The Egremont Land Trust’s mission is to preserve the rural character of Egremont, and undoubtedly the most important part of this mission is land conservation. We accomplish this in a number of ways. The most direct method is the outright purchase of ecologically, aesthetically, or agriculturally significant land, particularly parcels under immediate threat of development. In addition to the obstacle presented by the very high cost of land in Egremont, a prime location for second homes, the Land Trust is reluctant to become a large land owner. Land ownership involves responsibilities of stewardship, and for a very small, all-volunteer organization, stewardship is a time-consuming and demanding task.
What has proved to be our most effective land conservation tool is a cooperative effort with one or more other conservation organizations. Several governmental agencies, both state and federal, have funds to acquire either fee interest in or Conservation Restrictions (CRs) on significant parcels of land, and the same holds true for nonprofit organizations like the Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
Our first project was a purchase in 1993 of just under 10 acres of fenland on Baldwin Hill Road. It was offered to us at an amazingly reasonable price. We routinely clear it of invasive species and have built a nature trail around the little pond at its center.
Several of our properties were gifts from generous friends. TNC gave us two parcels of land totaling 42 acres on Mt. Washington Road. In 2005, Marian Faytell and Joel Friedman together with the Guilder Hollow Association gave us four acres in the Brookvale subdivision of Guilder Hills. In other cases, we have received gifts of CRs. In these cases, the land remains in private hands but we hold the legal assurance that the land can never be developed. This is true of a beautiful 50-acre parcel of open field and woodland on Baldwin Hill Road, whose three sets of owners conveyed its CR jointly to ELT and BNRC. And on Mount Washington Road, another landowner gave us a CR on 22 acres bordering Karner Brook, one of Egremont’s most prized ecological resources.
In some cases, we have purchased properties, placed conservation easements on them, and then resold them to private owners. This is true of the so-called Bradford property, the site of one of the earliest farms in Egremont and of a graveyard where both Dutch settlers and Indians were buried. We bought the property, helped by funding from TNC, in 1999, held it for several years, and then sold the state an Agricultural Protection Restriction (APR) on most of it. With the assurance that the land would remain farmland forever, we sold it to a local farmer. The remaining small strip, on which we placed a CR, was sold to an abutting landowner.
Our next project was the purchase of 213 acres in 2002. Adjacent to the Jug End State Reservation and bordering Karner Brook, South Egremont’s water supply, the land is steep and heavily forested. Because it was designated a federal Forest Legacy area, it qualified for a federal grant, supplemented by a state grant, and the land was then transferred to the Town of Egremont. As part of the deal, the town agreed to place a permanent CR on three abutting town lots, making a total of 325 mountainside acres preserved in perpetuity.
Then, ELT purchased 22 acres of woods and farmland along the Green River in North Egremont, bought after a vigorous fund-raising campaign, a matching grant from a private donor, and the sale of a CR to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. (The Green River is one of the best trout streams in Berkshire County.)
Our largest project, one that we will probably never equal, was the purchase of 445 acres on Baldwin Hill in 2012. This was a longstanding priority for ELT and BNRC. Thanks to the generosity of the Burdsall and Proctor families, and with the help of the Massachusetts APR Program and BNRC, this land was conserved after many years of work. It will be used forever for farming. Critical to the project were donations from more than 400 ELT members and other residents of our area of the Berkshires, which helped to fill the gap between the state’s commitment and the fair market value of the APRs – the so-called “local share.” The Baldwin Hill projects ensure a productive agricultural base for the town and have saved the most wonderful views in the Southern Berkshires.
Although ELT’s first interest is in preserving land, we take seriously our educational mission. Throughout the spring, summer, and early fall, we offer walks and lectures dealing with the ecology and history of Egremont. (Visit us online to see our calendar of events.) And we have contributed to projects at the public school in South Egremont, sponsoring special nature courses and helping with the children’s garden.
We’re eager for ideas for other projects, and we welcome suggestions from our neighbors. Contact us — we’d love to talk with you!