NORTHAMPTON — The city’s blueprint for open space, recreation and multi-use trails over the next seven years does not take a position on whether to expand hunting onto additional conservation lands in the city, despite the idea being floated in a preliminary version.
“We just totally failed to find a consensus,” said Wayne Feiden, the city’s planning and sustainability director.
The preliminary version of the plan floated the idea of expanding hunting into several low-use areas of conservation land in the city. The plan generated significant comment from people on both sides of the issue.
In the end, officials decided to ask the Conservation Committee to hold hearings to discuss hunting, and for the plan to not make a recommendation on the subject.
The Open Space, Recreation, and Multi-Use Trail Plan, which covers 2018-2025, has worked its way through the city and now awaits approval by the state.
Hunting was the only item in the plan that drew written comments from the public.
“During the public conversation on this plan, the issue of expanding hunting opportunities on conservation land was the only subject where no consensus or compromise emerged,” the plan notes.
It also said that a feature of the debate was a disagreement over basic facts between the opposing parties.
Those who opposed the hunting expansion were split over whether hunting should be allowed on land acquired for conservation purposes, even if hunting was allowed on that land in the past.
“I don’t know what to make of it,” said Mitch Hartley, a biologist and hunter, on the plan’s decision to not take a stand on hunting expansion.
He also said that he hoped that leaving the decision in the hands of the Conservation Commission might yield a pro-expansion result, as it is familiar with natural resource issues.
“They have made that decision before (to open an area to hunting),” Hartley said.
At the same time, he said he’s not sure if the commission would do anything differently than the city.
Hartley wishes the city would adopt regulations that mirror state hunting and firearm setbacks to the land.
He also said that it was a shame that a city that respects diversity and equal rights like Northampton was not being considerate of its hunting minority.
John Clapp, an owner of the Starlight Llama Bed and Breakfast, was pleased with the decision.
“We’re thrilled and relieved,” Clapp said.
An earlier version of the plan suggested opening up a property for hunting next to land that Clapp owns.
“I would hope so and I believe so,” said Clapp, on whether the Conservation Commission would elect not to expand hunting.
Clapp also said that he and his wife, Dee Boyle-Clapp, are working on proposals for the parcels where it was suggested that hunting could be allowed, including launching a program based on the Forest Fridays program at the Ryan Road School, putting pages from children’s books on trees for educational purposes, planting fruit and nut trees, and having permaculture work done there.
“We’re still in the process of gathering information,” said Boyle-Clapp, who said that the Forest Fridays-inspired program would be for the Leeds Elementary School
The Clapps said that this programming effort is being done to put the lands into greater use, and expose more people to the city’s public lands.
“These spaces are beautiful,” Boyle-Clapp said.
Clapp said that the decision not to expand hunting benefited the safety and comfort of hikers.
“There’s many more hikers than there are hunters,” he said.
Boyle-Clapp also said that opening the land to hunting would open it up to people hunting from outside the city as well, and asserted that there is not enough police presence to monitor the woods. She also said that she’s heard issues from people in other communities about hunters hunting on public land.
Clapp adds that there are still many places for people to hunt in Northampton.
“There is no lack of hunting grounds in Northampton or the surrounding towns,” he said.
The plan, which consists of a more than 100-page document, deals with more than hunting. The expansion of trails, preservation of historic sites and support of agricultural operations are just some of the topics addressed in it.
“Most of them are continuations on what we’ve done,” Feiden said.
Of significance, this plan doesn’t have a target for the amount of land the city will put into conservation over its duration, unlike the previous seven-year plan.
“The last target we met almost exactly,” said Feiden.
That target was 25 percent of land with a permanent restriction on development, whether that be conservation, recreation, or working farmland.
Such a target was put forward in the preliminary version, but Feiden said that it was dropped as the City Council seemed not to be interested in it, and that the city’s behavior toward acquiring land for preservation won’t be altered by a lack of a target.
He also said that the city is interested in the creation of more homes, and indicated that he doesn’t think this is in conflict with the city’s conservation goals.
A chief purpose of the plan is to make the city eligible to apply for a number of grants. Because the city has submitted the plan’s penultimate version, the grants with this requirement are now open to the city.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.