Conservation Commission

Wetlands Emergency Process

All sorts of ’emergencies’ may occur. That’s just the way of the world. And, no matter what definition of emergency is being used, there will always be a need to judge if the particular facts of a situation fit the definition, e.g., is this situation actually an immediate threat to life? Often, the authority/responsibility to make that judgment is delegated to a specific governmental agency, division, body, or office holder. And deciding ‘whether or not an emergency exists’ is a separate/different matter from the authority/process of ‘deciding what may be done to abate the emergency’. In certain specific situations, the …

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ConCom’s Busy 5/11 Agenda

It’s definitely now what my friend and Chair of the Dalton ConCom, Cheryl Rose, calls “ConCom Season” and our busy agenda sure does show it.  Join in Tuesday 5/11/21 at 7pm Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84984508619?pwd=YmZhS3RSamZBbGM1aHVOVmhpaFJCQT09 Or at Zoom.us Meeting ID: 849 8450 8619 Passcode 425669 Or dial in by Phone +1 646 558 8656 Richmond Consolidated School Students will present their case/request for protection of turtle crossings to the Commission. We will have 3 Notice of Intent (NOI) hearings (NOIs are detailed requests for permitting under Wetlands and/or Scenic Mountain laws/regs/bylaws). A continued hearing for a project is on the north side …

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61 — Not just a number

In 1995, twin brothers, Millard and Frederic Pryor, gifted over 120 acres of forested land in West Stockbridge and Richmond to the Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC). The Richmond Land Trust (RLT) and BNRC jointly own a conservation restriction on the property. Interestingly, as a young economics student, Frederic Pryor was captured by the soviets in East Germany, charged with espionage and held prisoner for several months. Eventually his release was gained as part of a prisoner swap involving U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers. The story of this was told in book form, later made into a Steven Spielberg film, …

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400+ Years of Service

Fifty-three.  That’s the answer I have been looking for these past couple of days. Because it is my intention to tell the story of Richmond’s Conservation Commission through all of the people who have served. Because I think that each one who gave of their time, and their talents, and their passion — should all be honored. Because it is my intention to post some of each person’s story and their recollections of their time on the commission. Because I wanted to know how many darn pages that would run to… There are 53 people who have served. Some for …

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Melting Ice.

Yesterday, with a temp near 50° F, the surface of the 12-14 inches of ice on Richmond Pond was safe enough for ConCom Chair Emeritus, Holly Stover, and I to spend an extremely pleasant afternoon walking about. I’m sure the ice will soon be gone with these warming temps and the longer days but, yesterday, the sun and beauty of surrounding had our spirits soaring. And metaphorically, the long-frozen impasse with the damage to the western slopes of Lenox mountain also seems on the verge of melting. At our ConCom meeting Tuesday evening, DCR Senior Ecologist, Nancy Putnam spoke about …

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