Belchertown Land Trust

The Land Trust News is the regular newsletter of the Belchertown Land Trust, Inc. We welcome your comments, your suggestions, and your help.

Land Trust Buys Railroad Property for Recreation Path: August 4, 2005
Land Trust Seeks Cleanup of Swift River Property: November 8, 2004
Ingate Farm Press Release July 8, 2003
Studies Show Costs of Growth: May 26, 2003
Belchertown and New England’s Open Spaces: March 17, 2003
Song Makes Debut at Land Trust Meeting: March 13, 2003
Land Trust Elects New Members: December 2, 2002

Land Trust Buys Railroad Property for Recreation Path: August 5, 2005

It’s over four miles long but more narrow than a baseball diamond. It’s white in the winter, green in the summer, brown in the spring, and multi-colored in the fall. It stretches all the way from North Washington Street north past Bay Road to the Town Beach. It’s the Belchertown Land Trust’s brand new Recreation Path!

The Belchertown Land Trust proudly announced the purchase of most of the local real estate holdings of the Boston and Maine (B&M) Railroad. The property is over 19,000 feet long (3.6 miles) and mostly eighty-four feet wide. At North Washington Street, the town owns an additional 11,000 feet of the old railroad property, going as far south as Route 181, with a potential future recreation path seven miles long. More ...

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Land Trust Seeks Cleanup of Swift River Property: November 8, 2004

The Belchertown Land Trust took the first steps towards opening a long public space along the Swift River for recreation. Land Trust President Michael Forgue and Vice President William Terry received permission from Belchertown Selectmen to seek a federal Brownfields grant to identify and cleanup the hazards on the old Bondsville Fabric Mill site.

The site, located on the Swift River off Depot Street, has been lying in decay for many years. The factory itself burned down, leaving possible contamination from oil, asbestos, and other pollutants. Though the state Department of Environmental Protection completed a limited site investigation and removed some hazardous materials over a year ago, the land remains dormant and unusable.

Once the cleanup is completed, the Land Trust hopes to secure the river site and open it for hiking and fishing. Speaking for the Land Trust, Ken Elstein expressed enthusiasm for the project. “We want to replace a dangerous eyesore into a public recreation and conservation area that will make Belchertown proud,” he said.

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Studies Show Costs of Growth: May 26, 2003

Belchertown and other communities need to recognize that unplanned residential development almost always raises town expenses and often results in higher taxes. Chris Modisette, Executive Director of the New England Forest Consortium, discussed this key finding of studies relating growth and town revenues at the May meeting of the Belchertown Land Trust.

In the Massachusetts towns studied, every $1000 of additional tax revenue generated by new housing development resulted in increased costs to towns of $1140 for services. In contrast, open space (farms and forests) and commercial real estate tend to generate surpluses for town governments. Studies were conducted by asking town officials how they allocated expenses among residential, commercial, and open space users. Though each town used different allocations, the results were consistent.

Another surprising finding was that towns with greater commercial development usually had higher overall taxes. This may occur because people prefer to live near their workplace, so property values and taxes tend to increase along with commercial development. Modisette concluded that while development may not be bad, it seldom leads to lower taxes.

Massachusetts is losing about 7000 acres of forest annually. In the past 30 years, the three largest cities have had population gains of less than four percent. The population of the rest of the state has increased by 81 percent, resulting in the loss of a third of the open land and increased fragmentation of much other land.

Modisette said that conservation is a sound community investment and proposed several ideas to reduce this loss of open space. Towns should have an open space master plan, should fund land conservation, and should promote new models for land use. Town governments can help farmers and woodland owners earn more income, reducing the pressures on these excellent stewards of the land to leave. Towns should carefully analyze the fiscal impact of new development, including immediate and long-term expenses. Finally, if we can make urban areas more livable, the pressures of development outside these areas will be reduced.

Though 70 percent of Americans consider themselves environmentalists, most people are unaware of the economic and fiscal benefits of conservation. Modisette believes a stronger coalition of farmers, urban residents, and active environmentalists can join with citizens concerned about taxes to help preserve the land for the future. More information can be found at the Belchertown Land Trust website, www.belchertownlandtrust.org.

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Belchertown and New England’s Open Spaces: March 17, 2003

What is Belchertown’s role in New England preservation? Mark Lindhult, former member of the Belchertown Planning Board, professor, and partner in the Berkshire Design Group, told fellow members of the Belchertown Land trust at its quarterly meeting that no matter where we live, we should be close to open space – preferably within a five-minute walking distance of home. Lindhult and his colleagues have been working for the past four years to identify and map natural corridors all over New England so they can be earmarked for preservation as wild and special places open to the public.

Lindhult was introduced by Ken Elstein of the organization public relation committee, which is working to raise public awareness of the ways individuals can help preserve Belchertown’s scenic natural beauty. Lindhult used slides in his presentation to highlight the New England Greenway Vision Plan, a New England-wide effort to identify “natural” corridors that should be protected and set aside for recreation, wildlife protection, and cultural and historic preservation. The phenomenally successful efforts across the country to create bikeways, he explained, are clear evidence that cross-state collaboration to protect open space can also work.

“ New England is the same size as an average non-New England state, Lindhult explained, “but its population is twice as dense. That’s why preservation must be taken seriously. Having a Land trust is very, very important.”
Lindhult said he is in support of the Scenic Roads Bylaws proposal developed by citizens working with the Planning Board that would protect features that lie within the public rights of way. “A Scenic Roads Bylaw makes common sense, and it protects land that the public already owns or controls. I heartily endorse it.”

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Song Makes Debut at Land Trust Meeting: March 10, 2003

Everyone in Belchertown should live five minutes away from open space – five walking minutes. That’s what members of the Belchertown Land Trust were told at its quarterly meeting on Feb. 26. The social-business gathering at the Chestnut Hill School library featured a presentation by landscape architect and UMass professor Mark Lindhult and updates on Land Trust activities. One of the highlights of the evening was the surprise introduction of a new song about Belchertown’s natural beauty, written by songwriter and Land Trust board member Kate O’Connor.

President Rob Rizzo opened the meeting by introducing Ryan Voiland of Red Fire Farm in Granby, who expressed interest in what the Belchertown Land Trust is doing to help preserve open space. An organic farmer, Voiland raises and sells organic vegetables, small fruits, and greenhouse crops on land that has received an agricultural restriction that protects it from development.
Rizzo noted that members of the Trust will be reaching out to local schools and community groups this year to raise awareness of the need to protect more open space. “We also want to identify key parcels that should be protected in town,” he said.

Following Lindhult’s presentation, Kate O’Connor stepped to the front and strummed the first notes on her guitar. Then she began to sing the first lines of her new work. “This town is our town, there’s something special here. This town’s a good town, with dreams to last for years. This town is our town; we can take it slow, and keep on being beautiful as we grow.” She said she was inspired to write the song for the Land Trust by the sentiments expressed by an overwhelming majority of citizens who have said that their priority is to maintain Belchertown’s rural character and scenic beauty. The audience gave the Belchertown resident a huge round of applause for the song and her musicianship. O’Connor asked for help in gathering a group of children and adults to produce the song for the enjoyment of townspeople.

As members adjourned for light refreshments and socializing, plans were made for the Land Trust’s next events -- without snow! For more information about the Belchertown Land Trust of to join at levels of $10 and up, contact Ken Elstein at ninfo@belchertownllandtrust.org.

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Land Trust Elects New Members: December 2, 2002

The Belchertown Land Trust has added three new members to its Board of Directors. Ronald Akins, Kate O’Connor, and Ken Elstein were elected by the membership to fill the remaining unoccupied seats, and are thr first non-coporators added to the Board since it was formed in April of 2002.

Mr. Akins, a resident of Forest Road, moved to Belchertown with his wife Patricia in 1984. Retired from the U. S. Air Force and the U. S. Postal Service, Mr. Akins is a familiar face at town board and committee meetings, but he is usually behind the camera, volunteering for Channel 5, the local cable-access channel. He became a member of the Land Trust because, he says, he believes in its mission to protect natural resources and open space.

Kate O’Connor, a resident since 1990, has been a longtime member of several conservation trusts, and most recently worked on the campaign to adopt the Community Preservation Act. She received the initial mailing about the Land Trust and signed on immediately.

Ken Elstein worked as a computer consultant in New York before moving to North Street with his wife, Karen Chrisman two years ago. He stopped at the Land Trust’s booth at the Belchertown Fair in September, liked what he heard, and joined immediately.

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