Yes, I Will Help Save McCray`s Farm!
Transcription
Yes, I Will Help Save McCray`s Farm!
Valley Views The Kestrel Trust PO Box 1016 Amherst, MA 01004 The Newsletter of The Kestrel Trust Fall 2010 Amherst • Belchertown • Granby • Hadley • Leverett • Pelham • Shutesbury • South Hadley • Sunderland 5K for Farmland Sunday, October 17; 10am 5K Road Race or 2 Mile Walk Start and Finish at Hadley’s West Street Common Fast, Flat Route Past Scenic Farmland Post Race Party with Locally Grown Food & Music To Benefit The Kestrel Trust Celebrating 40 Years of Land Conservation Register at kestreltrust.org Advance Registration Fee: $18 until 9/30• Day Of Fee: $20 Family (2 parents plus 2 kids): $40 T-Shirt with Logo for first 300 Registrants Sponsored by Northampton Cooperative Bank and Whole Foods Market. Organized by Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club. Yes, I Will Help Save McCray’s Farm! Yes, I would like to make a donation to permanently protect McCray’s Farm. My donation will leverage state and other town funds to purchase the Agricultural Preservation Restriction on this 100-acre farm. *Free ice cream at McCray’s for all contributions of $50 or more. __$50 __$250 __$500 ________other Name:_______________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________ City:_____________________________State:____________Zip:_________ E-mail:_____________________________________Phone:_____________ OR DONATE ONLINE AT WWW.KESTRELTRUST.ORG. THANK YOU! The Kestrel Trust PO Box 1016 Amherst, MA 01004 413-549-1097 kestreltrust.org [email protected] OR Visit our office: 233 North Pleasant St., #38-39 In the Carriage Shops downtown Amherst. Writer/Editor: Kristin DeBoer Cover Illustration: Nancy Haver Help Save McCray’s Farm in South Hadley! South Hadley’s Conservation Commission and The Kestrel Trust are supporting the permanent protection of the 100-acres of farmland at McCray’s Farm. Located on Alvord Street in South Hadley, this farm is one of the premier farmland sites in the Valley, both for its place in the life of the community and for the incredible views. When the McCray Family purchased the farm in 1955 it was one of many farms in town, but as time passed and development pressures increased many farms were sold for development. McCray’s farm is the last working dairy farm in town, and it ranks as one of the top six Priority Heritage Landscapes in South Hadley. McCray’s Farm now includes a petting zoo, creamery with their own home made ice cream, haunted hay rides, pumpkin patch and mini-golf. As economic times get hard these side projects help to support the farm, as well as provide a tourist attraction in town. Through the sale of the development rights or Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) to the state, the APR payment will also help sustain the farm’s viability, while permanently protecting the land from development. Fortunately, Massachusetts’ APR program has adequate state funding to cover most of the funding needed to purchase the development rights or APR. However, the state requires a local match of $71,500, the equivalent of only $715/acre. South Hadley’s Farmland Protection Fund and Conservation land fund will cover up to $51,000, which leaves $20,500 that Kestrel must raise from neighbors and friends by the end of 2010. Please make your dedicated contribution to protect McCray’s Farm today. Amherst Watershed Land Protected in Pelham On the top of Pelham Hill next to the Rhodes Building, Pelham’s municipal offices, sits an old 81+ acre homestead that once served as a chicken farm and was the site of an 18th century tavern—at separate points in the town’s history. Owned by the Adriance family, it is located at 339 Amherst Road in Pelham. The land includes an old house, several barns, open fields along the street frontage, and 65 acres of forested wetlands and a mixture of upland deciduous and evergreen forest. The property was on the market for almost a year, when The Kestrel Trust assisted the Town of Amherst to develop a purchase plan that would protect the land as part of the Amherst Watershed. Water Supply Values: The property lies approximately 1.5 miles upstream from the Pelham Reservoir System, a network of three reservoirs— the Hill Reservoir, Hawley Reservoir and intake reservoir—that help supply Amherst’s drinking water. Four streams cross the property as they feed into Dunlop Brook, one of the main tributaries of the reservoirs. The acquisition of this property to protect Amherst’s drinking water supply will benefit an area with a high water table, multiple stream crossings, and various wetlands. Wildlife Habitat Values: Located in the Pelham Hills, just west of the ridge separating the Connecticut River Basin and the Quabbin Reservoir Basin, the Adriance property is surrounded by core and supporting wildlife habitat. Approximately a dozen certified vernal pools have been identified in the general area downstream from the property, and the presence of six potential vernal pools within a 1/3 of mile of the parcel indicates a strong likelihood that more of these unique features are located within and around the Adriance property. Also located downstream near the Pelham Reservoir System are areas designated as Priority Habitat for Rare Species. Adding to Contiguous Protected Open Space: The Adriance property is adjacent to nearly 2,000 acres of permanently protected open space. As such, it is a priority within Pelham and Amherst’s Open Space and Recreation Plans (OSRP), which support the acquisition of private property from willing sellers to help protect drinking water quality, protection of wetlands, and wildlife habitat. Special Thanks to Bart’s Homemade for making Ice Cream for Kestrel’s 40th Anniversary! Pick up a pint at your local market. Kestrel Receives Environmental Leadership Award! Potential Property Acquisition (83 Acres) Pelham Parcels: Potential Water Supply The Kestrel Trust is honored to have received Protection Acquisition an A+ Award from the Amherst Chamber of Commerce for Environmental Leadership on September 23 during the Chamber’s Annual Awards Dinner. Amherst Chamber Executive Director, Tony Maroulis, said of The Kestrel Trust: “Our lives are better because of them.” Town of Amherst Potential Property Water Bodies-Amherst 1999 basemap Rivers, Ponds, Reservoirs Retention Basin Marsh or Swamp Rivers / Streams Other winners of the A+ Awards include A.J. Hastings, CampusLive, Dr. Frederick Tillis, longtime director of the UMass Fine Arts Center, former Selectman Gerry Weiss, and Baer Tierkel, Clare Bertrand and Andy Churchill, who, as a group are known as Sustainable Amherst. Land protection status based upon Town of Amherst Tax Assessor's Database as of January 1, 2008. Horizontal Datum: MA Stateplane Coordinate System, Zone 4151, Datum NAD83, Feet Planimetric basemap features compiled at 1"=40' and 1"=100' scale from April, 1999 Aerial Photography. Aerial Photography: April, 2004. Parcels compiled through a "best-fit" methodology to match the basemap; revisions are ongoing. Property Lines are not for conveyance purposes. The Town of Amherst and its mapping contractors assume no legal responsibility for the information contained herein. 1979 Mt. Holyoke 7.5 Min Quadrangle 1979 Belchertown 7.5 Min Quadrangle The Adriance Parcel is located south of Amherst Road in Pelham. 8 “The diverse nature of the group is truly indicative of the positive spirit and can-do attitude that makes our community thrive, even in difficult times,” said Chamber board President Molly Keegan. 0 1,000 1 inch = 833 feet Threats to the Land: If this property had not been permanently protected, the frontage could have been subdivided into house lots that would use on-site septic systems. The high water table and a lack of public infrastructure (water and sewer) in this area of Pelham, in addition to its location within the upper reaches of the watershed of the Pelham Reservoir System, made preserving this parcel a high priority to help maintain drinking water supply. The total purchase price for the 65-acres was $155,000. The majority of funding came from a grant from the Department of Environmental Protection, the Town of Amherst Water Department. The Kestrel Trust assisted with this acquisition by helping to identify a buyer to purchase the house that came with the land, by paying for the appraisal, and by securing an option from the home buyer on the 12-acre field on the road, which will ensure that it will remain as open space as well. On a hot and muggy Saturday morning this July, John and Wendy Sinton, coauthors of the Connecticut River Boating Guide, led a Kestrel Trust kayaking trip on the Connecticut River. The cool refreshing water, stunning views of the Mount Holyoke Range, and paddle down the secretive outlet to the Fort River were a memorable way to celebrate Kestrel’s 40th anniversary this summer. Thanks to the Sintons for a wonderful morning! 2,000 Feet The Kestrel Trust Board of Trustees: Michael Docter, Doug Albertson, Beth Hooker, Judy Eiseman, Peggy Hepler, Judi Pierce, LeeAnne Connolly, Alexandra Dawson, Kristin DeBoer (Executive Director), Ralph Tate, and Paul Beaulieu. (Not pictured: Jim Scott and David King). Photo taken by Joseph Kushick, courtesy of Amherst Chamber of Commerce. A Pink Ladyslipper found on one of the many parcels of land that The Kestrel Trust is working to protect right now, but can’t yet talk about publicly! Many, if not most, of the conservation projects we work on are confidential to honor the privacy of the private landowners with whom we are working. In 2010, Kestrel has undertaken 21 separate land projects to protect over 4,535 acres. We either act as the lead negotiator, partner or facilitator of these real estate transactions. When it is time to go public and celebrate, we will be sure to let you know. Until then, thanks for your confidence and support! Thanks to the following people for volunteering this summer! Valerie Gracechild Falone Masudi-Minga, Amherst College Erica Moody, Mt. Holyoke College Caitlin Kidder, Mt. Holyoke College Voice Your Support for the Community Preservation Act (CPA) The Community Preservation Coalition (CPC) is working to pass SB 90 - An Act to Sustain Community Preservation - which will stabilize and strengthen the Community Preservation Act. The Kestrel Trust relies on the CPA to accomplish conservation projects in many of the towns we serve, including Amherst, Hadley, Shutesbury, Leverett, and Belchertown. CPA funds have been used by communities across the Commonwealth to protect open space; some river-specific uses have included: protecting riparian lands, removing invasive aquatic species from waterbodies, and funding canoe launches. Strengthening the CPA and stabilizing its funding will 1) encourage new communities, especially cities, to adopt the CPA, and 2) make sure this important tool continues to be used to help communities protect open space and recreational amenities, preserve historic resources, and create affordable housing. To support the bill, please contact your own state representatives and senators and ask them to support passage of this bill (call, fax, send a letter, or email). For communities that don’t have the CPA yet in Kestrel’s region (Pelham, Sunderland, South Hadley, Granby), by stabilizing the annual state match at a higher level, and clarifying and broadening the allowable uses of CPA funds on recreational projects, SB 90 will strengthen communities’ confidence and interest in the CPA program, broadening participation.