HADLEY — A land preservation project that would feature more than 500 acres of contiguous protected property in the area of the Holyoke Range and Skinner State Park, unbroken by roads and developments, is being pursued by Kestrel Land Trust.
But in seeking a letter of interest from Hadley’s Select Board, which is necessary to advancing the project, Kestrel is running into concerns about whether placing a conservation restriction on more than 300 acres of town-owned land would limit access and use by residents.
Paul Gagnon, conservation and stewardship manager for Kestrel, told the board Wednesday that the land trust is putting together the project that would seek up to a $1.5 million Landscape Partnership Grant from the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for permanently conserving land on the Holyoke Range, as well as incorporating nearby lowland adjacent to the Connecticut River into the project.
Select Board member David Fill II said he is nervous about what this sort of project might mean for residents, observing that land that is conserved by the state and federal government often is posted to not allow hunting and fishing and motorized vehicles.
“If we’re giving away the rights to town-owned land, that can’t happen in something I support,” Fill said.
He was joined in his reservations by board member John Waskiewicz, who wants any protected land to continue to be a place where people can use snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles. He said the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation’s limits on land use for the public has not been good.
“The DCR is very heavy on the DC and very, very light on the recreation: none, as far I’m concerned,” Waskiewicz said.
Gagnon, though, said the conservation restriction can be written in such a way that the town, which would continue to own the land, would retain the right to conduct forestry and have non-motorized outdoor recreation. The town would also have complete access to the reservoirs and dams on the land for water supply purposes.
The Select Board, Gagnon added, would also have a big say in what happens on the properties it owns.
“The town would, with Kestrel, craft the conservation restrictions on the land,” Gagnon said.
The main land in question includes three town-owned parcels totaling 320 acres off Chmura and Bay Roads that were acquired by Hadley’s water district in the 1950s. That land, Gagnon said, would help in meeting the 500 acres of unbroken properties. Other land being sought is owned by Amherst College and Mount Holyoke College, and the sites would be in Hadley, Amherst and South Hadley.
Kestrel would also like to protect 40 acres on eight parcels of lowland on the Connecticut River, some acquired for unpaid back taxes. Because these are across Route 47 from Skinner State Park, they would not have a conservation restriction put on them, but rather would be sold at below market value, possibly for the price of back taxes owed, for possible inclusion in the existing Connecticut River Greenway State Park or the Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge.
Gagnon said the main benefit for Hadley is to have more land both in and out of town protected.
“You get more conservation out of it,” Gagnon said.
The Landscape Partnership Grant includes the state offering a match of 50 percent of the costs for the conservation of greater than 500 acres of land in a contiguously protected area. The match can be made through private donations, grants by non-state agencies or donations of land and conservation restrictions.
The Select Board has until Oct. 18 to submit a letter of interest that Kestrel will use in its application to the state.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
