Mill River Greenway Initiative

A community-based steward for the Mill River

Newsletters

Late Summer Email Blast

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Welcome back to the Mill River, everyone, welcome back from wherever you’ve been, even if you’ve only traveled a few miles from home!

This late summer newsletter is a teaser about what’s to come but first, we must give thanks for the gifts the river has received. Of all these gifts, none has been more meaningful than the work that Professor Susannah Howe and her engineering design clinic students at Smith College have done, most recently, in May of this year, the design of the MassCentral Rail Trail Connection that completes the connection from the rail trail in Northampton to the planned trail linking Haydenville to Williamsburg Center. Thank you, engineering graduates Beatrix Dalton, Kelsey Hammond, Serena Cattau, Jess McKnight and especially Prof. Howe, whose design teams have saved our local towns tens of thousands of dollars in project costs and given so generously of themselves – you are amazing people!

Our most exciting news: With the support of Historic Northampton, we are planning to incorporate lessons from the Mill River into the curricula of the schools in both Northampton and Williamsburg! We’ll have more substantial information for you next month, but we wanted to prepare you for what we’ll be calling the Mill River Curriculum Initiative (yes, MRCI)and to ask whether any of our MRGI members would be interested in becoming part of this project. The Williamsburg and Northampton school systems are, of course, independent of each other, but we’ll be coordinating our efforts to come up with projects and experiences that are effective for both.

  • For Williamsburg: Contact Gaby Immerman at info@millrivergreenway.org. She and our good friend Nick Dines will be working closely with Principal Stacey Jenkins at the Anne T. Dunphy school.
  • For Northampton: Contact Kathleen Bamford at bolete@tutanota.com. Kathleen is a MRGI godsend, who contacted us this spring. She recently returned to the Valley from Vermont, knows our region intimately, and has expertise in environmental/place-based education and writing. Kathleen will be reaching out to a number of educators in the Northampton schools.

Our other major fall focus will be the Revamping of our Website. Yes, it’s been too long, way too long, and John will be reworking the contents while Neal oversees an update of the site itself. Please let John or Neal know your thoughts on the website – what we need to include, delete, embellish, and beautify. You can reach either of us at info@millrivergreenway.org

Great news from UMass: Professor Jack Ahern of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning will be using the Mill River watershed as the site for an amazing Designed Biodiversity Studythat his talented third-year students will conduct this fall. In Jack’s words: “The idea came to me after reading the shocking UN report this spring about the critical state of biodiversity globally. I plan to focus on biodiversity in designed/inhabited landscapes and making linkages between these landscapes and protected landscape core areas and corridors [in this case, the Mill River Greenway].” Jack is a superb scholar and teacher. We can’t wait to get the results!

Finally, check out these great events that MRGI is co-sponsoring

  • Northampton Council Candidate Forum on Climate & Environment 

Sept 11, 2019: 

Location: Northampton Senior Center

6:30-7:20pm Ward 1 candidate forum
7:20-7:30pm Transition b/w forums
7:30-8:20pm Ward 2, 4 candidate forum

Sept 12, 2019:

Location: Lathrop Community Room, 1 Shallowbrook Ln
6:30-7:20pm Ward 5 candidate forum
7:20-7:30pm Transition b/w forums
7:30-8:30pm Ward 7 candidate forum

 

  • Great Tree Bicycle Tour: A community bike tour of Northampton’s most notable trees

October 20, 2019, 11am-2pm Details and registration forthcoming at: FNTG.net

Here are the trees on the route:

START: Pulaski Park London Plane

Conz St American elm

Columbus Ave Champion Pin oak

Smith College Champion Ginko

Vernon St American Sycamore

Crescent St. Copper beech

Stoddard St–gas leaks/new trees

FSB–volcano mulching/Norway maple

Keyes St Champion Tulip tree

Bardwell White Oak

1 Corticelli–White Mulberry

End: Maines Field–summary of city’s tree program

 

  • Devil’s Den to Lickingwater Book Events with John Sinton

Sept. 25 5:00-7:00Northampton Neighbors, Senior Center. How Nonotuck became the major New England crossroads for Native Americans and gained primacy of place in the Valley. How the river dictated Northampton’s shape and why we diverted it out of town. In the end, why does the Mill River matter?

Oct. 8 7:00-8:30Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Easthampton. The Mill River’s role in the creation of Northampton and how environmental transformations in this little watershed reflect those of the larger world.

Nov. 7 12:15-1:00  Springfield Museums Museum à la Carte Series, Springfield. “Devil’s Den to Lickingwater: How a Small, Little-Known River Shaped the Landscape and History of The Connecticut River Valley.”

Remember, the river runs through ALL of us!

John, Gaby, and Neal

 

 

 

 

 

Early Summer Newsletter

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The happiest of early summertimes to you, dear Mill River friends!

We are experiencing such a surge of interest and support for Mill River work that we’re beginning to burst with pride at the seams of our all-too-small workforce garment (namely Gaby, John, and Neal). Let’s get to the news:

  1. A new park is born!! Voters at Williamsburg Town Meeting voted overwhelmingly to approve the acquisition of a new four-acre park located across the Mill River from Local Burgy, Village Green, and Family Veterinary Center in the historic “Skinnerville” village between Haydenville and Williamsburg. A THOUSAND THANKS to dear friends and supporters who contributed over $8,000 in just two weeks to secure the purchase! And thanks to our supportive partners in the Eversource Energy real estate management office for helping us put together the deal.
  2. The Williamsburg Mill River Greenway Committee has finally secured a whopping $30,000 in State Transportation Bond funds, originally appropriated through the efforts of then-Senator Ben Downing in 2014. Much gratitude is owed to Representative Steve Kulik, and State Senator Adam Hinds, along with their local staff Paul Dunphy and Jon Gould, for their dogged efforts to bring those funds home to Burgy!
  3. Smith Design Clinic does it again! Our four intrepid Smith Engineering seniors gave a brilliant public presentation and submitted a 178-page report examining the Mill River’s mischievous behavior and possible solutions at the infamous “pinch” where Route 9 is dangerously narrow heading west past the Brassworks out of Haydenville. The impressive and extremely professional report will be shared with VHB Engineers, under contract with Williamsburg for survey and design development of the Burgy-Haydenville Greenway. You can view the report here (link to Burgy committee docs page on burgy.org: https://www.burgy.org/mill-river-greenway-committee/pages/greenway-reports-maps-etc
  4. Working closely with the Williamsburg Woodland Trails Committee (WWTC) and Smith College, we have just produced the 4thin our line of self-guided tours, this one by car or bicycle. It follows the path of the 1874 Williamsburg Flood from the site of the dam on the Mill’s East Branch to the final resting place of its victims at Florence Meadows/Grow Food Northampton Community Farm. It’s available for $2 from MRGI, the Williamsburg Historical Society, Historic Northampton, or the Northampton Chamber of Commerce.
  5. …speaking of which, the WWTC has just established one of the Valley’s most outstanding historical trails, this one from a parking spot on Ashfield Road, 2.8 miles from Williamsburg Center. With a Mass Humanities grant, the WWTC has installed a kiosk and series of wayside signs that lead from the trailhead to the dam site. Eric Weber and Elizabeth Sharpe provided the text and images. Eric’s drawings and engineering analyses are eye-opening. Be sure to check it out! It’s about a mile out and a mile back. Great hiking and great history in one fell swoop.
  6. We will be celebrating the Mill River at the amazing Golden Spike gathering of cyclists and trail enthusiasts throughout Massachusetts on the 27-28 of July. Our rail trail is part of two of the longest, most historic rail trails in New England. We urge you to check it out at https://www.gs2018.org. Gaby will present a short talk on our Williamsburg project, Neal will be at the table to work the crowd, and John will be leading Hidden Mill River tours on Friday and Saturday.
  7. On June 1st, the Hospital Hill and Smith College sections of Mill River became the focus for a natural history “biothon” to raise funds for the Hitchcock Center in memory of Elizabeth J. Farnsworth, whose untimely passing last November saddened us deeply. Through the amazing efforts of Laurie Sanders, Charley Eiseman, and Julia Blyth, we now have some updated baseline information on the biota of that section of the Mill River. Chief among our discoveries were the first known occurrences of a licorice-smelling goldenrod (Solidago odora) and a wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta). Now, if we could just find someone to lead a MRGI initiative to list all the species in our Mill River watershed…if only! Any volunteers out there?
  8. And if ecological sleuthing isn’t your specialty, we would love some help sussing out the questions and process of whether your humble servants at the MRGI should undertake the creation of a 501c(3). If this is more your expertise than identifying salamanders and wildflowers, please let us know!

Attached is a photo of the Community Gardens at the Grow Food Northampton Community Farm, on the Mill River in Florence, courtesy of MRGI champion Reid Bertone-Johnson of Smith College and his kite-mounted camera!

Florence Meadows: Community Farm and Grow Food Northampton, kite-aided photo by Reid Bertone-Johnson

2017 Winter News

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Mill River at the Oxbow — Photo: Janine Norton www.janinenorton.com

It’s been three months since we last corresponded with you, dear MRGI supporters, and, after a Dam Walk and wonderful winter celebration to cap off a productive 2016, we’ve caught our breath and are ready to head into springtime.

  1. The Leeds-Haydenville Connection: Our happiest news is the completion of the trail dismount (aka the “Goat Path”) in Haydenville, which included grading, guard rails, and native restoration plantings.   Thanks again to the Williamsburg Highway Department for their time and skill in completing the project just before the snow fell! Gaby is now leading the charge to complete the surfacing of the last half-mile of rail trail between Leeds and Haydenville; City of Northampton and Town of Williamsburg have applied for grants together, so keep your fingers crossed! If the grants are awarded the project will occur in Spring 2018.
  2. Dam Disaster Brochure: We are planning our next brochure to tell the story of the Williamsburg Dam Disaster. Unlike our first three, this one will cover several miles of river, from the site of the old Williamsburg Dam to the floodplain at Florence Fields. Elizabeth Sharpe (In the Shadow of the Dam author) and Paul Jahnige (Williamsburg Woodland Trails Committee Chair) will be working with local historians Ralmon Black and Eric Weber to develop the text and images. Gaby will have a Smith intern ready to expedite the work, which John will shepherd through the process of design and printing with Rob and Damia at their Transit Authority Figures design shop. The Woodlands Trails Committee is also planning for interpretive signage along the trail itself. The trail itself was completed last fall and is accessible off Ashfield Road near the intersection of Judd Lane in Williamsburg.
  3. Interpretive Signs for the Hidden Mill: A lot is happening at Smith this term. Reid Bertone-Johnson’s studio will be working on signage for the Hidden Mill River reach of the river. Once we have text and designs for the signs, we will seek grants to work with Wayne Feiden, Northampton’s planner, to establish interpretive signs along the self-guided riverwalk route.
  4. Designs for Florence Fields: Reid’s class will also be scoping out a path from the parking lot at the downstream (southern) end of the recreation fields to the banks of the Mill River, a trail along the rivers edge, and, we hope, a crossing into Look Park. Smith senior Meg Kirsch is creating plans for an outdoor classroom at the river’s edge.
  5. Riverwalks? We look forward to planning at least two walks and a paddle this spring and summer. We will plan a paddle in April from Arcadia up to the South St. barrier if we have sufficient high water. We hope to work with Laurie Sanders and Betty Sharpe to find a date for a combined Historic Northampton/MRGI riverwalk at Florence Fields this summer and with John Clapp on a Roberts Meadow Brook walk this year, as well. Please, dear Mill River lovers, let us know if there are any riverwalks you would like to do again or new riverwalks on your bucket list.

As always, we wish you a joyous time on the river that runs through us!

Gaby, John, and Neal

 

Mid-Summer Newsletter

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Happy mid-summer to you all, and, yes, we are also bewildered by the surfeit of stones and dearth of water in our beloved Mill River. Yet the rain gods have come and we, who follow in the footsteps of the Nonotuck – the People In the Midst of the River – will husband our resources and prepare for late summer’s bounty

Unlike the frantic pace of outdoor activities last year, especially the monthly riverwalks, this summer has been one of gathering up and preparing for the fall. We have been busy, but it’s been like organizing the plumbing and electric in the house that you can’t see happening.

So let’s get on with it. Here’s what is, in fact, happening:

  • After the publication of our collaborative invasive/native plants guide with Smith College, we received lots of requests for hard copies, and then the Hampshire Gazette covered the story in mid-July: http://www.gazettenet.com/Mill-River-Greenway-Initiative-seeks-to-remove-Invasive-plants-3187059. You can find the digital copy of “Making Room for Native Plants and Wildlife” on the MRGI website here: http://millrivergreenway.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Smith-College-invasive-guide-booklet.pdf.
  • We are in the process of completing a new historic riverwalk brochure, once again in collaboration with Smith College. “Florence: Riverside Drive to Meadow St. Bridge,” will be available in September, and we’ll inaugurate the brochure with a guided tour in October led by Wendy Sinton of the Sojourner Truth Memorial Committee, who managed the project. This brochure features the Northampton Association of Arts and Education and the silk and plastics industries in the life of the Mill River.
  • The Burgy Mill River Greenway Committee is working with the Williamsburg Highway Department to alleviate erosion problems and make rough improvements to the trail link (aka the Goat Path) at the Northampton/Haydenville boundary on the rail trail. This fall the town of Williamsburg will be improving sidewalks and signage on South Main Street in Haydenville to provide safer passage for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles.
  • In collaboration with the Northampton Office of Planning and Sustainability (thank you, Wayne Feiden!), we are producing handsome new trail markers for the Mill River Greenway. You’ll begin to see them in the Leeds-Haydenville area this fall. Here’s what they’ll look like: http://millrivergreenway.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MIL-trail-markers-03-1.pdf
  • Conway School students Margot Halpin and Armi Macaballug, class of ’16, compiled reams of GIS data for us on the Mill River watershed. The emerging “Master Map of the Mill River Greenway” will be housed at Smith College’s Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability (aka CEEDS) under the able stewardship of Smith’s Spatial Analysis Lab.  Digital or hard copies of Margot and Armi’s report, “Building a Strategic Plan for the Mill River Greenway,” are available from the Conway School: http://www.csld.edu/contact-us/ Unfortunately, since the digital copy is 63 megabytes, we at MRGI aren’t capable of providing the direct link. Thanks again to our members for funding this project!
  • We are delighted to welcome intern Silke Hensteback, a UMass Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning undergraduate, who will be studying options and supporting planning/organizing for the Bay State section of the Greenway, a trail from Smith College (Paradise Pond), along the base of Hospital and Yankee Hills and close to the Clement St. Bridge

As always, let us know your thoughts, keep in touch, keep cool, and keep loving our river!

Gaby, John, and Neal

New T-Shirts and MRGI in the News

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First, check out these fabulous MRGI t-shirts designed by the extraordinary Rob Stewart and Damia Cavallari of Transit Authority Figures.  They come in black or green, sizes small to extra large, and you can buy one for $20 at any MRGI event.  Sorry, no mail sales, but if you contact us, we might be able to meet you somewhere in the Mill River watershed.

Second, see how fine these t-shirts look on Gaby and John, who were thrilled on May 13th to receive the Friends of Northampton Trails and Greenways 2015 Trail Neighbor Award.  Thanks to all our supportive members who made this special accolade possible!

Third, Gaby and John had a great time with Jim Madigan on WGBY’s Connecting Point this month when Jim interviewed us about MRGI’s work.  It’s a fun 6 minutes, so check it out — hit the link and scroll down to the Mill River Greenway segment.

Finally, we still have some room left on the summer riverwalks, so please sign up to assure yourselves places.

 

Gaby and John with the new MRGI t-shirt 5.13.15

Gaby and John with the new MRGI t-shirt 5.13.15