Area concerned about conservation, suburban sprawl

GREAT BARRINGTON — It’s clear that the Tri-State region is changing. What’s not so clear is how best to handle that change, and how to define it so the area maintains its vaunted quality of life.

A forum sponsored by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF) on Sunday evening, Oct. 21, addressed issues of regional change. By bringing together experts from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York state, the forum presented for its audience of more than 200 people an overview of common problems and opportunities shared by their neighboring rural communities.

The consensus among those presenting, from a demographer to a land conservancy expert to a financial policy analyst to an expert on immigration populations, is that the region is experiencing sprawl coming up from the New York metropolitan area, with new residents often buying second homes that can eventually become permanent residences.

But whether they are primary or secondary homeowners, the experts agreed that all need to be committed to preserving the natural environment.

Changing population patterns

According to demographer and University of New Hampshire professor of sociology Kenneth Johnson, who presented supporting data, there has been a loss of population in Berkshire County since 1990, but gains in Dutchess, Columbia and Litchfield counties. The increases in population, he pointed out, are due to migration into the counties, however, not as a result of new births.

"The population is pushing outward from the urban cores," Johnson said. "The Baby Boom generation is behaving differently from its parents in its moving patterns. They’re migrating to recreational areas like ours."

Baby Boomers value a sense of community, family, a slower pace and amenities as they evaluate where to live, he said. And the Tri-State area offers these to many who are now or soon will be facing retirement and making a decision on moving. "They want the best of both worlds: recreation and a rural environment, but not to be too far from urban centers."

There is also a migration of Hispanic populations, Johnson said, that contributes to the young population in both rural and urban areas across the country.

"They are taking jobs historically held by immigrants in the United States, from meat processing plants to lumber, restaurants and other manufacturing or service jobs."

Brooke Mead of the Berkshire Immigrant Center said there are myths perpetrated about immigrants. Most are not eligible for any government benefits, she said, so they pay more in taxes than they’ll receive in benefits.

"They come into this country much like our forefathers: searching for a better life," Mead said. The center estimates there are 11,000 to 15,000 immigrants in Berkshire County, about 10 percent of the population.

The official census, however, puts the number at closer to 5 percent. There are more Hispanic, Russian, African and other immigrants in the region than the census counted, Mead said.

"The number of immigrant school children has increased much more than the census would indicate. So we know their demographic information on Berkshire County is inaccurate."

How did these newcomers find Berkshire County? The same way many of us do, she said, looking for good schools, low rents, jobs.

"They often have very different jobs here than they did in their home countries. Usually, they came here out of a desire to live a dignified life."

David Grossman is a financial policy analyst who recently retired to Cornwall and now finds himself as busy or busier than ever.

He said there are two industries now in his area that grew up in place of the iron furnaces and the farms. They are the weekenders and home industries related to the amenity culture, such as sculpture and art.

He defined four groups in the population of the 10 towns of the Northwest Corner that are responsible for the change:

• Splitters, who split their time between New York city and the country, and who are not counted by the census;

• Unaffordables, the 20- to 45-year-olds who can’t find jobs and housing they can afford, so move outside the area, taking their children with them.

"We have to find a way to make it affordable for them," he said.

• Invisibles, the immigrants, many of whom are Latino, who represent 2.5 percent of the population of Litchfield County, and who just might replace the unaffordables.

• Potentials, who represent suburban growth pushing up from the New Milford area (though there is very little suburban commuting in the Northwest Corner now, he noted).

Conservation vs. Growth

Peter Paden, executive director of the Columbia Land Conservancy, pointed out that conservation "is not just about land: It’s about people and communities.

"Development and economic growth are important to our communities," he said. "Columbia County towns are now doing comprehensive planning. Many didn’t even have zoning a dozen years ago."

The challenge, he said, is to control land-use practice, constantly evaluating those aspects of the historical and natural environment that we want to pass on to our children. It’s a balance of maintaining natural habitats, fragile ecosystems, open space and recreational lands while accepting reasonable change.

All the panelists agreed there is a need for collaboration among regional groups and agencies. Some of those networks began to grow among panel members and audience members on Sunday.

There was also agreement that communities should extend a welcome to the new population migrating to the area, bringing money to spend and talents to share.

The forum, said BTCF Director Jennifer Dowley, celebrated BTCF’s 20th anniversary as a foundation connecting Berkshire, Columbia, Dutchess and Litchfield county nonprofit agencies with individuals who are committed to philanthropic giving.

For more information on the speakers at the forum, topics and BTCF, go to berkshiretaconic.org, or call 413-528-8039.