Reservoir Road Acquisition CPA application.pdfSaw Mill Hills to Waters Edge Open Space Acquisition 1
COMMUNITY PRESERVATION PROJECT APPLICATION COVER SHEET
I: Project Information
Project Title: Saw Mill Hills to Water’s Edge Acquisition
Project Summary: CPA Funding is sought to acquire 22 acres of land on both sides of
Reservoir Road in Leeds – 3 acres on the western side of Reservoir Road with direct
access to the Reservoir, and 19 acres of bluff overlooking the Reservoir. The
property is adjacent to both existing protected open space as part of Saw Mill Hills
Conservation Area/Roberts Hill and the Roberts Meadow Reservoir. Both properties
have a great deal of potential for recreational activities, and are the City’s priority
open space acquisition for Spring 2016.
Estimated start date: June, 2016 Estimated completion date: June, 2017
CPA Program Area (check all that apply):
Open Space Historic Preservation
Community Housing Recreation
II: Applicant/Developer Information
Contact Person and or/primary applicant: Wayne Feiden
Property Owner (if applicable): The Talon Trust
Organization (if applicable): Northampton Conservation Commission and Office of
Planning and Sustainability
Mailing Address: 210 Main Street, Room 11
Daytime phone #: 413-587-1265 Fax #: 413-587-1264
E-mail address: wfeiden@northamptonma.gov
III: Budget Summary
Total budget for project: $170,500
CPA funding request: $72,000
CPA request as percentage of total budget: 42%
Applicant’s Signature:
Date Submitted: February 8, 2016 _______________________
Saw Mill Hills to Waters Edge Open Space Acquisition 2
Narrative:
Project Location: Reservoir Road, Parcel ID 10D-036
Twice a year, (as availabilities arise) the Office of Planning and Sustainability and the
Conservation Commission identify a priority acquisition project on which to focus
grantwriting, fundraising, and other efforts. These parcels have all offered a
tremendous public benefit, for habitat protection or recreational opportunity, and
include a time sensitive risk of being lost forever if not protected. This season, the Saw
Mill Hills to Waters Edge is that priority project.
The project includes two separate parcels, one on the eastern side of Reservoir Road
that includes a steep bluff that overlooks the Reservoir, and one across the street on
the western side of Reservoir Road that juts out into the Reservoir. This is a bargain
sale of property. Talon Trust has agreed to sell both parcels of land to the city for
$150,000 even though they were appraised in an independent appraisal for $170,000.
This purchase will also settle a legal dispute that the city had with Talon on the status
of the frontage of the property based on a very unclear eminent domain taking of
reservoir property over a century ago. The city filed plans for a taking of the land
adjacent to the reservoir and a thin strip along the road, but unfortunately never went
to the next step of filing a taking order. The talking plans, however, show that the area
has been on the City’s radar for protection since the mid Nineteenth Century.
As Laurie Sanders noted in ‘Rediscovering Northampton 2015,” ‘although the Robert’s
Hill Conservation Area lies outside of any estimated rare species habitat, it does play an
important role for wildlife —especially for forest dependent species. Its value is
enhanced by its location next to several hundred acres of City-owned watershed land
and nearly a thousand acres of conservation land to the south in the Saw Mill Hills.’
Hilltop Parcel
The larger piece is surrounded on three sides by the Saw Mill Hills Conservation
Area/Roberts Hill, which is the northwesternmost segment of the Saw Mill Hills. A
former power line runs through the property, creating a trail connection to the rest of
Roberts Hill that is now used as a walking trail. An extensive trail network has been
developed on surrounding protected parcels, with several ‘unofficial’ trails entering this
parcel; taking advantage of natural paths along the topography, and seeking out the
views offered within (please refer to the attached trail map). The major access trail up
to the bluff from Reservoir Road hugs the property boundary, and Laurie Sanders’
Rediscovering Northampton 2015 included a specific recommendation to “Acquire the
private parcels on either side of the access trail that begins on Reservoir Road; this
would prevent it from being fragmented by development.”
The property has challenges to development – specifically steep slopes, ledge close to
the surface, and proximity to a water supply area that would necessitate development
of septic systems to the rear of the lot. These factors prevent development into a large
subdivision. However, the property could easily be divided into three or possibly four
large building lots that would prevent trail access, prohibit recreation, and diminish
views both from Reservoir Road and the Roberts Hill Overlook.
Saw Mill Hills to Waters Edge Open Space Acquisition 3
Waters Edge Parcel
The parcel along the Reservoir (which is maintained as a public drinking water supply
even though it is only reserved as a backup), provides spectacular public access to the
Roberts Reservoir. In the future it could provide an ideal spot for fishing and launching
of canoes and kayaks. The Department of Public Works is aware of this project, and
has expressed support for Conservation, rather than Watershed, ownership of the
parcel. Proximity to the water would prevent most types of development of the parcel,
but if privately owned, access would not be allowed and a valuable opportunity would
be lost.
The project meets several Community Preservation general criteria:
Contributes to the preservation of Northampton’s unique character, boosts the vitality of
the community, and enhances the quality of life for its residents
Part of Northampton’s character is the amount and diverse types of open space
and recreation opportunities available throughout the City. This acquisition will
create a new opportunity for public access to an area where it is currently
limited, as well as allow trails to be created in a popular area where they have
had to avoid this privately owned parcel.
Addresses recommendations contained in the Sustainable Northampton comprehensive
plan and/or the Open Space, Recreation, and Mixed Use Trail Plan 2011-2017 or is
consistent with other city-wide planning efforts that have received broad-based scrutiny
and input and can demonstrate wide community support
The Open Space Plan contained recommendations to ‘expand and protect’
Roberts Hill Conservation Area, specifically the former power line right of way.
The project will also address several of ‘the most pressing open space and
recreation needs’ identified in the Open Space Plan. These are:
• Passive recreation opportunities throughout the city
• Linkage and augmentation of open space parcels, to provide for passive
recreation and wildlife movement between large natural habitat areas.
• Protection of vistas and “viewsheds.”
• Acquisition for permanent protection of a range of critical and natural plant and
animal habitats, including:
• Wetlands
• Rare or endangered species habitat
• Riparian lands along the Connecticut, Mill, and Manhan Rivers and other
rivers and major streams
• Preservation of open space parcels that help define Northampton’s character,
including parcels at the “entrances” to the city and parcels that limit the
expansion of development into previously rural areas.
Saw Mill Hills to Waters Edge Open Space Acquisition 4
• Protection of farmland, forestland, and the rural character of outlying areas.
• Encouraging or requiring that development is sensitive to ecological resources,
vistas, and open space.
• Protection of key parcels in the last remaining large undeveloped areas of town –
Broad Brook and Beaver Brook Watersheds, Marble Brook Watershed, Saw Mill
Hills, Mineral Hills, and the Meadows
Saves resources that would otherwise be threatened
The hilltop parcel will likely be developed into two lots if not protected by the
City. The views offered from the site and the feeling of being in the middle of
the woods, while in fact just minutes from Leeds, would likely make them quite
desirable and marketable. We have had several developments like this over the
past decade, and all have proven to be a serious detriment to surrounding
protected areas, as well as to views into those areas.
Receives endorsement by community groups, municipal boards and/or departments
The application is presented by the Conservation Commission and Office of
Planning and Sustainability. This acquisition is the Commission’s top open space
priority at this point. The project is just recently outside the Executive Session
stage, so additional support letters will be provided as they are received. It has
been on the City’s wish list for many years.
Leverages additional public and/or private funds, or demonstrates that other funding
sources are not readily available or sufficient
The total project cost is $164,500. We are requesting $72,000 from the
Community Preservation Act, and applying for $96,000 in funds from the state
Local Acquisition for Natural Diversity program. All staff time to oversee the
project is donated.
Can be implemented expeditiously and within budget
We are planning on an early 2017 closing but need funding commitment now to
strengthen our state LAND grant application.
The Project also meets several of the Open Space Evaluation Criteria:
Permanently protect important, unique or threatened plants, animals, habitat or
corridors, including areas that are of significance for biodiversity
Preserve valuable surface water resources, including rivers, streams, lakes, ponds,
wetlands, buffer zones, vernal pools and riparian zones
The Saw Mill Hills Conservation Area/Robert’s Hill lies outside of any estimated
rare species habitat, but it does play an important role for wildlife —especially for
forest dependent species. Its value is enhanced by its location next to several
hundred acres of City-owned watershed land and nearly a thousand acres of
conservation land to the south in the Saw Mill Hills. The project falls within
Saw Mill Hills to Waters Edge Open Space Acquisition 5
water supply protection zones and abuts a reservoir, making it extremely
valuable for water supply purposes.
Provide opportunities for passive recreation and environmental education
Both parcels contain tremendous opportunity for recreation, including hiking, and
in the future, fishing, and non-motorized boating.
Preserve large strategic tracts of undeveloped land and parcels adjacent to existing
permanently protected open space
The project is completely surrounded by existing protected land.
Promote the creative use of former railway, waterways and other corridors, including
connecting corridors, to create safe and healthful non-motorized transportation and
exercise opportunities
Community Need/Protections/Project Feasibility and Success
The project will protect sensitive ecological resources, land for passive recreation, and
invaluable historic landscapes. All of these resources are identified as priorities in the
Open Space and Recreation Plan.
A permanent conservation restriction will be placed on the property once acquired.
The project will require minimal maintenance by City staff, including inspection of signs.
Any trail development beyond the existing network or more intensive maintenance will
be done by volunteers.
Saw Mill Hills to Waters Edge Open Space Acquisition 6
Project Budget:
A state LAND grant will be applied for in spring/summer 2016, and we are hopeful that
the application will be successful – the multitude of opportunities offered by the project
and its proximity to Roberts Hill should make it very competitive, and an announcement
expected in late fall. If a LAND grant is not received, we will likely return in a
subsequent funding round with an additional request, and we will also be applying for
small foundation grants that are more competitive.
PROJECTED COSTS
Land Acquisition Cost $ 150,000
Soft Costs: Survey, baseline, title search, legal, etc $ 5,000
Stewardship and Conservation Restriction $ 13,000
TOTAL EXPENSES $170,000
Staff time: project management and oversight (donated) $ 2,000
SOURCES
Northampton CPA request (acquisition and soft costs) $ 72,000
LAND Grant $ 96,000
TOTAL SOURCES $170,000
Staff time (donated) $ 2,000
Project Timeline:
Soft Costs, grantwriting: Winter 2015 to Spring 2016
Closing: Spring 2016
ATTACHMENTS:
‘Rediscovering Northampton’ excerpts
Maps
68
Conservation Parcel 8: Roberts Hill Conservation Area
When I first inventoried
Roberts Hill in 1993, it
was one of the largest
conservation areas in
Northampton, and its
104 acres represented about 13% of the City’s total conser-
vation holdings. Today, twenty-odd years later, the City
conservation portfolio has grown so much that Roberts Hill
now accounts for only 4% of the total. And what’s more,
rather than being the sole representative of the Sawmill
Hills, it is now one of nearly twenty parcels that have been
protected within this large block of land.
Those changes in its acreage ranking, however, don’t di-
minish the value of the Roberts Hill as a conservation area.
If anything, its value—especially to local residents—has
probably increased during the last twenty years as more
people have “discovered” this local natural area.
More visitors is just one of the important
changes that have taken place at Roberts Hill. In
terms of stewardship and maintenance, over the
last twenty years the dam at Howard’s Ice Pond
was repaired, and the Leeds Civic Association
continued hosting annual clean-ups and trail
maintenance days. In additions, volunteers certi-
fied one of its vernal pools and opened the view
from lookout on the highest knob.
Although the Robert’s Hill Conservation Area
lies outside of any estimated rare species habitat,
but it does play an important role for wildlife —
especially for forest dependent species. Its value
is enhanced by its location next to several hun-
dred acres of City-owned watershed land and
nearly a thousand acres of conservation land to
the south in the Saw Mill Hills.
One of the city’s first conservation areas, Roberts Hill boasts
an elaborate trail network, access to the Mill River, an historic
ice pond, a variety of habitats and this impressive view.
69
In terms of the ecology of Roberts
Hill, one of the biggest positive
changes has been demise of the
gypsy moth. After nearly seven
decades of gypsy moth outbreaks,
the conservation area’s oak-
dominated forests are no longer
threatened by this non-native pest,
which has fallen victim to another
non-native pathogen, in this case a
fungus that kills only gypsy moth
caterpillars. Sometime during the
1990s the fungus spread into the
Connecticut River Valley and al-
most immediately, it almost wiped
out the gypsy moth population.
Today, the fungus keeps the gypsy
moth’s population at low numbers—at Roberts Hill and everywhere else in our region.
Although not quite a positive, an-
other piece of good news is that—
relative to many other conserva-
tion areas—invasive, non-native
plants are only a minor issue at
Roberts Hill. At this point, they
are entirely absent from the con-
servation area’s interior and where
they do occur, they are in low
numbers. So far, invasive plants
have been found in just four
places, all of which were altered in
the past. The two “worst” inva-
sions are along Dimock Street:
along the trail/sewer line, you can
In 2014, thanks to the work of Leeds resident Dave Litterer, visitors to Roberts
Hill will find it much easier to find their way on the trails. In collaboration with
the Leeds Civic Association, Litterer blazed and color-coded the property’s
trails, GPS’d their locations and created this trails map, which is available at
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Roberts-Hill-Map-
Color.pdf. This is a welcome change as the trail network was previously re-
markably confusing!
Named in honor of Robert Lyman, the name Roberts Hill is now limited to this
single knob, but in the early 1800s, all of what we now call the Sawmill Hills
was known on the map as Roberts Hills. Lyman was one of Northampton’s ear-
liest settlers, a perpetual wanderer and hunter and the one who found the depos-
its that would become the lead mines in Southampton. The elevation contours on
this image reveal how steep much of this conservation area is; at its highest
point, it measures 581 feet above sea level.
70
find privet, multiflora rose, Japanese barberry, Mor-
row’s honeysuckle, and catalpa and up the street, near
an old foundation, you can find Norway maple, garlic
mustard, winged euonymus, Japanese and Asiatic bitter-
sweet. The other two spots with invasive plants are
along the edge of the old ice pond, where a few glossy
buckthorn and Asiatic bittersweet have seeded in, and
along the edge of the Mill River, where both bittersweet
and Catalpa occur.
The last big change at Roberts Hill is a negative. This
conservation area, like everywhere else in Northamp-
ton, has become invaded by hemlock woolly adelgids.
What were healthy hemlock stands in 1993 are now thin
and dying.
Vegetation Patterns
Although the hemlocks are dying, they are still alive
and the habitat patterns that were described in 1993 at
Roberts Hill are still, in the absence of fire, logging, or
major wind storms, by and large the same. In the up-
lands, the drier, rockier sites are still dominated by
chestnut oak, while the lower, moister slopes are cov-
ered with a mix of oaks (red, white, black and even
some scarlet), white pine, hemlock and other hard-
woods (e.g. red maple, hickory, black birch, sassafras,
ash, tulip tree). The stands of white pine that colonized
the former pastures are still healthy, and the hemlocks
still cover the steep, rockier hillsides and the wetter hol-
lows and ravines.
Roberts Hill is underlain by thick-bedded gneisses and
mica schists. This is the view from the lookout, which
takes in the hills in Williamsburg.
Ecologists predict that all of the hemlock trees in our
area will die out within the next few decades, primar-
ily because of hemlock woolly adelgid. This grove on
Roberts Hill will probably be replaced by birch and
other hardwoods, but how the loss of such a major
species will affect our region’s ecology is uncertain.
71
In the 1950s, Roberts Hill was mostly forested, but cut by two powerlines and sewerline. The scar from the road that once con-
nected Water Street to Chesterfield Road is clearly visible along the slope, and there are two good sized areas of open pasture,
one to the north of the east-west powerline and the other on the flat land near Howard’s Ice Pond. The Howard family lived in
the house on the corner of Dimock and Chesterfield Roads. Fred Howard was working in the button mill when the 1874 flood
struck and his letters to his brother describing the flood were found in the attic decades later. They have been used by historians
ever since.
72
Vegetation Patterns on Roberts Hill
1: Oak-dominated forest, with an abundance of mountain laurel and witch hazel in the understory. Red maple, black birch,
white pine, hemlock and scattered sassafras. On highest, driest areas grow low blueberry, huckleberry, bracken and cowwheat.
In areas with deeper soils, Canada mayflower, partridgeberry, wintergreen, and wild sarsaparilla. Near the southern powerline,
the lower flanks of the hill were cleared pasture.
2: Logged in 1987, this slope includes a mix of hemlock, oak, black birch and scattered shagbark hickory.
3: A former pasture, this area has grown into mostly white pine, with a scattering of oaks, their branching architecture proof that
they grew in an open field. A road connecting Chesterfield Road to Water Street in Leeds once cut through here.
4: Moister, more gradual slope dominated by a mix of hemlock and pine, with hardwoods and an abundance of mountain laurel.
5: Steep slope of mixed hardwoods, hemlock and pine
6: Former house site and a richer slope that includes sugar maple, a very large butternut, and a few big tulip trees. Several inva-
sive plants (garlic mustard, Norway maple, winged euonymus, etc.) occur here as well.
W1: “Muck hole”
W2: Howard’s Ice Pond, note the large tulip tree nearby as well some invasives
W3: Swamp forest, dominated by hemlock and red maple
W4: Certified vernal pool in small, historic quarry
W5: Low swale and potential vernal pool
Sewerline/water line easement: This dates back to the 1870s. Portions along the path have several invasive plants. The vegeta-
tion along the stream side is richer and more fertile than elsewhere in the conservation area.
Powerline easements: Although historically open and altered, the powerline ROWs do not support any invasive plants. They
are now a mix of hardwoods and along the north-south ROW, there is an abundance of mountain laurel.
73
(A) A view of the lower pond that is used in the winter for skating. In the foreground, the top of a sewer manhole cover is visi-
ble at the edge of the leaves. (B) White spermatophores—or packets of sperm—left by male spotted salamanders on the bottom
of the pond, which is also used by spring peepers, wood frogs, gray tree frogs, green frogs, pickerel frogs and red-spotted newts.
(C) A view of a typical patch of woods at Roberts Hill includes a mix of oak, pine, hemlock, and a variety of hardwoods above
a thicket of mountain laurel. (D) Jumbles of rock and rock outcrops are common at Roberts Hill.
(E) The stream that flows out of the former ice pond. (F) About 25 acres of pine and 25 acres of hemlock cover Roberts Hill.
(G) American chestnut was once a prominent component in the canopy at Roberts Hill and many young saplings can still be
found here.
B A
C D
F E G
74
The stone footings of the old and now long abandoned road that used
to run between Water Street in Leeds and Chesterfield Road can still
be found along the little brook that feeds the ice pond. The wooden
logs across it are (obviously) new.
The vegetation below shady pine and hemlock is almost non-existent. In fact, in many areas of the conservation area, the domi-
nant ground cover is nothing but dry oak leaves!
The acidic soils at Roberts Hill support a limited num-
ber of species. One of the most common and easy to
identify is American wintergreen, sometimes called
teaberry.
68
Conservation Parcel 8: Roberts Hill Conservation Area
When I first inventoried
Roberts Hill in 1993, it
was one of the largest
conservation areas in
Northampton, and its
104 acres represented about 13% of the City’s total conser-
vation holdings. Today, twenty-odd years later, the City
conservation portfolio has grown so much that Roberts Hill
now accounts for only 4% of the total. And what’s more,
rather than being the sole representative of the Sawmill
Hills, it is now one of nearly twenty parcels that have been
protected within this large block of land.
Those changes in its acreage ranking, however, don’t di-
minish the value of the Roberts Hill as a conservation area.
If anything, its value—especially to local residents—has
probably increased during the last twenty years as more
people have “discovered” this local natural area.
More visitors is just one of the important
changes that have taken place at Roberts Hill. In
terms of stewardship and maintenance, over the
last twenty years the dam at Howard’s Ice Pond
was repaired, and the Leeds Civic Association
continued hosting annual clean-ups and trail
maintenance days. In additions, volunteers certi-
fied one of its vernal pools and opened the view
from lookout on the highest knob.
Although the Robert’s Hill Conservation Area
lies outside of any estimated rare species habitat,
but it does play an important role for wildlife —
especially for forest dependent species. Its value
is enhanced by its location next to several hun-
dred acres of City-owned watershed land and
nearly a thousand acres of conservation land to
the south in the Saw Mill Hills.
One of the city’s first conservation areas, Roberts Hill boasts
an elaborate trail network, access to the Mill River, an historic
ice pond, a variety of habitats and this impressive view.
69
In terms of the ecology of Roberts
Hill, one of the biggest positive
changes has been demise of the
gypsy moth. After nearly seven
decades of gypsy moth outbreaks,
the conservation area’s oak-
dominated forests are no longer
threatened by this non-native pest,
which has fallen victim to another
non-native pathogen, in this case a
fungus that kills only gypsy moth
caterpillars. Sometime during the
1990s the fungus spread into the
Connecticut River Valley and al-
most immediately, it almost wiped
out the gypsy moth population.
Today, the fungus keeps the gypsy
moth’s population at low numbers—at Roberts Hill and everywhere else in our region.
Although not quite a positive, an-
other piece of good news is that—
relative to many other conserva-
tion areas—invasive, non-native
plants are only a minor issue at
Roberts Hill. At this point, they
are entirely absent from the con-
servation area’s interior and where
they do occur, they are in low
numbers. So far, invasive plants
have been found in just four
places, all of which were altered in
the past. The two “worst” inva-
sions are along Dimock Street:
along the trail/sewer line, you can
In 2014, thanks to the work of Leeds resident Dave Litterer, visitors to Roberts
Hill will find it much easier to find their way on the trails. In collaboration with
the Leeds Civic Association, Litterer blazed and color-coded the property’s
trails, GPS’d their locations and created this trails map, which is available at
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Roberts-Hill-Map-
Color.pdf. This is a welcome change as the trail network was previously re-
markably confusing!
Named in honor of Robert Lyman, the name Roberts Hill is now limited to this
single knob, but in the early 1800s, all of what we now call the Sawmill Hills
was known on the map as Roberts Hills. Lyman was one of Northampton’s ear-
liest settlers, a perpetual wanderer and hunter and the one who found the depos-
its that would become the lead mines in Southampton. The elevation contours on
this image reveal how steep much of this conservation area is; at its highest
point, it measures 581 feet above sea level.
70
find privet, multiflora rose, Japanese barberry, Mor-
row’s honeysuckle, and catalpa and up the street, near
an old foundation, you can find Norway maple, garlic
mustard, winged euonymus, Japanese and Asiatic bitter-
sweet. The other two spots with invasive plants are
along the edge of the old ice pond, where a few glossy
buckthorn and Asiatic bittersweet have seeded in, and
along the edge of the Mill River, where both bittersweet
and Catalpa occur.
The last big change at Roberts Hill is a negative. This
conservation area, like everywhere else in Northamp-
ton, has become invaded by hemlock woolly adelgids.
What were healthy hemlock stands in 1993 are now thin
and dying.
Vegetation Patterns
Although the hemlocks are dying, they are still alive
and the habitat patterns that were described in 1993 at
Roberts Hill are still, in the absence of fire, logging, or
major wind storms, by and large the same. In the up-
lands, the drier, rockier sites are still dominated by
chestnut oak, while the lower, moister slopes are cov-
ered with a mix of oaks (red, white, black and even
some scarlet), white pine, hemlock and other hard-
woods (e.g. red maple, hickory, black birch, sassafras,
ash, tulip tree). The stands of white pine that colonized
the former pastures are still healthy, and the hemlocks
still cover the steep, rockier hillsides and the wetter hol-
lows and ravines.
Roberts Hill is underlain by thick-bedded gneisses and
mica schists. This is the view from the lookout, which
takes in the hills in Williamsburg.
Ecologists predict that all of the hemlock trees in our
area will die out within the next few decades, primar-
ily because of hemlock woolly adelgid. This grove on
Roberts Hill will probably be replaced by birch and
other hardwoods, but how the loss of such a major
species will affect our region’s ecology is uncertain.
71
In the 1950s, Roberts Hill was mostly forested, but cut by two powerlines and sewerline. The scar from the road that once con-
nected Water Street to Chesterfield Road is clearly visible along the slope, and there are two good sized areas of open pasture,
one to the north of the east-west powerline and the other on the flat land near Howard’s Ice Pond. The Howard family lived in
the house on the corner of Dimock and Chesterfield Roads. Fred Howard was working in the button mill when the 1874 flood
struck and his letters to his brother describing the flood were found in the attic decades later. They have been used by historians
ever since.
72
Vegetation Patterns on Roberts Hill
1: Oak-dominated forest, with an abundance of mountain laurel and witch hazel in the understory. Red maple, black birch,
white pine, hemlock and scattered sassafras. On highest, driest areas grow low blueberry, huckleberry, bracken and cowwheat.
In areas with deeper soils, Canada mayflower, partridgeberry, wintergreen, and wild sarsaparilla. Near the southern powerline,
the lower flanks of the hill were cleared pasture.
2: Logged in 1987, this slope includes a mix of hemlock, oak, black birch and scattered shagbark hickory.
3: A former pasture, this area has grown into mostly white pine, with a scattering of oaks, their branching architecture proof that
they grew in an open field. A road connecting Chesterfield Road to Water Street in Leeds once cut through here.
4: Moister, more gradual slope dominated by a mix of hemlock and pine, with hardwoods and an abundance of mountain laurel.
5: Steep slope of mixed hardwoods, hemlock and pine
6: Former house site and a richer slope that includes sugar maple, a very large butternut, and a few big tulip trees. Several inva-
sive plants (garlic mustard, Norway maple, winged euonymus, etc.) occur here as well.
W1: “Muck hole”
W2: Howard’s Ice Pond, note the large tulip tree nearby as well some invasives
W3: Swamp forest, dominated by hemlock and red maple
W4: Certified vernal pool in small, historic quarry
W5: Low swale and potential vernal pool
Sewerline/water line easement: This dates back to the 1870s. Portions along the path have several invasive plants. The vegeta-
tion along the stream side is richer and more fertile than elsewhere in the conservation area.
Powerline easements: Although historically open and altered, the powerline ROWs do not support any invasive plants. They
are now a mix of hardwoods and along the north-south ROW, there is an abundance of mountain laurel.
73
(A) A view of the lower pond that is used in the winter for skating. In the foreground, the top of a sewer manhole cover is visi-
ble at the edge of the leaves. (B) White spermatophores—or packets of sperm—left by male spotted salamanders on the bottom
of the pond, which is also used by spring peepers, wood frogs, gray tree frogs, green frogs, pickerel frogs and red-spotted newts.
(C) A view of a typical patch of woods at Roberts Hill includes a mix of oak, pine, hemlock, and a variety of hardwoods above
a thicket of mountain laurel. (D) Jumbles of rock and rock outcrops are common at Roberts Hill.
(E) The stream that flows out of the former ice pond. (F) About 25 acres of pine and 25 acres of hemlock cover Roberts Hill.
(G) American chestnut was once a prominent component in the canopy at Roberts Hill and many young saplings can still be
found here.
B A
C D
F E G
74
The stone footings of the old and now long abandoned road that used
to run between Water Street in Leeds and Chesterfield Road can still
be found along the little brook that feeds the ice pond. The wooden
logs across it are (obviously) new.
The vegetation below shady pine and hemlock is almost non-existent. In fact, in many areas of the conservation area, the domi-
nant ground cover is nothing but dry oak leaves!
The acidic soils at Roberts Hill support a limited num-
ber of species. One of the most common and easy to
identify is American wintergreen, sometimes called
teaberry.
75
Recommendations
Improve the trail to Chesterfield Road and potentially extend a new trail to the bed of the former
Roberts Meadow Brook (on DPW land).
Create better, off-road parking along Dimock Street
Evaluate whether the “muckhole” and the small depression along the former electric line are
functioning as vernal pools and can be certified.
Control invasive plants along the trail off Dimock Street, at the old foundations along Dimock
Street and at Howard’s
Ice Pond. None of these
areas is heavily in-
fested—yet. Japanese
knotweed and catalpa
should be monitored
along the Mill River.
Acquire the private par-
cels on either side of the
access trail that begins
on Reservoir Road; this
would prevent it from
being fragmented by
development.
The best parking for Roberts Hill is near Musante Beach on Reservoir Road. From there the trail climbs a steep hill of hemlock
and then levels off, with the path passing through a thicket of mountain laurel and oak. This is the simplest way to reach the
look-out.
Sources
City of Northampton. Public File Cabinet for the Sawmill Hills. Various documents.
http://city.northampton.ma.us:8080/weblink8/Browse.aspx?startid=4&dbid=0
Daily Hampshire Gazette & Northampton Courier, various dates.
Eiseman, Charles. Baseline Documentation for the Sawmill Hills Trust.
http://city.northampton.ma.us:8080/weblink8/0/doc/490928/Electronic.aspx
Parsons, James. 1996. Images of Northampton. Arcadia Publishers.
Sheffield, Charles. 1898. History of Florence.
Special thanks to Andy Kuether for GIS assistance, Tom Gagnon for comments on bird life, Barbara
Pelissier for historical research, and to Fred Morrison and Leah Sanders for editing suggestions and cor-
rections.
Funding for this report was made possible with support from
Northampton’s Community Preservation Fund.
February 10, 2016
Northampton Community Preservation Committee
Brian Adams, Chair,
210 Main Street, Rm 11
Northampton, MA 01060
Dear Brian,
The Leeds Civic Association (LCA) strongly supports the Office of Planning and
Sustainability’s application for CPA funds to purchase the Talon property on Reservoir
Road in the Village of Leeds. We believe this new acquisition will increase accessibility
to the Robert’s Hill Conservation Area’s network of trails and will also promote use of
the extensive trail network and recreational opportunities within the nearby Saw Mill
Hills.
We encourage you to look favorably on this application, which would have immediate
benefits to residents of Leeds and users of the Robert’s Hill and Saw Mill Hills
recreation areas.
Thank you,
Susan Carbin, President
Leeds Civic Association
Saw Mill Hills Conservation Area
Northampton Water Supply
Northampton Water Supply
David Musante Beach
Look Memorial Park
LEEDS SCHOOL
Northampton Water Supply LEEDS SCHOOL
Northampton Water Supply
Mill River Greenway
Norwottuck Rail Trail
Roberts Meadow Conservation Area
240Mill River Greenway
Norwottuck Rail Trail
Sawmill Hills Conservation Area
Mill River Greenway
Norwottuck Rail Trail
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FAIRWAY VLG
USGS, MassGISECoordinate System: NAD 1983 StatePlane Massachusetts Mainland FIPS 2001Projection: Lambert Conformal ConicDatum: North American 1983False Easting: 200,000.0000False Northing: 750,000.0000Central Meridian: -71.5000Standard Parallel 1: 41.7167Standard Parallel 2: 42.6833Latitude Of Origin: 41.0000Units: Meter
Document Name: Talon_Trust_20160208Document Path: N:\GIS_Projects\Projects\Public\MXD\Talon_Trust_20160208.mxdAuthor: GISDate Saved: 08 Feb 2016 3:59:42 PMToday's Date: 08 Feb 2016