HADLEY —Nearly 600 acres that are part of the Mount Holyoke Range in Hadley, South Hadley and Amherst are being permanently protected through a Landscape Partnership Project organized by the Kestrel Land Trust.
The trust announced this week that the project features 583 acres, including 474 acres in Hadley, 104 acres in South Hadley and 5 acres in Amherst.
Kristin DeBoer, executive director of Kestrel Land Trust, said in a statement that the region is stronger, its water is cleaner and the community is more resilient by balancing the conservation of farms and forests with development.
“In the face of climate change, there’s even more urgency to ensure that critical wildlife lands are connected to allow animals safe passage to find water and food,” DeBoer said. “And during the pandemic, we have seen how vital it is for people to have access to nature and the healing power of being outside on trails close-to-home.”
Three of the parcels that make up the bulk of the project are remaining in the ownership of the current landowners, including the town of Hadley, Amherst College and the Adams family in South Hadley.
Hadley donated a conservation restriction to Kestrel to increase the protection of the forest for drinking water and guarantee public access for hunting and fishing, as well as preserving the existing trail network that connects to the New England National Scenic Trail.
Last October, residents at Hadley Town Meeting modified and enhanced the existing protections on about 320 acres of town-owned watershed land with assurances that snowmobiling remain on designated trails and mountain biking also be permitted.
Amherst College’s trustees committed to protect 96 acres on Tinker Hill, a steep incline off Chmura Road in Hadley. Once used as a ski area by the college from 1960s into the 1980s, the college will be able to continue using the land for outdoor education and research, and guarantee public access to a network of trails, popular for mountain biking and hiking.
The forest and farm in South Hadley has a view of the range from Pearl Street, with agricultural use and sustainable forestry protected through a conservation restriction conveyed to Kestrel and the town of South Hadley. Public access for hunting, fishing and hiking is allowed on the backland portion of the property abutting state park land near the ridge.
The remaining 22 acres of forestland in three smaller parcels were purchased by Kestrel from three different local landowners, and added to the public land in Mount Holyoke Range State Park and the town of Amherst’s Sweet Alice Conservation Area, which connects to the Robert Frost Trail from Bay Road.
Money to accomplish the protection came from a variety of sources, including the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Landscape Partnership Program.
“This land will support the unique habitats, biodiversity, and recreation opportunities of Mount Holyoke Range for the continued use of the public,” said Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
