Trails

Post date: Jul 25, 2018 6:9:23 PM

Andrew and I have been considering approaches to having a more sustainable trail management system. Our sense is that the Conservation Commission is the best situated to take the lead, as most of our trails are on their property and wholly under their jurisdiction. We have also been in discussions with Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation about what a partnership might look like regarding summer trail crew maintenance since they have systems in place and it seems less efficient to develop a separate and potentially duplicative program of our own. For the limited number of trails that are wholly on Town land, the most logical approach would be to mirror what the Conservation Commission determines for their trails -- consistency across all of these would be preferred. We have generated the document below as a starting point for conversation.

Conservation Commission met on Thursday July 26 and discussed the idea of a Town Trails Committee that has been proposed by Robert Hatton and Williamstown Rural Lands and discussed by the Board of Selectmen. The following is their response as decided upon on July 26.

Dear Selectboard,

The Williamstown Conservation Commission supports the suggestion of a Trails Committee and/or appointment of a Trails Coordinator made by Robert Hatton, one of our former members. While most of the nine parcels under the care, custody, management, and control of the Commission have trails upon them there are also numerous and diverse interest groups in our community that are all concerned with management of trails. Coordination of such a group would likely include the Conservation Commission, Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, Williams Outing Club, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Town Manager, Bullock & Torrey Woods Trusts, Town DPW, Hoosic River Watershed Association, Mass DCR, Destination Williamstown, and there may be others who should be invited to participate. We suggest that the Town and Conservation Commission coordinate with these existing interest groups to strengthen the existing manner in which these various organizations manage their trails. We propose working closely with the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation to facilitate this work on behalf of the town and our community of trail users.

Williamstown Conservation Commission