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Date: 6/29/2021
WEST SPRINGFIELD – After 10 years, the Bear Hole Conservation Restriction was officially signed.
On June 15, Mayor William Reichelt announced on his Facebook page that the signing took place after a decade of advocacy by the Environmental Committee and many other concerned citizens.
To go along with his post, Reichelt uploaded a video of himself and Town Council President Brian Griffin.
In the video, Reichelt gave a shout out to Griffin and the council for all the work they’ve done over the years. In addition, he thanked Mark Noonan, Diane Crowell, and state Rep. Michael Finn who supported the protection of Bear Hole from the beginning.
Griffin followed with, “This is just a collaboration of efforts. I certainly appreciate Town Attorney Kate O’Brien, my fellow councilors who were quick to step in and negotiate the agreement, and of course, Mark Noonan.”
He went on to say, “This is a great day for West Side.”
Griffin said Diane Crowell, a former councilor had a passion for nature. Her dream was to preserve Bear Hole and all the beauty it has to offer. In July 2015, Crowell passed away at the age of 76. To keep her dream alive, Simon Bergenty, Councilor Ed Sullivan, Al Cabot, Reichelt, and countless others fought hard to make this happen.
In December 2020, the most updated version of Bear Hole received approval from the state legislature. This included the restriction, jointly proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Massachusetts Audubon Society, to help protect approximately 1,465 acres of the reservoir.
Kate O’Brien informed Reminder Publishing at the time that Mass Audubon and the DCR would be paying the town $1 million in exchange for the restriction.
Although the West Springfield City Council didn’t approve the original restriction plan due to concerns with land rights, the updated legislation allowed for the town to still have control of the land subject to the parameters of the conservation restriction.
At the time, Finn thought the hardest part was over and believed the most difficult would be convincing the townspeople and Town Council.
Looking back, Griffin described this collaboration as second to none. Griffin himself said right out of the gate, he disagreed with the mayor about the original agreement. However, he is thankful that they were able to move forward from that and develop council representatives.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what came out of it and I’m proud of Mayor Reichelt for being able to look at things differently,” stated Griffin.
Moving forward, the next step is to develop a management committee to see how the land will be treated and preserved. This includes the possibility of building out trails and utilizing land for recreational purposes. Of all the stages in this 10-year process, Griffin believes this next stage will be the biggest.
Griffin said they will soon be searching for a team best fit to take on this project.
“Bear Hole is a gem. Always has been and always will be,” said Griffin. “Now, it’s protected forever.”
He concluded by saying, “Diane Crowell was a staple of West Springfield; her legacy will live on through this.”