Seeking new easements, thanks to funds from GE

SALISBURY —  A plan to purchase conservation easements in Salisbury has been funded to the tune of $557,810, thanks to money from the General Electric river cleanup lawsuit, it was announced July 28.

The project’s administrator is The Nature Conservancy, which will work with the Salisbury Association Land Trust and the Trustees of Reservations (which runs Bartholomew’s Cobble in Ashley Falls, Mass.) in approaching landowners along Salmon Creek and on the west bank of the Housatonic River from Route 44 to the state line.

The money comes out of the October 2000 Consent Decree that created a partnership between General Electric, the commonwealth of Massachusetts,  the city of Pittsfield, Mass., the state of Connecticut, the federal Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Justice and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Funds from the agreement are meant to remediate (that is, clean up) contamination, most notably from PCBs, from GE’s Pittsfield plant into the Housatonic River and surrounding areas over a more than 30-year period. But money was also set aside to repair damage to area natural resources.

Connecticut’s share is administered by the Connecticut SubCouncil of the Natural Resource Trustees.

The process of accepting and evaluating proposals began in January 2007, in three categories: Aquatic Natural Resources Restoration/Enhancement, Riparian and Floodplain Natural Resources Restoration/Enhancement, and Restoration/Enhancement of Recreational Uses of Natural Resources.

The first category involves “injured biological natural resources.†An example of an appropriate project for this category could be improving river habitats, and aiding fish stocks by removing dams that prevent spawning fish from moving upstream.

The second category includes restoring injured resources that are primarily terrestrial, and their habitats in the floodplain or riparian areas of the river.

The third category  is the most visible to the public because it involves recreational uses of the land, and includes projects such as boat ramps, kayak launches, riverside trails and parks and improved fishing access.

Jason Miner, Berkshire/Taconic program director for The Nature Conservancy, said that no landowners have yet been approached about the conservation easements.

In fact, he said he is still unsure at this point how the funds will be distributed.

But, he said, with the three groups working together, “opportunities will present themselves†for establishing the easements.

John Bottass of Weatogue Road (whose land is on the west bank of the Housatonic) recently sold some of his land to the Trustees of Reservations in a conservation-type transaction. Miner is confident other property owners will be interested.

While each deal is different, Miner said that a typical agreement between The Nature Conservancy and a landowner involves a contract ensuring that a piece of land will not be developed, and often includes a list of measures to protect the land’s ecosystems.

Along the Housatonic, for example, protecting riparian forests is a prime concern, said Miner. Such forests help prevent bank erosion and contribute to a healthy environment for fish.

Many easements include provision for public access.

“It all depends on the land and the owner,†said Miner.

To find out about other projects, go online to housatonicrestoration.org.