ANALYSIS OF NEEDS
The Charlemont Open Space and Recreation Plan incorporates the inventory of all the land-based natural, scenic, and cultural resources that are available in town (Section 4), identifies the areas that contain these resources (Section 5), and based on the community's general goals (Section 6), makes comparisons between the supply of resources and the demand (Section 7). In the following three subsections, the most important environmental issues are highlighted (A. Summary of
Natural Resource Protection Needs), the recreation and open space needs of the residents are discussed (B. Summary of Community's Needs) and the obstacles to the effective resolution of these needs are addressed (C. Management Needs).
A. SUMMARY OF NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION NEEDS
Charlemont residents value their town's natural environment including the Deerfield River, clean drinking water, working farms and forests, diverse wildlife habitats, and scenic views. They appreciate the economic opportunities that the river and surrounding hills provide and understand that only through careful management of human impacts can the ecological, historical, and scenic integrity of its landscapes remain for the future.
According to results of the planning processes that residents have invested in between 1998 and 2003, the main natural resource protection needs facing Charlemont include: 1) protecting the Deerfield River from potential contamination; 2) contributing to the retention of farm and forest-based businesses; 3) managing the impacts of tourism on river quality; and, 4) ensuring that large blocks of contiguous forest are conserved despite future residential development.
Protecting the Deerfield River
In many ways the Deerfield River represents the heart and soul of Charlemont. Unlike other communities along its course, Charlemont's local economy owes its growth, fortitude and resilience to the river's continuous ability to attract visitors from whitewater enthusiasts and anglers to people on their way to some other destination. The town's residents and business owners continue to utilize the commercial opportunities presented by this flow of capital. Therefore, it is imperative for the town to continue to use its influence locally and within the watershed to reduce the negative impacts to the river from pollutants and from its use by PG&E to generate
power.
All forms of erosion and pollutants throughout town ultimately arrive in the Deerfield River. Therefore, most of the problems associated with the Deerfield River are also issues for the many tributaries that flow into the main stem. All of the issues identified as environmental problems in Section 4 G need to be addressed by the town to ensure the quality of the Deerfield is enhanced over time:
- Properly close the Charlemont Landfill;
- Work with the Deerfield River Watershed Association and continue to monitor the polluted Davis Mine Brook;
- Talk with MassHighway, District 1 to negotiate an alternative to the current road salt to sand mix and consider funding the extra costs of applying hops instead of salt along the Deerfield and along areas with known aquifers.
- Work with the Board of Health to identify locations of car dumps and ensure through soil and water tests that these areas pose no immediate threat to groundwater quality.
- If not properly engineered or maintained, gravel roads can erode in any number of ways resulting in detrimental sediment loading in abutting wetlands. A number of solutions are known to fix site-specific problems as well as help to ensure a minimum of erosive flow per storm event along the entire gravel road network.
- Town officials need to continue to work in partnership with other towns and the Council of Governments to address the regional issues of right-of-way vegetation management as it relates to pesticide use and of hazardous material transport along rail sections with documented failures.
- The town also needs to continue to work with MassHighway to impact factors within their control (e.g., tree planting and commercial development), which could result in the slowing of traffic along Rte. 2.
- To reduce trash and litter in a community that caters to out-of-towners as Charlemont does, town officials should support passage of MGL- CMR #323 2.12.5 for implementing a fine for alcohol on the river. The Deerfield River Impact Committee feels that alcohol is a major contributor to littering and unsafe conduct on the river.
Retaining Farm and Forest-based Businesses
There are several examples of programs and services that farmers can participate in to upgrade their business plans (Farm Viability Program), to pass on their farms to the next generation (estate planning and land protection services offered by land trusts, land lawyers, and UMass Extension), or to increase their marketability (CISA's Be A Local Hero campaign). Forest landowners can belong to cooperatives and work with consulting foresters if they so choose.
Charlemont could ask farmers and wood producers what government can do to assist land-based businesses to become more profitable despite dynamic markets and increasing fixed costs. Town officials may want to consider treating farmers and wood producers like any other business owner. One way government and non-profits have assisted private agricultural enterprises is through the promotion of locally grown farm and niche forest-based products to tourists and residents of the region.
Managing the Impact of Tourism on Environmental Quality of the Deerfield River
The town should consider enacting the recommendations of the Deerfield River Impact Committee to manage the impact of summer recreational use of the river:
- Support passage of MGL- CMR #323 2.12.5 for implementing a fine for alcohol on the river.
- Install informational signage at access points on the Deerfield River.
- Develop a map and information brochure of the River showing or describing river access points, river hazards, river safety precautions and phone locations.
- Work with the Town of Florida and Rowe to implement a consistent plan throughout the three towns.
- Consider implementing a Town bylaw for Personal Floatation Device use by children when accessing the river.
- Establish a car count on Zoar Road weekday/weekend, summer and fall.
- Maintain a police presence at the Zoar Picnic Area, Shunpike Rest Area, along Zoar Road and other busy areas.
- Establish a committee to implement and coordinate the town's efforts. Include townspeople, outfitters, fire rescue officials, Power Company, environmental police and other river safety advisors.
- Consult with outfitters, Deerfield River Watershed Association, PG&E and others to determine appropriate information and content and to help find grants to implement projects.
- Consider establishing guidelines, standards, and/or regulations that promote safety and provide reasonable safety information and equipment to customers of businesses that rent, lease or sell inner tubes, canoes, inflatable crafts and other floating vessels for use on water in the town.
Ensuring that Large Blocks of Contiguous Forest are Conserved Despite Future Residential Development
According to a recent geographic information systems (GIS) analysis of large forest blocks in Franklin County developed by the FRCOG Planning Department (2003), Charlemont and Heath contain one of the largest blocks of contiguous forest in West County. Large blocks of contiguous forest protect habitat, drinking water supplies, wetlands and plant and animal biodiversity. Along with the Deerfield River and farmland, large blocks of undeveloped forest are an extremely important yet vulnerable component of Charlemont's rural character.
The current development trend in Charlemont and in the rest of the region is single-family homes developed off of existing roads. As these frontage lots are developed around town two things may occur: 1) farmland, which is typically located next to roads will continue to be targeted for development, and 2) most of the land occupied by residential development in town will remain within road corridors as it is today until it becomes profitable to develop back land. Based on Charlemont's current zoning the only constraints to developing back land are slope and soil conditions, which can be overcome over time through changes in technology and on-site septic
system regulations.
Charlemont officials may want to consider revising their zoning and developing a more pro-active land conservation program to protect the town's rural character and in return, its economic base. Even with the limitations of the Massachusetts Zoning Act, towns have the ability to apply zoning in thoughtful ways that encourage acceptable patterns of development through incentives. By setting aside money in the budget each year in a conservation fund, towns can have the capacity to facilitate the investment of federal, state, and private dollars to protect the most important forest habitat, the oldest farm, or the best scenic view from the Deerfield River, if
they become available.
The town could use the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program's BioMap as a means of identifying forests to prioritize for protection (see Open Space Map). If town officials were to use presence of a Core Habitat Area or Supporting Natural Landscape, as significant criteria in their prioritization process, several areas in town would be highlighted: Core Habitat forests are located north of the Deerfield River, near the confluences of Pelham Brook and Todd Brook; Between Hartwell Brook and Avery Brook; and straddling an unnamed brook in the eastern section of town. Forests that provide Supporting Natural Landscapes in town buffer Core Habitats,
surround Legate Hill and Patch Brook from the Deerfield River north to Rowe, and encapsulate the residential subdivision of Hawk Hill Road and Deer Run Lane.
B. SUMMARY OF COMMUNITY'S NEEDS
Planning for a community's open space and recreation needs must satisfy the present population's desires for new facilities, spaces, and services, and also must interpret and act on the available data to prepare for the future needs of Charlemont residents. Although the Charlemont Open Space and Recreation Plan will be updated in five (5) years, the types of actions identified in Section 9 will take into account the needs of the next generation as well.
Past comprehensive planning processes in 1998 and 2002, as well as the Open Space and Recreation Meetings and discussions at Open Space Committee meetings, helped to identify several community needs relating to open space and recreation resources: Restore the grandstand and develop the Charlemont Fairgrounds as a public space; additional recreational programming for all ages; safe pedestrian and bicycle paths between village centers; acquiring a town-owned river front parcel to be used as a public beach; and, promotion of existing hiking trails.
Restore the Charlemont Fairgrounds
Restoring the grandstand at the Charlemont Fairgrounds will require investment of time and money. The Fairgrounds Committee has been working diligently over the past decade to improve the fairgrounds and they have a lot of success. The next step involves funding an engineering study focused on renovating and restoring the historical structure so that it can be used for festivals and community events. The community must work together to secure funding necessary for the study. UMass may be a potential source for low-cost engineering studies worth investigating.
Additional Recreational Programming for all Ages
Small towns interested in increasing the amount of recreational programs available to children, adults, and seniors have four main options: funding the programs themselves, depending on volunteers, providing programs in collaboration with other towns, or a combination of the first three. Library programs might best be funded through town appropriations and grants. Volunteers already organize and lead recreational events and programs including the Mohawk Trail Concert series, Scouts, adult enrichment programs, a children's ski program, and 4-H. With ample year-round recreational opportunities in town, the
limiting factor may be the lack of facilitators. Some towns have active Recreation Committees that are responsible for running a set number of events per year. When the economy is stronger, Charlemont officials might consider working with other towns like Hawley and Heath to hire a part time recreation coordinator. This person could coordinate the efforts of volunteers, attract state and federal grants to develop and maintain recreational facilities, and organize and produce recreational and community-wide events for residents year round.
Safe Pedestrian and Bicycle Paths Between Villages
Residents have long voiced a desire to have pedestrian and bicycle trails connecting some of the villages in Charlemont. This is not surprising given Rte. 2 is the only east-west transportation route between Zoar and East Charlemont. The Town of Erving is in a very similar predicament. Erving's Open Space and Recreation Plan recommended the development of a trail across the Millers River in Wendell that would connect Erving Center with Farley, two of the town's three villages. Charlemont on the other hand enjoys a wider floodplain in most cases than the Millers River offers Erving.
Road right-of-way bike paths might be more easily designed and implemented than a shared road lanes, especially on Rte. 2. Even so, permanent path systems are likely a long-term project dependent in large part upon the presence of leadership. There needs to be a person or persons willing to move the project from beginning to end, independent of town staff.
Acquiring a Town Beach Parcel
Access to the Deerfield River for swimming, fishing, boating, and other recreational activities, is also identified in the Master Planning processes. Town officials may want to consider reaching out to all landowners via a letter and the town web site, asking them to consider selling their land to the town for recreational or other facilities needs. The Town of Shutesbury did just that by mailing a request for responses to landowners. One landowner responded with an offer to sell land that abutted the Town Hall lot. The money used to purchase the land was taken from Free Cash, though Shutesbury conservation land has also been preserved in part through private
donations. As a first step, the Select Board could establish a Town Lands Committee to determine land needs for the town.
Promote Existing Hiking Trails
To promote existing trail systems that take advantage of historical highways and Native American trade routes, town officials might begin by organizing a well-represented trails committee. The purpose of the committee would be to develop a coordinated plan for trail promotion and maintenance in town. The plan could be a long-term action-based plan, which would require the collaboration of willing private landowners, and would focus on the trails they support the most.
C. MANAGEMENT NEEDS
The main challenge for Charlemont town officials in providing for natural resource and community needs may be to effectively use consensus building and collaboration to accomplish both short and long-term projects. The following needs can all be expressed as projects:
- Protecting the Deerfield River (from improper land uses),
- Retaining farm and forest-based businesses,
- Managing the impact of tourism on environmental quality of the Deerfield River,
- Ensuring that large blocks of contiguous forest are conserved,
- Restore the Charlemont Fairgrounds,
- Additional recreational programming,
- Safe pedestrian and bicycle paths between villages,
- Acquiring a town beach parcel,
- Promote existing hiking trails,
Most of the items listed above are long-term projects that may have many action steps to be completed over the next decade. Each project can be accomplished by a committee with a leader appointed by the Select Board. By authorizing several committees each year via warrant articles at Town Meeting, volunteers won't be overburdened and the voters will feel more ownership for the community overall. In each case, the overall goal of the committee will have been chosen in part at its formation at Town Meeting. The objectives, how the purpose of the committee gets realized, is up to the members of the committee and to the residents who participate in the meetings.
Through the public meeting process different view points get expressed and ultimately result in a draft plan that can be presented for wider discussion and input on the Town web site, at Town Meeting, or at a special presentation. Step by step, most of these needs can probably be met to some degree within the next five years.
Meeting goals such as protecting the Deerfield River, retaining farm and forest-based businesses, saving the Fairgrounds grandstand, and protecting large blocks of forest, will require town committees to collaborate with regional and statewide agencies and organizations. Town officials need to continue to build relationships with Franklin Land Trust, Trustees of Reservations, and state agencies and offices including UMass Extension, the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, the Division of Conservation Services, MassHighway, and the Department of Environmental Protection. Other town-wide needs will require town committees and boards to collaborate with
each other, which may require more multi-board meetings, and the formation of an Open Space and Recreation committee charged with the responsibility of implementing the Five-Year Action Plan (see Section 9).
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