use the proper entrances and exits. Associated with William Stanley, Jr. and the Emergence of the visit our website at www.gbriverwalk.org Modern Electrical Age. Stay on the delineated trail where it is safe to travel. n Levinson, David, ed. 2006. African American Heritage in the Riverbank slopes are sensitive to erosion. Please do not climb on the bank. Upper Housatonic Valley. www.AfricanAmericanTrail.org. n Please respect the desire of others for a smoke-free Sorrie, Bruce and Paul Somers. 1999. Vascular Plants of environment. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable. Massachusetts: A Checklist. n Please help us to keep River Walk clean. Weatherbee, Pamela. 1996. Flora of Berkshire County Massachusetts. Carry out what you carried in. © 2014 Great Barrington Land Conservancy n Please consider picking up any litter you may see Great Barrington.Massachusetts along the trail. n Housatonic Please leave the flowers for all to enjoy. Heritage HOUSATONIC RIVER WALK UPSTREAM HOUSATONIC RIVER WALK DOWNSTREAM PARTNERS A I Volunteers D I Trail Building F I Native and Invasive Plants River Walk has many partners near and far. In 2009, the National Park Service designated it a National Recreation Trail. The William Stanley River Walk was created by community volunteers Building trails on steep and fragile riverbanks River Walk meanders through urban tended Overlook and W.E.B. Du Bois River Park link to several downtown who live in and around Great Barrington. Since requires special skill and attention. Four gardens and the wild natural world. This can history walks, the W.E.B. Du Bois National Historical Site, and the African 1988, 2700 volunteers have worked on its clean techniques used at River Walk can be seen from be seen along the downstream section where American Heritage Trail of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage up, construction and maintenance, removing the Secundy bench here. Cribbing of stone is a split-rail fence divides the trail and riverbank. Area. River Walk provides a riverside connection to Great Barrington’s 400 tons of debris, building the trail and planting pinned into the slope; it protects the trail from The areas on either side are managed very Trails and Greenways network. Greenagers are responsible for River thousands of native plants and trees. sliding downhill and retains the uphill grade. differently. On the river side where steep banks Walk’s daily care, This youth environmental organization is dedicated to Gabions are wire cages filled with stone; they meet the water’s edge, volunteers weed invasive community engagement and raising awareness of environmental issues The work of River Walk began here when sixteen ensure a stable treadway on very steep slopes. exotics only. On the path side, they cultivate a through productive labor in local agricultural and conservation work. volunteers removed fifteen tons of accumulated Boardwalks elevate the treadway over unstable, public garden of diverse native plants. rubbish and demolition debris from the riverbank steep or wet areas. Gravel and stone dust top behind the building then occupied by The Community Land Trust of the Southern In the early stages of River Walk, many plants found here were not indigenous. They have been dressing are trail surface materials that are Berkshires. Today, our community of volunteers continues to maintain and reclaim Great identified by state officials as invasive exotics, plants that grow so prolifically, they degrade the economical, easily maintained and well suited Barrington’s riverbanks. We work regularly from April through November of each year. New biodiversity of natural habitats. Our workers remove invasive exotic species without the use of to weather extremes. volunteers are always welcome. chemicals and replace them with indigenous Berkshire County plants. Volunteers and workers haul materials by hand to the steep site. By doing this work without heavy I I Rain Garden equipment, they leave the riverbank intact with minimal disturbance. The B I How It Started trail protects fragile riverbanks from erosion and prevents sedimentation in BIODIVERSITY The area surrounding River Walk was once a the river by keeping foot traffic off easily eroded soils. The various techniques floodplain, capturing nutrient rich sediment Great Barrington was built with its back to the accommodate site-specific challenges and produce a path that is water carried by the river. It had many layers of Housatonic River, as were many industrial permeable. The trail gives everyone safe access to the river and its beauty. Creating a diverse native plant community is the keystone of our reclamation work. vegetation to hold rain and slow its release era towns. It was a “working” river, abused by Layered plantings contribute to surface water quality by shading and cooling the river onto the ground. The permeable soils of a industrial neglect and spoiled by dioxins, raw and by stabilizing the bank, preventing erosion and river siltation. Native plants cleanse floodplain prevent flooding by absorbing and sewage, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and and take up pollutants and, by replacing non-native invasive plants, increase biodiversity holding water before slowly releasing it to the everyday household waste. E I William Stanley Overlook and expand wildlife habitat and food sources. Where we have established successful water table. A pristine floodplain is the ideal native plantings, we harvest seeds to expand these areas. The two hundred different landscape for keeping water fresh and clean. In 1978, the building on the site currently housing native species we have planted are identified on the River Walk website.