WILLIAMSBURG — No, there isn’t any golf happening at the former Beaver Brook Golf Course that was sold in July and will be “rewilded” under the supervision of the Trustees of Reservations and Hilltown Land Trust.
But a $1.19 million state grant is a hole-in-one for the town and the ongoing development of the course into a reservation for climate resiliency — a hole-in-one that enticed Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll to visit the town last Thursday to celebrate.
The money will be used to to acquire a conservation restriction on the property, and for The Trustees to begin planning for ecological restoration. Additionally, a portion of the grant is earmarked for a housing feasibility analysis for a small portion of the property.
Driscoll also formally recognized the other $27 million worth of Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grants awarded to 54 communities across the state, including some $11 million that went to communities in Hampshire and Franklin counties.
The funding boosts communities to develop infrastructure against climate change, including solar panels and culverts, and mitigate against flooding and wildfires.
Driscoll praised the people of Williamsburg for their resilience after a flood struck town two years ago, which brought Gov. Maura Healey to town.
And she said that her administration will be on the front lines of “future proofing” Massachusetts communities from the ongoing impacts of climate change to protect towns like Williamsburg from future climate-related threats.
“I’d like to say we bring real adult-in-the-room energy when it comes to governing, and that means that we don’t always agree on every single issue, but we find a way to drive real consensus and deliver results for community members, and that is what people expect out of government,” Driscoll said.
As she spoke to the several dozens of people gathered, from a podium under the pavilion on the property, she was flanked by state legislators, including Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, and Sens. Paul Mark and Jo Comerford, as well as Town Administrator Nick Caccamo.
All of them praised the Healey-Driscoll administration for prioritizing rural towns in their budgets.
Autumn walk
The afternoon began with Wendy Ferris, regional vice president with the Trustees, bringing community members and others on a short walk through the former course, which is becoming mildly less recognizable as the grass grows out after it was purchased for $1.5 million this past summer.
But rewilding, Ferris explained, is more than simply letting the grass go wild on the 260-acre site.
“We really want to be proactive about making sure that this land can support as much native habitat as possible, and mitigate flooding in the region and downstream, and create more climate resilience there,” she said.
Step one in that process is considering the species already present. Another step is considering whether to move the stream that flows through the middle of the course to bring it back to its natural flow pattern before the stream was artificially diverted in the 1950s.
There is also work being done to fix what had been paths for golf carts to make them into trails that are accessible for all community members.
Aside from the 70 acres used for the golf course, the majority of the land consists of extensive wooded areas.
Among those who came out was the fifth grade class of the Anne T. Dunphy School. Their teacher, Katie Wright, said the rewilding, and the aim of preventing flooding, has made for an educational experience as she teaches about the Mill River Flood that occurred some 150 years ago.
“There were a lot of local heroes” when the flood occurred, said Wright, saying that the class has been focused on being stewards of the community.
“And this is land stewardship in real time that affects the river and the town,” and something she has told the students will impact their “children and grandchildren.”
In addition to Williamsburg, other Hampshire County grants include $1 million to build a solar array and energy backup system atop Westhampton Elementary School, $2.7 million to allow Belchertown to replace a culvert that allows Hop Brook to run underneath Warren Wright Road, and $427,700 to Amherst and area towns for a Fort River Watershed and Culvert Assessment and Prioritization Plan.
Additionally, Worthington received $82,000 for a wood pellet heating system; Hatfield and Hadley will get $179,000 for assessment, maintenance and improving agricultural drainage channels; and Southampton will get $82,700 for its Project Stay Cool to develop ways to stay cool against extreme heat.
Recipients in Franklin County include Conway, which receives $330,300 for a flood resilience project; $125,000 for the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and several county communities for climate-resilient water use; $458,750 to Montague for Hill Neighborhood Green Infrastructure Master Planning; and $395,940 to Shelburne for Dragon Brook: A Climate Resilient Watershed.