The Clam River

Click the red button above to help BNRC complete the Clam River Puzzle.

The Clam River’s Missing Piece

The Clam River in Sandisfield drops through a cliffy, forested valley.  Trout lurk in its pools, and a wide range of wildlife, from black bear to white tailed deer, browse from water’s edge to the higher forests.  BNRC owns approximately 475 acres on the west bank of the river, a reserve interrupted only by one 55-acre parcel.  We now have a chance to buy this land and complete the Clam River greenway.  We need your help!

The land in question includes nearly a half-mile of frontage along the river.  Putting it together with BNRC’s holdings to both north and south will create a preserved greenway along the western bank nearly two miles long.  Walkers, anglers, hunters, and foot-dabblers will be able to travel streamside from the bridge on Hammertown Road south all the way to Route 57.

In addition to river access, the new parcel also includes historic foundations and a beautiful isolated marsh along a cold water stream feeding into the Clam River.  Wildlife sign abounds.  The nearest houses are about a mile away, and with the land upstream to Lower Spectacle Pond all conserved by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the 55 acres on the table will complete a remarkable riparian greenway.

The price to buy the land is $300,000.  Associated costs of closing the transaction and establishing BNRC ownership bring the total fundraising goal to $326,000.  This sum must be raised entirely through private giving – BNRC does not have a public partner on this project.  Success will guarantee public access to these beautiful lands, along with long-term conservation stewardship.

For more information on the Clam River campaign or other BNRC projects, please call Tad Ames, Narain Schroeder or Doug Bruce at 413.499.0596.