AMHERST – A year after a resident raised concerns about upkeep at the Mount Pollux Conservation Area in South Amherst, town officials are creating a management plan to show what is being done to protect the natural resources and habitat and promote public access to the site.
The 15-page management plan, which has not yet been approved by the Conservation Commission, is the first of several being drafted by its staff, said Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek. Management plans will also be done for Orchard Arboretum, Fort River Farm and Wentworth Farm, among numerous other sites in town, Ziomek said.
“What we’re trying to do is standardize the management plans and have them for all of our conservation areas in Amherst,” Ziomek said. “This is kind of a new process, a new pathway, for us.”
For Mount Pollux, the management plan describes the 23.61-acre site, including a detailed property overview and how the site was acquired in 1984 for $270,000 from Howard Atkins, its ecological characteristics, such as wetlands, public water supplies and wildlife and biodiversity, and its cultural and historical values.
The management plan gives specifics about what should and should not be done on the site, providing direction for the Conservation Commission when questions arise about appropriate uses or potential changes to how a property is managed.
Under the draft management plan, the commission is advised against removing the staghorn sumac and poison ivy, but is advised to continue the current policy of a single seasonal late fall mowing that occurs “after grassland bird ground nesting activity has ended, box turtle roaming activity has slowed or ceased and the principal periods of blooming of native plants need to support pollinator species have passed.”
For picnickers who enjoy the site, the draft management plan suggests the commission maintain the existing “carry in and carry out” policy: “Recommend against establishing trash receptacles that would require regular emptying/ upkeep and would encourage additional consumptive activity on the site.”
The Friends of Mount Pollux formed last year after observations were made about issues at the site, including apple trees being strangled by vines and narrow mowed paths.
Thomas Johnson, a member of the group, said members are largely supportive of the management plan, with the major question being how it will be implemented and followed.
“There seemed to be wide agreement with our comment that the plan needs to cover implementation,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he expects one of the most contentious issues will revolve around the threat of ticks at the site and whether trails can be mowed wider, thus reducing the chance people will brush against the tall grass and have a tick grab on.
“This a major concern of many community members Friends have heard from,” Johnson said.
In comments submitted to the commission, the friends wrote that “a trail mowing schedule should be established. Lack of frequent enough mowing (esp. during the summer) reduces usage as residents are concerned about ticks and poison ivy.”
The Friends would also like two mowings of the site annually, rather than just one in the late fall.
Ziomek said management plans, in general, focus on trails, ecology and issues affecting visitors. These plans also identify capital needs, such as signs and kiosks to be installed and bridges to be repaired. Including these will allow conservation officials to seek project funding through the Joint Capital Planning Committee.
“We hope that will inform the capital and CPA planning in the future,” Ziomek said.
Johnson said members of the Friends group appreciate that more signs may be in place to identify historical and cultural features
In written comments to the town, the Friends group suggests that “protecting and highlighting the cultural and historic significance of the site for the residents of Amherst are under-emphasized in the plan.”
The draft management plan supports the idea of planting new apple trees, with those on site now not being maintained.
“Although not being pursued for that purpose, tending some apple trees may also help to partially address the desire expressed by some Mount Pollux users to see the restoration of aspects of an earlier orchard landscape.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
