|
RESOURCES REPORT BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL | ||
| VOLUME 16 | WINTER 2008 | NO. 1 |
|
Land Conservation Report 2007 When it comes to scenic landscapes, it is hard to imagine a more significant conservation restriction than that donated jointly to BNRC and the Richmond Land Trust by the Alma C. Boynton Trust. This 73-acre CR conserves frontage on Swamp Road, East Road, Osceola Road, and Sleepy Hollow Road. At the center of the acreage is an historic old farm house and barn, the home of Alma C. Boynton. The frontage along Swamp Road has no power lines and the forest canopy closes over the road to form a perfect cathedral ceiling. Turn onto Sleepy Hollow Road and you will pass through an alley of gnarly old sugar maple lined fields. East Road will take you past the old farm house, now surrounded by conserved fields. The significant road frontage, if developed, would have dramatically changed this rural section of Richmond. Thanks to the Boynton family this farm has a bright future. Smith, 56 acres, Richmond, Co-held with Richmond Land Trust
An almost hidden driveway meanders through a tall stand of hardwoods, white pine and hemlock. A small opening in the dense canopy of hemlock directs sunlight onto a cabin and passive solar glass wall. The light hand used to develop this site possesses the quality of the winds – clean, and comforting. This was the Berkshire home, before retirement, of Fenwick Smith, a flautist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Fenwick donated a 56 acre CR jointly to BNRC and the Richmond Land Trust, permanently protecting the forests surrounding his cabin. The conservation land hosts a variety of habitat types including wetlands, uplands and rocky outcrops. Imagine the deer, porcupine and birds that have stopped in these woods, lifted their heads, and listened to the sounds of a flute filtering through like sun to the forest floor.
Taylor, 47 acres, New Marlborough
The Taylor CR protects 47 scenic acres along Norfolk Road in New Marlborough. This CR, donated by long-time Berkshire resident Elizabeth Taylor, features an old farm house with stone wall lined fields and a farm pond. The CR is adjacent to a 500-acre YMCA camp that creates a large block of open land and forested habitat.
Donnelley, 146 acres, New Marlborough, Co-held with New Marlborough Land Preservation Trust
Strachan and Vivian Donnelley donated a conservation restriction on 146 acres in New Marlborough. The Donnelley CR spans both sides of the Clayton-Mill River Road and is adjacent to lands protected with an Agricultural Preservation Restriction. The property is a mix of forests, open fields and wetlands. It contains areas targeted by the Commonwealth as having the highest priority for biodiversity conservation, known as BioMap Core Habitat. A recent ecological inventory of the property found over 206 plant species and 32 species of amphibians, birds, and mammals, including a significant number of plant species listed as endangered in Massachusetts. Strachan Donnelley is also president of The Center for Humans and Nature, a private foundation with the mission “to explore and promote moral and civic responsibilities to human communities and to natural ecosystems and landscapes.” The Donnelleys “walk the walk.” To learn more, visit the Center at http://www.humansandnature.org. Walker, 182 acres, New Marlborough, Co-held with New Marlborough Land Preservation Trust
Habitat conservation may require targeting specific sites, but more frequently it is connectivity and size that matter most. Bigger is better– by conserving large areas, you are more likely to protect habitat for a whole suite of species. This year Mark and Tania Walker donated a Conservation Restriction on 182 acres that is surrounded by over 4,600 acres of conservation land. The Walker CR in New Marlborough is bisected by wetlands and tributary streams which make up a portion of the headwaters of the Umpachene River, home of the Longnose Sucker, a Species of Special Concern. In addition to the complex of wetlands, the property also boasts open fields with sweeping views of Woodruff Mountain to the south. The Walker CR is one of those key “pieces of the puzzle” that bring significant habitat protection and connectivity to South Berkshire
|
Fields on East Road
