Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 11/30/2023
SOUTHWICK — Despite the operation of ATVs being strictly forbidden in the North Pond Conservation Area, it continues to be a problem, the conservation coordinator for the Conservation Commission said during the commission’s Nov. 20 meeting.
“ATVs are our number one problem,” said Sabrina Pooler, referring to feedback she got from two agents of the state’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife during a recent walkthrough of the property.
The agents visited the conservation area to perform the state’s yearly inspection of the 146-acre parcel to ensure the town is meeting the conservation restrictions for the property, Pooler told the commission.
In addition to the problem with the ATVs, Pooler said the agents pointed out that the shoreline along the North Pond of Congamond Lake had been cleaned up, with leaves appearing to have been raked into piles, which is against the terms of the conservation restriction.
She said raking the leaves into piles smothers some of the native shrubbery and doesn’t allow for the buildup of organic matter along the shoreline. Unmoved leaves would help revegetate the shoreline, she said.
There was also concern by the agents about the overuse of the shoreline during the summer months, which also inhibits its revegetation, Pooler said.
Individuals gather along the shore of the conservation area to use it as a beach during the summer months and to play on rope swings that are repeatedly illegally hung from the branches of two trees that extend over the shallow water.
Over the summer, there was an effort by the lake advocacy group Citizens Restoring Congamond to pay to have several trees removed along the shoreline because of safety concerns related to the rope swings. After an outcry from its members, the CRC decided against paying for the removal of the trees.
Because the presence of the rope swings is a safety concern, the Conservation Commission has notified the Police Department that if it decides to pay for the trees’ removal, it will need to file a Determination of Applicability, which is to determine if the Wetlands Protection Act applies to the proposed removal.
The law generally prohibits the destruction of wetlands and naturally vegetated riverfront areas, but the commission can issue a special permit with conditions like replacing the trees or restoring the shoreline. For now, the trees remain and won’t be an issue until warmer weather arrives next summer, Pooler said.
Despite that, she asked the agents for suggestions on how to reduce the amount of people on the shoreline. They suggested, she said, placing timbers perpendicular to the shoreline to keep people off and allow it to revegetate naturally.
Pooler also said the agents reiterated that the conservation area is not to be used for picnics, barbecues, lawn chairs and swimming from the shore, because part of the conservation restriction is that the property be used for passive recreation only.
Because the use of ATVs is considered the number one problem on the property, Pooler suggested focusing on enforcement efforts instead of worrying right now about the shoreline and the resulting erosion.
“We have to keep going after the ATVs before we worry about the shoreline,” she said.
To address the erosion along the shoreline, the commission will explore several options over the next few months, including hiring a consultant to offer suggestions.
The conservation area was purchased from a private owner for $5 million in 2019 to preserve it from development.
Much of the money came from the state, which added some interior acreage to the adjacent Southwick Wildlife Management Area, as well as from private donors, the Franklin Land Trust and a total of $1.7 million from town taxpayers.