Mineral Hills South Baseline-Management PlanBASELINE DOCUMENTATION REPORT
and
LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN
Propertyname:Mineral Hills South –
Fierst/Galena/Omasta, and Hannum Brook
Organization:City of Northampton
Interest held: Fee
Date acquired:February 26, 2017, June 28, 2017, February 14, 2018, June 20, 2019, and on January 17, 2020
Registry:Hampshire
Book/page: Book 12546, Page 165, book 12666 page 41, Book 12880, page 44, Book 13295 Page 325, 13517 page 128
Date of report: May, 2020
Property Westhampton and Glendale Roads, Northampton
location:
Size:130 acres
Other interest holders: CR to be held by the Kestrel Land Trust
Contents
Section I: Propertyinformation
Property description
Landscape Partnership program rules & legal protection
Contact information
Land Management Plan
Section II: Maps
Resource map
Monitoring map
Section III: Site visit report
General information
Current property conditions
Boundary conditions
Section IV: Photographs
Photo location maps
List of photographs
Photographs
Section V: Amendments
Section VI: Signatures
Section I:
Property Information
Property description
TheMineral Hills Greenway South – Fierst/Galena/Omasta section located off Westhampton and West Farms Roads, Assessors’ map/lots41-020, 41-019 and 41-078, isowned by /-subject to a
Conservation Restriction held by / subject to an Agricultural Preservation Restriction held by / subject to a Watershed Preservation Restriction held by the City of Northampton, for
permanent land conservation and the following purposes:
forestry
passive public recreation
wildlife habitat protection
preservation of vistas
protection of ground and surface waters
The deeds were recorded on February 26, 2017, in Book 12546, Page 165, June 28, 2017, in book 12666 page 41, February 14, 2018 in Book 12880, page 44, on June 20, 2019 in Book 13295
Page 325, and on January 17, 2020 in Book 13517 page 128 in the HampshireRegistry of Deeds.
Contact Information
Provide contact information for property monitor or manager, landowner (if CR), and any other people or organizationsinvolved in the property.
Name
(organization)
Title (eg. property monitor)
Mailing address
Phone
City of Northampton, Office of Planning and Sustainability, Conservation Commission
Property Owner
City Hall, 210 Main Street
Northampton MA 01060
413-587-1265
The Kestrel Land Trust
Conservation Restriction Holder
PO Box 1016
Amherst MA, 01004
413-549-1097
I.4. Land Management Plan
If the interest held is a Conservation Restriction (CR),Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR), or Watershed Preservation Restriction (WPR), use the CR/APR/WPR document to help
you fill out the Management Plan section below.
Purpose:
To assure that the Premises will be maintained in perpetuity for conservation purposes, in a natural, scenic and undeveloped condition, to prevent any use or change that would materially
impair or interfere with its conservation and preservation values, and to permit limited uses including passive outdoor recreation and education, forestry management, and trails
The property does does not allow public access. If public access is allowed, only passive uses and activities are permitted.
Permitted publicrecreational activities:
Note: These should be posted at the property entrance(s).
walking, hiking camping
Nordic skiing, snowshoeing hunting
horseback riding fishing
bicycle riding on designated trails gardening/agriculture
picknicking swimming (natural waterbody)
non-motorized watercraft
All passive recreational and conservation purposes
Prohibited public activities:
Note: These should be posted at the property entrance(s).
motorized vehicles
fires swimming
horseback riding gardening/agriculture
bicycle riding off designated trails alcohol
hunting entry after dark
fishingcollection of plants/animals/soil/rocks
The above list pertains only to the activities and uses of the general public. Activities which the public may not undertake on the property may be permitted of the fee owner or managers,
in furtherance of specific land management objectives. Refer to the “Stewardship plans” section below and the Conservation Restriction document for more details on land management.
Additional comments on publicrecreational use of this property:
Allowed uses may be changed following a public hearing held by the Conservation Commission regarding its land use regulations
Structures:
Structures are not permitted on fee-owned properties, except those that contribute those the purposes for which it was acquired, and do not significantly detract from the conservation
value.
Structure
Description
Intended use
None present at the time of preparation of this document
Known stewardship issues:
Limited ATV use, some yard encroachment where property abuts residences. Historic Galena mine remnants on property
Stewardship plans:
Entity responsible for management: Northampton Conservation Commission
Plans for managing known stewardship issues:
Increased signage of property, boundary marking, communication with abutters, refreshing of corner pins and markers, removal of historic debris, ongoing trail maintenance.
Plans for regular management:
Annual boundary walking and site inspection
Active forest or agricultural management plans:
Harvesting of sawtimber or other forest management should be conducted only in consultation with a licensed forester and in adherence with a Forest Management Plan approved by the Massachusetts
Department of Conservation and Recreation for long-term objectives.
All forestry must be conducted in accordance with the terms of the Conservation Restriction
Section II:
Maps
II.1. Resource map
II.2. Monitoring map
Please refer to attachments
Section III:
Site visit report
III.1. General information
Date of inspection:October 18, 2019, November 27, 2019, May 28, 2020
Time spent on property:12 hours
People present:
Name:
Affiliation:
Tom Annese
City of Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability
III.2. Current property conditions
Note: This section may summarize some provisions of the CR/APR/WPR or Management Plan. This is not intended to replace them.
A. Conditions of the property relevant to the purpose of this project:
Project purpose
Condition
Photo
Habitat Connectivity, Ecosystem Integrity, and Biodiversity
The Premises offers 130± acres of forestland and wetland, suitable for a wide variety of species including those inhabiting the following habitat types as defined by the Massachusetts
Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program: White Pine-Oak, Oak-Hemlock-White Pine, Hemlock Swamp, Shrub Swamp, High Energy Riverbank Community, Hemlock Forest, Forest Seep Community,
Acidic Graminoid Fen-Spillway Fen, and Oak-Tulip Tree Forest, among other types that may be present.
Hannum 21, 35, 36
Galena 91
Water Quality and Riparian Corridor Protection
The Premises includes 0.6± miles of headwaters tributaries of Hannum Brook and the North Branch of the Manhan River, both of which drain into the Manhan River, thence to the Connecticut
River and Long Island Sound. Conserving the natural, forested banks of these tributaries furthers the protection of water quality downstream
Public Access
The Premises supports and furthers public access for non-motorized recreational activities including hiking, mountain biking, dog walking, nature observation and education, cross-country
skiing and snowshoeing, and fishing. The Premises already includes a parking area and network of trails linking neighborhoods and adjacent protected open spaces, with opportunity for
additional public access for recreation. Hannum Brook is shaded by large trees, provides excellent fish habitat and will be a valued addition to public open space by local anglers.
Hannum 23, 30
Galena 87
Cultural History
The Premises contains the last known remnants of a lead mine within Northampton, including visible mine pits and tailings piles, where galena was extracted beginning in the late 1600’s
and continuing through the mid 1800’s.
B. Conditions of the property relevant to permitted and prohibited uses/activities:
Activity
Condition
Photo
Permitted
Hiking
The Premises already includes a trail and woods road network
Hannum 23, 30, 63
Galena 108, 111, 119, 122
Prohibited
Dumping
Property must be monitored for dumping along residential property boundaries
Hannum 12, 60
ATV Use
Sporadic, not a serious issue at time of baseline report
Galena 106
C. Additional remarks regarding the present condition of the property:
Some invasive species present
III.3. Boundary conditionsDo the boundaries on the ground clearly correlate to the legal description found in the CR/APR/WPR document or property deed (i.e. can you follow the boundary
after reading the description)? If not, how did you locate the property boundary?
Yes, please see photo sheets for documentation of boundaries (If CR/APR/WPR):Are portions of the property that are excluded from the Restriction marked or otherwise evident on the ground?
N/ADescribe the condition of the boundary markings at all other points (i.e. stone wall, flagged, signed, unmarked):
Stone Walls and Flagging. Pins immediately adjacent to residential properties in the southwestern corners of Hannum Brook have needed to be reset and should be checked frequently.Describe
the use of abutting properties, focusing on uses close to the boundary line:
Fierst/Galena property is bounded to the south by Route 66 and to the west and southeast by residential lots. On the northeast is the Omastasection, which is also subject to the conservation
restriction. Other boundary parcels are unprotected woodland at the time of the baseline and management plan. The Hannum Brook sections are bounded on the east by residential properties,
including Habitat for Humanity lots developed in conjunction with the parcel’s protection, on the south and southwest by undeveloped parcels, and on the west by another segment of the
Greenway that is not subject to the Conservation Restriction.Other comments on boundaries:
Section IV:
Photographs
IV.1. Photo location map
Please see Attached
The photo location map shows the location from which documentary photographs were taken.
Include:
Property boundary (and CR/APR/WPR boundary if applicable).
Photopoints(location from which photos were taken). Each point should be placed as accurately as possible. Mark each point with:
An arrow showing the direction the photo was facing
A label (A,B,C or 1,2,3 etc.) so that the description can be looked up
in the list of photos
IV.2. List of documentary photographs
Photographer(s):Thomas Annese
Please refer to photograph captions in attachments for details
Section V:
Amendments
V. 1. How to amend this document
This property is permanently protected as open space. It is difficult to anticipate all potential changes to the property that may occur, due to natural events, that may make it more
or less appropriate for specific activities or uses. It is also difficult to know in the present the specific passive recreational uses future visitors to the site may want. For these
reasons, it may become necessary in the future for portions of the Land Management Plan to be revised. Property acquired with Landscape Partnership grant funding may not be used for
active recreation(such as but not limited to athletics fields, manmade swimming pools, playgrounds, and off-highway vehicle use, except snowmobiles).
The following sections of this document may be revised: I.4. Contact informationI.5. Land Management Plan sections:Permitted uses/activitiesProhibited uses/activitiesStructuresStewardship
plansActive management plans
Any changes to these sections must still adhere to the Landscape Partnership grant program rules, Project Agreement, Article 97 requirements, and any other pertinent regulations. All
changes must adhere to the terms of the Conservation Restriction, Agricultural Preservation Restriction, or Watershed Preservation Restriction, if applicable.
Procedure for amending this document:
Majority vote of the Northampton Conservation Commission at a duly posted public meeting
Section VI:
Signatures
I certify that the above Baseline Documentation Report and Land Management Plan is accurate and complete.
I understand that this property is permanently protected open space under Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution. I understand that the property may not be sold, subdivided, altered,
or used for any other purposes, except by all of the following: approval of the Conservation Commission (if interest held by the municipality); approval of the municipality by town meeting/city
council vote; vote of approval by both houses of the Massachusetts State Legislature; approval by the Governor of Massachusetts; mitigation by replacement with an unprotected property
of equal or greater size, value at the time of disposition, ecological value and value for the purposes for which it was acquired, subject to approval by the Secretary of Energy and
Environmental Affairs. Any change in use must also adhere to all relevant environmental laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Massachusetts Environmental Protection
Act and Endangered Species Protection Act, the Wetlands Protection Act, the Rivers Protection Act, and Global Warming Solutions Act. _______________________________________________________Sarah
LaValleyPreparerPrint name______________________________________Date: June 15, 2020