Sawmill Hills 1
The Natural History
of the
Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex
Prepared by Laurie Sanders, M.S.
January 2015
1
Table of Contents
Page
Overview of Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex 1
Recreation Value 3
Aesthetic Value 4
Ecological Value 5
Wildlife Value 7
Vernal Pool and Rare Species Habitat 8
UMASS CAPS 9
Coldwater Fisheries 10
Public Water Supplies 10
Glacial & Surficial Geology 11
History 12
Major Vegetation Patterns 18
Conservation Parcel 1: Turkey Hill/Ryan Road/Sylvester Road 21
Conservation Parcel 2: Formerly West & McGowan 28
Conservation Parcel 3: Formerly Symanski 30
Conservation Parcel 4: Formerly Reutener 36
Conservation Parcel 5: Sawmill Hills Conservation Area (multiple acquisitions) 42
Conservation Parcel 6: “Jeep Eater” Trail 54
Conservation Parcel 7: Formerly Spring Meadow Subdivision 59
Conservation Parcel 8: Roberts Hill Conservation Area 68
Sources & Acknowledgements 76
1
An Overview of the Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex
The Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex encompasses roughly 2,200 acres and extends north-
south from Roberts Hill to Ryan Road and east-west from Spring Street to Sylvester Road. It is
one of the City’s largest road-less areas, a status due largely to its rough and rugged terrain,
which includes cliffs, countless rock outcrops, steep slopes, and thin, acidic soils. These physical
conditions have hindered most activities, except, as its local place name reveals, logging. In fact,
with the exception of two new homes and the now abandoned telephone and telegraph line, all of
the other development that has taken place during the last 360 years is located around the base of
the hills where glacial deposits—either thicker tills or sandy outwash sediments—have made it
much easier to build homes, dig wells or mine gravel.
When the surrounding homes and a few hundred acres on the north side of Chesterfield Road are excluded (dashed outline), the
remaining interior core of the Sawmill Hills forms one of the largest remaining road-less areas in Northampton, spanning 2 ½
miles north to south and 2 miles east to west. And all of it is within a 15-minute drive from downtown Northampton.
2
In addition to being a large, undeveloped
parcel, the Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Com-
plex stands out for several other reasons. The
area boasts an elaborate network of trails,
supports nearly twenty different kinds of
natural communities, and offers spectacular
views. It also plays an important role in pro-
viding and safeguarding the City’s drinking
water supplies, with public wells near Spring
Street and watershed land along Chesterfield
Road.
What’s also extraordinary about this large
block of land is that more than 40% has been
protected by the City, much of it since 1995.
Currently some 235 acres are protected as
watershed land (27 acres near the Spring
Street wells and 208 acres within the Roberts
Meadow Reservoir holdings) and another
696 acres have been set aside for conservation purposes.
And here’s a final category where this property distinguishes itself. From a management and
stewardship perspective, these 2,200 acres are in superior condition: the trail network is exten-
sive and mostly in very good shape, trash or dumping problems are virtually non-existent and
most notable of all, much of this landscape is entirely free of invasive plant species. The only
places where non-native plants do occur are in predictable locations: along the roadside edges, in
areas of historic disturbance and within its stream corridors and wetlands.
The remainder of this report provides short summaries of this area’s important qualities, its geol-
ogy and history, followed by more detailed descriptions of the natural history of the properties
that have been set aside as conservation land.
The parcels within the Sawmill Hills, which are outlined in
yellow, form a 50-piece jigsaw puzzle, a third of which are
protected, either as watershed land or for conservation pur-
poses. In this map, the pink is watershed land, the orange is
conservation land, and the blue parcels are recreation.
3
Recreation Value
Although unknown to many Northampton residents, the Saw Mill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex includes one of the most elabo-
rate trail networks in all of Northampton. In fact, the trails are so extensive that on a single day you could take more than a
seven mile trek: beginning on Spring Street, you could head to Sylvester Road, then cut back to Ryan Road/Avis Circle, then
loop north to the “Jeep Eater” Conservation Area, where via an informal trail through the City’s watershed land, you could
reach Chesterfield Road where you could pick up the trails that crisscross Roberts Hill. Eventually you could end up on eithe r
Water Street or Dimock Street. You’d be tired, but during your entire outing, you would have crossed only one road and you
would have passed by (or through) all of the different habitats found within this large block of land, including rocky cobbles,
vernal pools, quiet streams, swamp forests, pine knobs, sheer cliffs, sand plains, and extensive stretches of dry oak woods.
The only potentially troublesome part of this plan is that there is no complete map of the trails. This map shows only a portion
of the trails (black squiggles) that are actually there. Another problem is that, at least for now, all of the trails are unmarked, so
unless you’ve been there before, you could get turned around. The trails, however, are fairly wide and in mostly good conditi on,
with only a few places with muddy wetland crossings or eroding slopes that are in need of maintenance.
The final hurdle is that parking is limited. There are currently only a few locations and none of them are well-marked either.
4
Aesthetic Value
This property is beautiful, with up and down terrain, cascading brooks, bedrock outcrops, fairly open woodlands and impres-
sive views from the higher elevations and cliffs. It is also located in one of the quietest areas in Northampton. Quite often , the
only sounds you hear are natural ones.
5
Natural Communities in the
Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex*
1. Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop
2. Circumneutral Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop
3. Acidic Rocky Cliff
4. Sandplain Grassland (cultural)
5. Acidic Talus Forest/Woodland
6. Pitch Pine-Oak Forest
7. White Pine-Oak Forest
8. Oak-Hemlock-White Pine
9. Successional White Pine Forest
10. Hemlock Ravine
11. Mixed Oak Forest
12. Ridgetop Chestnut Oak Forest
13. Dry, Rich Acidic Oak Forest
14. Forest Seep Community
15. Red Maple Swamp
16. Black Gum Swamp
17. Shallow Emergent Marsh
18. Low Energy Riverbank
* Follows MA NHESP Classification of Natural Communities
Ecological Value
Underlain by 400 million year old gneiss, the varied topogra-
phy of the Sawmill Hills supports a mix of habitat types—a
sampling of which are profiled here and on the following page.
All told, nearly twenty different natural communities were
identified here, and although nearly all of them are common
and widespread in our region, what is noteworthy is their high
integrity, meaning that they show little to no sign of human
disturbance and few invasive species problems.
6
7
Wildlife Value
Because the Sawmill Hills form a large block of unfragmented forest and are adjacent to even larger forested areas to the wes t
and north (see above) it provides excellent habitat for those animals that depend on large, uninterrupted tracts of forest. Further-
more, because of the mix of wetland and upland habitats, thousands of different animal species depend on this area, either tran-
sitionally or permanently.
Porcupines are common in the rockier areas of the Sawmill Hills, and coyotes,
which first arrived in Massachusetts in the 1940s, now breed here too. This litter of
six pups was found in May 2014.
Rufous-sided towhees (right), a species in decline, are also common in the shrub-
bier, upland areas.
8
Vernal Pool & Rare Species Habitat
Of the 99 certified vernal pools in Northampton, 17 are found within the Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex and at least five
others—including two that do not appear on this map— are “potential vernal pools.” About half of the certified pools occur in
shallow, bedrock depressions, while the rest are located along the margins of the hills. The latter are kettleholes, which formed
when blocks of glacial ice were stranded and then buried in water-sorted glacial outwash.
In addition to having an abundance of vernal pools, some of the pools are known to support rare amphibians, including Jeffer-
son’s salamanders and marbled salamanders. The presence of these rare species is one reason why two areas within the Sawmill
Hills have been designated by MA NHESP as “vernal pool core habitat” (bright blue on map below). The other is because this
area includes two concentrated clusters of vernal pools, which from a conservation biology perspective, makes them more valu-
able than a single, large pool The nearby pools help ensure the core habitat’s long-term viability and the resiliency of its popula-
tions. How? If, for example, a drought caused all of the larval salamanders or tadpoles in one vernal pool to die, this vernal pool
would gradually be re-
colonized by the offspring and
adult creatures (salamanders,
frogs, insects, etc.) from the
other nearby ponds and would
thus continue to function as
vernal pool habitat and a
breeding site.
The Sawmill Hills also in-
cludes priority habitat (PH555)
for two other state-listed spe-
cies—oak hairstreak butterfly
and Eastern box turtle, both of
which are listed as Special
Concern. The area also is rec-
ognized as BioMap Core Habi-
tat (dark green). These ecol-
ogically valuable areas occur
on city-owned land as well as
on private property.
9
UMASS Conservation Assessment Prioritization System (CAPS)
Researchers at UMASS have developed computer software (CAPS) that analyzes the landscape and prioritizes land based on its
ecological integrity and long term sustainability. Based on this analysis, the Sawmill Hills are one of the few areas within
Northampton that rank high in terms of its ability to sustain ecosystem processes and maintain biodiversity over the long-term.
CAPS is another way of measuring this area’s value and provides support for the continued acquisition and protection of prop-
erties within this area. In this image, the colored areas are better than average based on CAPS analysis, with blue represen ting
aquatic habitats, red is shrub and grassland, and green shading is forest. White areas are below average based on CAPS.
(A) Marbled salamanders, listed as threatened species in
Massachusetts, are known to inhabit the Sawmill Hills.
(B) A remnant of a grassland/pitch pine barren, a habitat
that is estimated to have covered about 10% of the North-
ampton landscape when the English first arrived. It now
accounts for less than 1% of the City. It is a rare habitat
in the entire Connecticut River Watershed.
(C) Large Whorled Pogonia, a watch-listed orchid in
Massachusetts, occurs in low numbers on the Sawmill
Hills. This individual has a fruiting pod.
A
B
C
10
Medium Yield Aquifer, Zone II, Water Supply Protection and Wells
The Sawmill Hills are important to the City’s water supplies. In the north, watershed lands help buffer and protect the quali ty of
the Roberts Meadow Reservoir, which now functions as a back-up emergency water supply. In the east, city wells ( ), which
were installed in the early 1950s, provide drinking water to supplement Northampton’s main surface water supplies in Whately,
MA. In addition, the band of sand and gravel along Ryan Road (glacial outwash plain) and Spring Street (glacial delta) is desig-
nated as a medium yield aquifer by MA DEP; the aquifer is show in lime green. The area along Ryan Road plus the land bor-
dering Parson’s Brook is part of a Zone II.
Cold Water Fishery
The wetlands and small streams in the Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex drain into two different waterways, the Mill River
and Parson’s Brook, both of which are designated as Coldwater Fisheries. About 80% of the Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill com-
plex feeds the Mill River, with the remainder (~475 acres) feeding Parson’s Brook (and ultimately the Manhan River). By pro-
tecting upland and wetland areas in the Sawmill Hills, these fisheries interests are supported. Protecting places like this will be
increasingly important as our local climate warms and annual precipitation patterns change. Those changes will affect ground-
water supplies, as well as impact wildlife, plants and the City’s public drinking water supplies.
11
Surficial Geology
Underlain by ancient metamorphic rocks, the core of the Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex is characterized by abundant rock
outcrops (red hatching) and a thin layer of glacial till (light green). Surrounding nearly all of this unit are outwash sands and
deltaic sediments (orange), which were deposited 15,000-12,000 years ago during the era of Glacial Lake Hitchcock. Post-
glacial swamp deposits are shown in pink and more recent alluvium along the Mill River appears in yellow. Other colors in thi s
map represent drumlins (olive green) and glacial lake silts and clays (light blue). The small streams and wetlands in the Sawmill
Hills are also shown in light blue.
Glacial Lake Hitchcock
For about 3,000 years (from 15,000-12,000 years ago) the waters of Glacial Lake Hitchcock lapped up against the eastern edge
of the Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex, outlined in yellow. Had we been where Spring Street or Ryan Road are now lo-
cated, we would have been standing on the beach. It was lake shore property! White areas are above the lake level and are ei-
ther islands or uplands; roads are shown to help for orientation.
12
History
The Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex now includes more than fifty parcels, but in spite of all
that different ownership, its history is remarkably unified. Quite simply, most of this land, as its
place name indicates, was logged—and other than logging, not much else happened. In fact, the
rugged topography and shallow soils made for such poor pasture that when the land was divvied
up in the late 1600s, it was divided into long, narrow lots that were laid out specifically because
their intended use was as woodlots to meet the firewood and timber needs of individual families.
More commercial style logging began by the
1830s (and probably earlier), and by 1831,
there were two sawmills also harvesting trees
in the Sawmill Hills, one on the west side,
which was owned by the Bartletts, and another
on the east side near Pine Street/Spring Street.
According to a Gazette article (9/21/1880),
Bartlett’s Sawmill gave this range of ridges its
place name.
When the English first settled Northampton, the Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex was located within the “Long Division,”
shown on this map by a north-south running line. Initially, the land to the west of the line was held in common. But by the
1670s, the Long Division lands were sold to individual buyers. Within the Sawmill Hills, the new lots were long and skinny, a s
this 1754 map from Sheffield’s History of Florence shows (above). The properties were used for woodlots and although many
of the lots have been consolidated into single parcels, some of the original lot lines are still valid, as the current parcel data
shows.
Workers at Bartlett’s Sawmill in the 1880s. Photo copied
from Images of Northampton by James M. Parsons.
13
As the 19th century wore on, logging (and
possibly fires) in the Sawmill Hills contin-
ued intensively so that by 1880, “a large
fraction of it [was] young growth” (Daily
Hampshire Gazette). But by then, the need
for firewood had diminished. Coal had be-
gun replacing wood in Northampton since
the 1850s (Northampton Courier,
1/5/1858) and as the 20th century began,
oil and electricity were other alternatives.
As the demand for firewood waned, the
slopes in the Sawmill Hills began to grow
back.
Over the last century, some of the lower slopes were logged again, but most of the upland areas
were not. That lack of logging in the rocky uplands is partly a function of access, but even more
relevant is the size of the trees. Because the soils in the upland areas are thin and acidic, the trees
grow very slowly. Plus, in 1911, a massive fire burned 400-600 acres, destroying the new
growth. In fact, even today, most of the
trees on the ridges are so small that they
would only be used for firewood.
Aside from logging, the flanks of the
Sawmill Hills have supported a handful
of farms and there were also a few small
rock quarries here and there. In 1895 (or
so), the New England Telephone and
Telegraph Company built many more
lines in western Massachusetts, including
a new line to Westhampton across the
north end of the Sawmill Hills.
This image, taken in 1895 from the top of the original Florence
Grammar School, shows a northwest view, with Ryan Road (then
known as West Street) on the other side of the Mill River and its
mill pond. The hillsides of the Sawmill Hills are mostly cleared,
with only a scattering of pine. Based on the patches of snow, the
photo was probably taken in March or late April. Photo copied from
Images of Northampton by James M. Parsons.
14
Maps from 1856 (above) and 1895 (below) show that there were no significant changes in the interior of Sawmill Hills during
the 19th century. Rather, all of the new activity occurred around the edges, including more than two dozen new homes along
Spring Street and Ryan Road (then West Street). In 1895 Bartlett’s Sawmill still appears on the map.
15
By the time this topographic map was made in 1939, Bartlett’s Sawmill no longer appears on the map, but a new road that leads
to (and past) what is now the National Guard building had been built. In addition, the road to the ice pond/sand and gravel o p-
erations and another dirt road off West Street show up. Other than those roads, however, the interior of the Sawmill Hills a nd
Roberts Hill still remained completely unoccupied.
16
(A) This view shows the inter-
section of Reservoir Road and
Chesterfield Road, with the lin-
ear telephone and telegraph line
cutting east-west through the
forest of the Sawmill Hills and
another telephone line angling
northwest through what is now
conservation land near the Na-
tional Guard and within the Rob-
erts Hill Conservation Area.
Note how uniform in age the
upland oak forest is versus a
patchwork of cutting history.
Sylvester Road is visible along
the western boundary.
(B) The intersection of Ryan
Road and Spring Street, with the
ice pond near the top of the im-
age. Sand and gravel mining
operations have begun in and
around the ice pond, and so has
the first subdivision. A.T. Lilly’s
productive field (now a parking
lot) at the intersection of Pine
and Spring Street is still under
cultivation.
(C) A slightly broader view of
the Spring Street/Ryan Road
area, but now a decade later.
The ice pond is visible near the
top of the image, and the sand
and gravel operations off Ryan
Road are now much larger and
another new subdivision (west of
the first) is being laid out.
B
Aerial Views from the 1950s & 1960s
A
C
17
During the last decade, two new homes with long driveways have been built that extend into the Sawmill Hills. Without further
land acquisition, more development of this kind can be expected.
The lack of change in the Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex is clearly shown in this map that documents land use changes in
purple between 1971 and 1999. Aside from the development of new homes along the periphery, not much has changed during
the last forty-five years.
18
During the last century a powerline was installed along
the eastern margin (~ late 1930s) and beginning in the
1940s and 50s, several sand and gravel mining opera-
tions began along Ryan Road and Spring Street. Aside
from these activities and the construction of dozens of
new homes (many of them on the former sand and gravel
operations), little else has happened in the Sawmill Hills.
Major Vegetation Patterns
The Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex is overwhelm-
ingly dominated by dry, rocky uplands and thin, acidic
soils. These are tough conditions for most plants and the
flora in these areas is limited and predictable. On the drier
hilltops, chestnut oak grows above thickets of low-bush
blueberries and huckleberries. On the moister slopes, a
wider mix of oaks occur, including red oak, white oak and
black oak. Mountain laurel, witch hazel and maple-leaved viburnum are widespread in areas with
thicker soils. White pine is widespread throughout the property, black birch is common in previ-
ously logged areas and hemlock is scattered. Wildflowers and grasses are generally sparse.
The greatest diversity of plant life in the Sawmill Hills is
found in its wetlands and streams. Although these habi-
tats make up a tiny percentage of the landscape—less
than 10%—their contribution to the overall diversity of
the Sawmill Hills is significant. In fact, forested wet-
lands, vernal ponds and stream corridors support many
more plant and animal species than all of the upland ar-
eas, demonstrating that, like wetlands everywhere, these
areas play a disproportionately large role in terms of bio-
diversity.
This soils map of the Sawmill Hills reveals how
uniform the interior core is. This extensive area
is covered with thin, acidic soils and innumer-
able rock outcrops, which are dominated by oak
forests. The variation in the vegetation, as this
map shows, occurs along the edges where
changes in slope, soil type, hydrology and/or
past land use.
This map shows wetlands (blue), vernal pools
(salamander profile), homes (lavender) and
the boundaries of the Zone II (pink hatching).
City-owned land is shown with green hatch-
19
Red, black and white oak forests, with chestnut oak on the
highest, driest ridges. Where chestnut oak dominates, the un-
derstory vegetation is sparse to absent.
Mixed hardwoods, with an abundance of red oak, in terrain
with deeper, richer soils and abundant outcrops. Mountain
laurel, witch hazel and maple-leaved viburnum is abundant.
There are hundreds of acres where mountain laurel thickets
dominate the shrub layer below the slow-growing oaks.
White pine dominates areas that were once cleared for pastures
or because of past logging operations.
Except for the Mill River, all of the other streams in the Saw-
mill Hills are smaller than Parson’s Brook (above) and most
are intermittent. Plant diversity spikes along its borders.
Wetlands, both small pockets as well as more extensive
swamps, occur with some frequency in the Sawmill Hills.
Some of them also function as vernal pools.
Six of the most common vegetation patterns in the Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex are:
20
The remainder of this report will provide more detailed descriptions of the city’s conservation
areas, from south to north.
# # #
21
Conservation Parcel 1: Turkey Hill/Ryan Road/Sylvester
Road
This 32-acre property supports eleven different plant communities,
including an interesting beaver pond, a good-sized vernal pool, 1500
feet along Parson’s Brook, small grassy clearings, oak-pine forest and
impressive rock summits. It is also within easy walking distance of
dozens of homes and with some modest improvements, it has the po-
tential to become a much more popular conservation area—not only
for picnicking and nature observation, but also, if a trail were created,
a place to hike and connect to the elaborate trail network in the Sawmill Hills.
History
For many years, the
level land along Par-
son’s Brook was
cleared and open (see
1965 photo right).
There was also a small
house not far from
what is now the beaver
pond, but prior to the
City’s purchase of the
land, the house was
torn down and where
the foundation was
located, there is now a
good-sized and slightly
dangerous hole.
The vegetation in the
vicinity of the former
house is surprisingly
natural, with only a This 1965 aerial shows the mix of open and forested land, along with the property’s approxi-
mate boundaries.
22
small amount of myrtle and no lawn. The former owners, however, did keep a small flower garden, the
remnants of which can still be found on the other side of Parson’s Brook and along the edge of the old
field. From the house, the little garden area was reached by a wooden footbridge, which is now gone. To
mow the field, the owners used what is now a small wood road off Ryan Road.
Invasive Plants
Like much of the Sawmill Hills, invasive
plants are not yet a serious problem at this
property. They do occur, however, and without
any control efforts, they will continue to in-
crease and spread. Most are them are found
along the roadside edges, in and around the old
fields, and a few (multiflora rose especially)
are scattered in the wetlands. As elsewhere in
the Sawmill Hills, the forested uplands and
rocky summits are—at least for now-- entirely
free of invasive plants.
As the old fields have grown in, the property, seen here in 2013, has become more forested. Meanwhile, the amount of open
water, courtesy of the activity of beavers, is also much more extensive than it was fifty years ago.
Japanese knotweed forms a border along one of the field edges.
Without control, it will further spread into the field and forest.
23
The most problematic invasive plants at this site are, in order of importance:
Japanese knotweed, which is found along the edge of Ryan Road and on the borders of
the old fields;
Asiatic bittersweet, which is scattered in and around the field edges, in particular, in the
red pine/spruce plantation and along the old stonewall boundary;
Multiflora rose, which is scattered along the edges of the wetland and Parson’s Brook;
Morrow’s honeysuckle and some good-sized winged euonymus, which are also found in
and around the old clearings, especially on the west side of the brook in the area where
sugar maple is common. Garlic mustard is also present here, especially along the edge
of the road.
A small patch of lesser celandine was found along the brook (not far from the old flower garden) and a
single autumn olive was found growing on the margin of the beaver pond wetland.
Vegetation Patterns
1. Former Clearings
2. Red Pine/Spruce plantation
3. Sugar maple forest
4. Red maple swamp, with Japanese knotweed
along roadside edge
5. Vernal Pool
6. Former house site
7. White pine dominated forest patches
8. Beaver pond and associated wetlands
9. Red oak, black oak, white oak dominated
forest, with abundant mountain laurel
10. Rock outcrops, with scattered pitch pine
11. Chestnut oak dominated ridgetops
This map shows rough boundaries of the major plant communities, as well as Parson’s Brook (dashed line) which flows south
out of the property. A large glacial kettlehole is located off the property and in the northeastern corner of the image; it is bor-
dered by steep cliffs on the western edge. High-bush blueberries and false loosestrife (Decodon verticillata), a native species,
dominate this shrub swamp/wetland pocket.
This conservation area falls within MA NHESP’s BioMap Core Habitat.
24
(A) The field on the western side of Parson’s Brook is mostly goldenrod, but also includes an abundance of sensitive fern, to uch
-me-not and many young saplings. Meadowsweet, meadow rue, grape and blackberries are also common. Non-native plants
include scattered multiflora rose, Morrow’s honeysuckle, bittersweet and a single autumn olive. At the far end of this field is the
former flower bed (iris, daffodils, flowering quince, hyacinth). The clearings near the access road (east side) are drier and sup-
port more grasses, such as little bluestem. These clearings are underlain by sandier soils. (B) A meander along Parson’s Broo k
and the remnants of an old beaver dam.
(C & D) During the last twenty (or so) years, beavers have reinvaded and dammed Parson’s Brook just above the former house
site. Here are two views at different times of year. The beaver pond is a hotspot for wildlife.
(E) The view from the edge of the beaver pond, looking back to the clearing where the cabin/house once stood. (F) A layer of
ice covers the certified vernal pool, which is dominated by highbush blueberry and red maple. Buttonbush and meadowsweet
are also common here.
B A
C D
E F
25
B A
C D
F
E
(A) Red pine stand in the southwestern corner of the property;
(B) Spruce and white pine plantation in the southwestern cor-
ner with abundant hayscented fern in the understory. Sugar
maple is abundant here, as is bittersweet, Virginia creeper, a
variety of young saplings, plus many other herbaceous plants
(star flower, Canada mayflower, bracken, touch-me-not). (C &
D) Shallow wetlands along the flooded margins of the beaver
pond provide breeding habitat for spotted salamanders. (E)
Along the slopes, red oak dominates the canopy, while moun-
tain laurel is abundant in the shrub layer. (F) Closer to the
summit there is a mix of bare rock, white pine, chestnut oak
and occasionally pitch pine. Polytrichum moss, lichen, cow-
wheat, huckleberries and lowbush blueberries grow in the un-
derstory.
26
B A
C D
F E
G
(A) The summit of the property is mostly open and dominated by chestnut oak.
These trees, although small in diameter, may be more than a century in age.
(B) Two of the eight pitch pine found on the property.
(C) Bedrock balds have almost no soil and support only lichen.
(D) Foliose lichens and moss cover a prominent rock outcropping. The Mineral Hills
can be seen in the distance to the west.
(E) From the top of the hill you can catch a glimpse of the Holyoke Range.
(F) Rock outcrops abound and come in many different sizes and shapes.
(G) Chestnut oak in flower in May.
27
Recommendations
Although a sign to indicate the property’s con-
servation status was recently installed along
Ryan Road, it would also be helpful to create a
small parking lot next to it (~3-5 cars). A kiosk
could also be installed here that shows a map
of the property’s boundaries.
The area of the former house clearing would
make an attractive picnic area, but the scat-
tered junk should be cleaned up and the hole of the former house site should be filled in and lev-
eled.
Working with the abutter to the east, it would be great to create a trail that leads to the summit
and to another trail, which is connected to the elaborate network of trails in the Sawmill Hills.
Place a bench and/or small blind discreetly along the edge of the beaver pond to encourage wild-
life viewing
Control Japanese knotweed and other non-native plants using volunteers and a licensed applica-
tor.
Mow the fields and clearings to maintain wildlife
openings; work with neighbors to mow a path
through the western clearing and build a foot-
bridge to connect the two areas that are divided by
the brook.
Offer a natural history walk here and foster
neighborhood involvement in the property’s main-
tenance and stewardship. Deer ticks were fairly common at this site, so that
existing trails should be maintained and future
paths should be wide enough for people to avoid
brushing against the vegetation.
28
Conservation Parcel 2: Formerly West & McGowan
Acquired by the City in 2009 from Justin West and Eileen McGowan,
this 18 acre conservation area includes a mix of swamp forest, oak
slopes and steep, rocky cliffs with a jumble of rocks below. A trail
passes though the property and joins another trail at the top of the
hill. The wetland is full of hummocks and shallow to knee-deep
pools, which drain to Parson’s Brook.
In May 2014 I found a few
spotted salamander and wood
frog egg masses in the deeper
water areas, and the sphag-
num-covered hummocks
look like potential nesting
habitat for four-toed sala-
manders, an uncommon spe-
cies in Massachusetts and so
far, unknown from the Saw-
mill Hills. The wetland hum-
mocks supported a mix of
species, with the most com-
mon shrubs being winter-
berry, high-bush blueberry, and
mountain laurel and the most
common
herbaceous
plants being
cinnamon
fern, royal
fern, gold-
thread and
Canada
Located not far from the original Bartlett Sawmill, this 18-acre property has been
wooded for years and includes a mix of uplands and wetlands. The topographic lines
on this image reveal just how steep the eastern slope is. The swamp forest is located in
the northeast corner of the property. It is fed by groundwater and acts as a vernal pool
(images below).
29
(A & B) The perched wetland sits in a bedrock basin. Sloshing through the water, with the steep rocky cliffs to the east, it feels
like you are in a wild, remote place and yet you’re just 15 minutes from downtown Northampton.
(C & D) Large rock cliffs and outcrops form the property’s eastern boundary.
(E) At the summit is a well-used trail, which connects to more than 5 miles of other trails.
(F) From the summit, you can occasionally catch a glimpse of the Mineral Hills to the west. A few judicious tree removals
would create a year-round vista.
B
A
C D
E F
30
mayflower. The wetland overstory was almost entirely red maple, with a few scattered white pine and
hemlock.
The slopes to the east include a rocky jumble and cliffs. The forest here is dominated by oaks, princi-
pally red oak and chestnut oak, but red maple was also abundant. Mountain laurel is thick and forms al-
most impenetrable thickets.
And here’s some cause for celebration: no invasive plant species were found in this area!
Recommendations
Map all the trails and gain permission to access this area from Sylvester Road.
Cut a few trees at the summit trail, which is just off the property, to create a view to the west.
Return to check for Jefferson’s salamanders and four-toed salamanders.
Conservation Parcel 3: Formerly Symanski
Acquired in 2013, this 58.22 acre parcel is a key piece in the jigsaw puzzle of protected land and in-
cludes several different habitats, including a beautiful stretch of Par-
son’s Brook, three swamp forest areas, two intermittent streams, a
dense grove of hemlock, impressive white pine stands, a richer shag-
bark hickory forest, as well as a small portion of a vernal pool, oak-
pine woods and dry, rocky uplands. Although a portion of the prop-
erty near Sylvester Road was logged during the last decade, even in
this area, the forest is, generally speaking, not too difficult to walk
through and the obstacles are more likely to be mountain laurel thick-
ets than slash and logging debris.
In addition to its varied habitats, what also makes this property note-
worthy is that nearly all of it is free of invasive plants. Those non-native plants that do occur are found
along the tributaries that are closer to Sylvester Road and along the banks of Parson’s Brook. The most
abundant and widespread is Japanese barberry, but these areas also include some multiflora rose, Asiatic
bittersweet and Morrow’s honeysuckle. In a single day in the spring, a crew could treat nearly all of
these invasive plants which, without control, will spread and increase in quantity and area.
31
Recommendations
Control invasive plants along Parson’s Brook
Develop additional trails
The property in 1965 (above) and in 2013 (below), with elevation contours. It is possible that Bartlett’s Sawmill was located on
this property. Based on the 1856 and 1895 maps, however, it appears to have been a little further downstream.
32
Vegetation Patterns
1. White pine stand
2. Hemlock stand
3. Shagbark hickory forest, more fertile,
level
4. Oak-hardwoods-white pine, with witch
hazel and mountain laurel
5. Higher, steeper, drier slopes with a mix
of oaks, including chestnut oak
W-1: perched and streamside wetlands
W-2: vernal pools
Dashed lines are intermittent streams
(A) The largest white pine stand (#1) on the property, with young birch and white pine saplings in the understory. (B) The he m-
lock grove (#2) with no vegetation below, but scattered red maple and pine. (C) The richer, more open shagbark hickory and
ironwood forest with a small stream. (D) An old stone wall, not too far from Sylvester Road, in the woods. Note the pileated
woodpecker hole in the dead tree in front.
B A
C D
33
(A) The swamp forest near Sylvester Road.
(B) The stream that flows from the former Reutener property
(now conservation land) and enters this conservation area.
(C) The same brook a little further downstream and now sig-
nificantly rockier.
(D) Parson’s Brook, three times as wide and much more open
than its smaller, shadier tributary.
(E & F) Parson’s Brook, heading toward Sylvester Road and
rockier still. This may be in the vicinity of Bartlett’s Sawmill,
which was initially powered by this brook and later by steam.
Note the patches of barberry on the banks in Photo E.
B A
C
D
E
F
34
(A) Beaver activity along Parson’s Brook downstream from the conservation area has caused the water to slow down and
spread out, creating marshier habitat. (B) The beginning of the true beaver pond lies just off the property. It is a place that feels
remote and wild in spite of being within earshot of Sylvester Road.
(C) Cut stumps are hard proof of a logging job done sometime during the last two decades. Above them grows a shrub layer
dominated by witch hazel. (D) An old wood road and bridge over a tributary stream leads into the forest.
(E) Signs of human activity are few and far between. Here are the remains of an old camp in the midst of the largest grove of
white pine. (F) Above the largest white pine stand is a perched wetland, dominated by red maple in the overstory and a mix of
ferns and wildflowers below. No non-native plants were found here.
B A
C D
E F
35
B A
C D
(A) The property’s perched wetlands vary in their vegetation and this one, located near the eastern edge of the property, in-
cludes a braided stream below a canopy of yellow birch, red maple, and ash. The hummocks are covered with mosses as well as
cinnamon fern, violets, gold thread, golden alexanders, sensitive fern, golden ragwort, and partridgeberry. (B) A vernal pool
occurs above this wet seep. Curiously, in addition to oaks and other hardwoods, there are several tulip trees in this area.
(C and D) Beyond the wetlands the forest change is swift and dramatic, transitioning to woods that are dominated by hard-
woods, especially oaks. The thin, acidic soils support relatively few species of understory plants, giving the forest and open
park-like quality.
Although the dry uplands do not support as many species as the wetlands, you can find still find a variety of animals here, i n-
cluding common garter snakes.
E F
36
Conservation Parcel 4: Formerly Reutener
Acquired in 2014, the 52-acre Reutener property connects with 435-
acres of conservation land (Parcels 2, 3, & 5) and from the perspec-
tive of conservation planning, it was one of the most exceptional ac-
quisitions within the Sawmill Hills. In addition to its size and loca-
tion, it is recreationally, aesthetically and ecologically one of the
most important properties within the Sawmill Hills region. The fol-
lowing information is drawn from an ecological inventory that I pre-
pared for the City in May 2014.
Recreational Value
The Reutener property includes its own network of well-
maintained trails, which begin near the parking area and the
family’s Sugar House on Sylvester Road. These trails pass
through or near most of the property’s different habitats and
just as significantly, they connect to a much larger, intercon-
necting trail system that spans the Sawmill Hills.
Aesthetics
Like many areas in the Sawmill Hills, the property is beauti-
ful, with up and down terrain, a cascading brook, bedrock out-
crops, fairly open woodlands and impressive views from the
higher elevations and cliffs.
Ecological Diversity
Underlain by 400 million year
old gneiss and a relatively thin
veneer of glacial till, the Reu-
tener property is topographi-
cally varied and supports ten
different kinds of natural com-
munities. Although nearly all
of them are common and wide-
The trail that begins near the sugar house is
wide and mostly level, making it accessible to
many people.
37
spread in our region, they are of high quality and
show little to no sign of human disturbance and
none have invasive species problems.
The habitats are unevenly divided between up-
lands and wetlands, with uplands comprising
almost 90% of the property. Given the acidic,
shallow soils, the flora in these areas is relatively
narrow and predictable. White pine dominates a
large portion of the land, while further up the
slope, the composition of the woods shifts to red
oak and at the highest and driest elevations, it
transitions to chestnut oak. Broad swaths of
mountain laurel grow below the red oak-
dominated canopy, and witch hazel and maple-
leaved viburnum are also extremely common in
this forest type. In the chestnut oak dominated
woods, these species drop out and are replaced
by drought and fire tolerant species like low-
bush blueberries and huckleberries.
The wetland portions of the property make up only about 5 acres, but their contribution to the site’s
overall diversity is significant. In fact, the stream corridor, vernal pond and small drainages actually sup-
port more plant and animal species than all of the upland areas on the property.
38
Natural Communities and Trail Map Upland Natural Communities
1: Succession White Pine, transitioning to White Pine-Oak
2: Red Oak-Sugar Maple Forest
3: Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop & Acidic Rock Talus
3B: Acidic Rock Cliff
4: White Pine-Oak Forest
4B: Mixed Oak Forest with Mountain Laurel
5: Ridgetop Chestnut Oak
Wetland Natural Communities
W1: Low energy streamside forest
W2: Red maple swamp
W3: Vernal Pool
White Pine Successional (1) grows on a large part of the
property. In some areas, it has grown up in places that were
once former fields, but in others, the historical reason for its
presence is unclear. In the latter areas, the land may have
been opened up by logging, fire, or hurricane damage .
Although white pine is the dominant canopy tree, a few scat-
tered hardwoods are also typically mixed in with these stands,
including white oak, red maple, big-toothed aspen, and hem-
lock. Usually, the vegetation in the understory is scant, with
occasional small patches of mountain laurel, or if bedrock is
close to the surface or exposed, there are swaths of Poly-
trichum moss and a mix of low bush blueberries and huckle-
berry. When present, the herb layer includes Canada may-
flower, wintergreen, partridgeberry, starflower, and in drier,
more open sites, cow-wheat, bracken fern and Pennsylvania
sedge. Patches of running clubmoss and ground pine are also
fairly common.
Red Oak-Sugar Maple Forest (2) is very limited on the
property and occurs near the sugar house and also in its
southwest corner. Ironwood , big-toothed aspen, shagbark
hickory, red maple and occasional hemlock are also present
in this forest type, and while the understory is largely free of
vegetation, Canada mayflower, trout lily, and true solomon’s
seal are common near the Sugar House.
39
Acidic Rocky Summits and Rock Outcrops (3) are found
throughout much of the property, and two of the larger ridges
are highlighted on the Natural Communities map. In moister
settings, marginal shield fern, Christmas fern and polypody
fern and mosses are common, while at drier sites, lichens
dominate. Pine, black birch, red oak and chestnut oak are all
commonly associated with these barren knobs, and huckle-
berry and low-bush blueberries are also widespread.
Acidic Rock Cliff (3B) is festooned with large liverworts and
mosses, but few vascular plants.
White Pine/Oak and Mixed Oak with Mountain Laurel
(4 and 4B) cover nearly 50% of the upland areas. As the
soils get drier, the species shift from white-pine and red oak
to an increasing amount of red oak and mountain laurel.
White oak, red maple, black birch and hemlock are scattered
throughout this mix. Witch hazel is also extremely common
in the understory and maple-leaved viburnum is common.
The herb layer is scant.
Ridgetop Chestnut Oak (5) is found in the driest, rockiest
areas and mostly at the highest elevations. The forest here is
open and almost entirely dominated by chestnut oak. Black
oak, red oak, and white oak are also present, and black birch
and red maple are occasional. The understory vegetation is
thin, with huckleberries, low-bush and early blueberries in the
shrub layer. The herb layer is almost entirely absent, but cow-
wheat, sedges, and bracken fern occur.
Acid Rock Talus (3b) is found below the larger outcrops
and ridges and includes a mix of red oak, black birch and
infrequently, sugar maple, hop hornbeam and basswood.
False honeysuckle and common sarsaparilla are common in
the understory, but in general, these areas are very tough
places for plants to grow. Porcupines regularly den in these
jumbled rock piles, and in May 2014, a litter of six young
pups (p. 38) were found at the base of the talus slope in this
photo.
40
Low-energy Streamside Wetlands and the Stream (w1) on
the property are one its most beautiful features. This cascad-
ing stream meanders through the central part of the conserva-
tion area and is narrowly bordered by rich wetland vegeta-
tion. The bordering rocks are covered with mosses and liver-
worts and in the spring, the wetland edges are defined by the
bright green leaves of false hellebore. Other common wild-
flowers include golden ragwort, Canada mayflower and less
frequently dwarf ginseng, wood anemone, goldthread, marsh
marigold, violets and turtle head. Ferns include cinnamon
fern, hayscented fern, New York fern. The shrub layer is
mostly absent, but witch hazel and mountain laurel inhabit
the drier margins, while winterberry and spicebush can be
found in the wetter areas. The nearby trees include red maple,
big-toothed aspen, shagbark hickory, yellow birch, black
cherry, ironwood and ash.
A small Red Maple Swamp (w2) fed by groundwater, over-
land runoff and precipitation is perched in the eastern half of
the property. In spite of its small size, it provides a dispropor-
tionately large contribution in terms of plant diversity. Com-
mon species here include marsh marigold, skunk cabbage,
watercress, golden saxifrage, cinnamon fern, sensitive fern and
hummocks covered with sphagnum. In addition to red maple,
the overstory also includes black ash and yellow birch, while
winterberry, high-bush blueberry, young pine and mountain
laurel are common in the shrub layer.
A single Vernal Pool (w3) is located on the property and is
one of its most ecologically important habitats. Located in a
shallow, bedrock depression in the bedrock, it is fed by
groundwater, overland runoff and precipitation, it measures
about half an acre in size. About 2/3 of the pool is shallow
and characterized by mossy hummocks with high bush
blueberry and winterberry, while the remainder is deeper
and supports a small patch of buttonbush. Red maple
rims the margins.
41
Recommendations
1. Organize a volunteer day to cut or handpull
multiflora rose within the wetland corridor
and monitor for Asiatic bittersweet and
Morrow’s honeysuckle throughout the prop-
erty. Aggressively control the patches of
swallowwort, which are located on Syl-
vester Road in the vicinity of the parking
area.
2. Install a small kiosk (at the entrance to the
woods and beyond the sugar house) and
sign for parking along the roadside edge.
3. Install bridges across the wetland and
stream crossings
4. Organize a field walk to showcase this new
acquisition.
5. Monitor the erosion along the trail (steep
slope) near the eastern edge of the property.
6. Remove old barrels and other rusty junk
along the trail.
The vernal pool on this property is more valuable, ecologically
speaking, because of its proximity to other vernal pools. All of
these have been certified and are shown as blue asterisks. The
yellow asterisks to the north are potential vernal pools.
My daughter, with binoculars, watching coyote pups in the
mountain laurel thicket in May 2014. Now that this land is
publicly-owned, more people should be exposed to this area.
42
Conservation Area 5: Sawmill Hills Core Area
(multiple acquisitions)
Composed of several adjoining parcels, this 331-acre block of con-
servation land forms the core of the Sawmill Hills Conservation Area
and includes some of the most ecologically significant areas within
the Sawmill Hills/Roberts Hill Complex. What’s more, given the fo-
cus of this
report, nearly 90% of this giant area is free of
invasive plants.
Vegetation Patterns
Like most of the Sawmill Hills, this area is
dominated by rugged, rocky uplands. Wet-
lands and streams account for only 3% of the
total—a mere ten acres! Nevertheless, in terms
of their contribution to the property’s overall
biodiversity, wetlands play a large role. In
fact, because of the property’s vernal pools,
swamp forests and streams, most
of this land has been mapped by
MA NHESP as BioMap Core
Habitat, BioMap Vernal Pool Core
Habitat, and Priority Habitat for
Rare Wildlife.
Uplands
Of the 97% of this property that is
upland, the majority is up and
down terrain, with an impressive
and confusing number of bedrock
A common scene in the Sawmill hills—rocks at the surface, a
thick leaf litter and a surrounding overstory dominated by oaks.
This image shows rare species habitat (yellow hatching), vernal pool core (blue)
and BioMap Core habitat (green). The configuration of this large chunk of con-
servation land is outlined in yellow.
43
The impressive cliffs, talus slopes and bedrock balds
found in the Sawmill Hills are numerous and fascinat-
ing places. Aside from their aesthetic appeal, they
provide important denning sites for raccoons, porcu-
pines, coyotes, and other mammals. Not many plants
grow in these areas, but on top of the rocky balds you
can regularly find low-bush blueberry (right) and
American chestnut saplings are common. A century
ago, chestnut would have been a major component in
the canopy and an important source of food for wild-
life.
44
outcrops. As the Gazette’s editor wrote in 1880, the Sawmill Hills “is a lonesome, desolate region, bro-
ken up into a multitude of steep inclines, bluffs and precipices, and whoever ventures to attempt its ex-
plorations of [sic] a cloud day is very like to mix up the points of the compass and get lost.”
Getting lost may be even easier today. In the 1880s the landscape was almost entirely cleared, so at least
then you had the chance of occasionally catching
a clear view and perhaps spotting the church
steeple in Florence or a nearby farm to help ori-
ent you and regain your bearings .
Today these hills are entirely forested and there
are almost no views—east, north, south, or west.
Still, although it is hard to see from the prop-
erty’s hilltops, these areas generally have fairly
open understories, which makes them easy to
walk through. Based on MA NHESP’s natural
communities classification system, these drier pla-
teaus and summits can be categorized as “ridgetop
chestnut oak forests,” with chestnut oak dominating the canopy, a mix of huckleberries, chokeberries
and low-bush blueberries in the shrub layer and a few herbs (wintergreen, partridgeberry, Pennsylvania
sedge and poverty grass) growing below. Downslope from these ridges, on the side slopes and wherever
the soils are slightly deeper and moister, chestnut oak is replaced by “mixed oak forest,” which includes
several kinds of oak (mostly red, but also white , black and even some scarlet) as well as white pine, red
maple, and a mix of other hardwoods (hickories, sassafras, big-toothed aspen and black birch). In these
In addition to hardwoods, white pine is common in these
woods and hemlock is also common along the edges of the
swamp forests. This image also shows one of the many trails
that pass through the Sawmill Hills and go for miles.
45
settings, the shrub layer is often
thick with witch hazel and/or acres
and acres of almost impenetrable
thickets of mountain laurel. Wild-
flowers and grasses, however are
uncommon. Instead, most of the
ground is covered with a brittle
layer of oak leaves.
Regardless of where you are in
these uplands, what’s truly re-
markable is that there are almost
no invasive plants. None. Zero.
Even along most of the trails!
Rather than an absence of seeds, it
probably has more to do with the acidic, dry conditions and carpet of leaves.
Sand Barrens
In contrast to the essentially invasive-free rocky uplands, the remaining non-wetland acreage has been
highly compromised by invasive plants and its future as one of the City’s few remnant grasslands is
threatened by their continued spread.
Located along the flanks of the Saw-
mill Hills, this area encompasses
about 25 acres and is underlain by
water-sorted, glacial outwash, laid
down during the era of Glacial Lake
Hitchcock. For thousands of years,
generations of Nonotuck burned this
nearly level outwash plain, which
kept these sandy barrens open and
park-like. When the first English
settled here, this landscape was
probably dominated by pitch pine,
Beginning in 1992 with an acquisition of less than 2 1/2 acres, the City has been
able to acquire more and more land in the Sawmill Hills, particularly in this
area. Although none of acquisitions has been larger than 80 acres, this jigsaw-
puzzle of protected conservation land (outlined in yellow) now encompasses
330 acres. The areas in blue are city-owned watershed land, while the parcels in
green are more recently acquired conservation holdings, which were previously
discussed.
This surficial geology map shows the different kinds of deposits in and
around the conservation area. Glacial till (light green) covers most of the
property, while bedrock outcrops (red lined units) are also abundant. On the
southern and eastern margin a tongue of glacial outwash (orange) underlies
most of the Ryan Road neighborhood. The area outlined with red dashes is
the 25 acres within the conservation area that includes old gravel pits, white
pine woods and a remnant patch of pitch pine/sand plains.
46
blueberries, scrub oak, lupine, little
bluestems and other species tolerant of
fire and the site’s tough growing condi-
tions.
Beginning in the 1950s, the same
droughty, nutrient poor sands that had
long discouraged people from growing
crops here became a valuable commod-
ity. Over the next three decades, this
area became the focus of several large
sand and gravel operations. After the sands
were exhausted, most of the former gravel
pits were converted into house lots or subdivisions, the most recent of which was Avis Circle.
Today, surrounding Avis Circle is one of the few undeveloped patches of glacial outwash sands in this
area of Ryan Road. Although all of it was altered in the past (some areas much more than others) there is
an acre and a half of open grassland/pitch pine barren and another similarly-sized patch of pitch pine/
white pine and oak forest nearby that is relatively untouched (probably just scraped of its topsoil). The
rest of the area is much more altered and it is awash in invasives, including big patches of Japanese
knotweed, thickets of Morrow’s honeysuckle, swaths of knapweed, tangles of bittersweet, carpets of
garlic mustard and increasingly, more and more glossy buckthorn. In some places (like the old borrow
The remnant grassland, with an abundance of little bluestem and some
young pitch pine seeding in behind.
Above, the former gravel pit areas and stormwater detention basin (with Japanese knotweed in the basin) in early spring. Be-
low, the former borrow pit, now with Norway maple, rocks from construction jobs, tangles of bittersweet and increasingly
glossy buckthorn. Ecologically, this place is a real mess.
47
pit), the number of invasive plants is so high that
any kind of control effort is doomed to fail. Not
only expensive and time consuming, in these
areas the benefits are questionable. The only
hope in these highly degraded areas is that a se-
ries of effective biocontrol agents are discov-
ered.
That said, invasive plants should be controlled
within the three acres that support the remnant
grassland/pitch pine barren. Why? Because
grassland/pitch pine barrens are one of the rarest
habitats in Northampton and also one of the rar-
est habitat types within Massachusetts and the
Connecticut River watershed. In Northampton,
this habitat type once covered about 10% of the
landscape, but due to development (gravel min-
ing, landfills, cemeteries, and housing, this un-
usual habitat now covers less than 1% of North-
ampton.
(A) Japanese knotweed is widespread and encroaching in the former gravel pit area. (B) In this same area, you can also see an
expanding thicket of Morrow’s honeysuckle, which is growing beneath black locust, pin cherry and other early colonizers. (C)
Knapweed, a pretty but an aggressive invader, has established in and around the remnant grassland/pine barren.
B
A
C
A number of rare animals depend on grasslands and pine bar-
rens for their survival. Whip-poor-wills, for instance, used to
nest in this area as well as in the surrounding uplands. They
have not been heard here for several years (Tom Gagnon, pers.
comm.). These sand barrens are also important for groundwa-
ter recharge. They abut the City’s public wellfields and are
within a Zone II aquifer.
48
This image from the 1960s shows multiple gravel operations and subdivisions along Ryan Road.
This map from MA GIS shows the outline of the different soil units. Along the flanks of the Sawmill Hills, the outwash plain
has developed into Hinckley sandy loams. Gravel pits are also shown. Interestingly, the remnant piece of grassland/sand barre n
is shown (arrow) just beyond the outline of a gravel pit.
49
Wetlands
The final component of this conser-
vation area is its wetlands and wa-
terways. As mentioned earlier, al-
though swamp forests, vernal pools
and streams account for barely 3%
of this 330-acre property, they hold
most of the property’s biodiver-
sity—both for plants and animals.
And here’s the other good news
about the wetlands: they support
almost no invasive plants. There are
a few multiflora rose and a few
strands of Asiatic bittersweet, but
otherwise, they are free of invasive plants. There are some problems with invasives in the wetlands near
Spring Street owned by the City’s water department and some additional invasions on private land, but
on both properties, the adjacent area was disturbed historically, which appears to have made these areas
more vulnerable.
A vernal pool in the uplands that is dominated by tupelo, some of which have
old growth characteristics. Tupelo, or black gum, is the oldest living tree in
the eastern United States.
The location of wetlands, streams and vernal pools within this portion of the Sawmill Hills.
50
This is the largest vernal pool on the property and measures half an acre when it is full of water. By mid-summer, it is com-
pletely dry. It is located in a bedrock depression in the uplands. Note the pin oak, with its craggy branches, in the first image.
Ten vernal pools are found in this 330-acre property, ranging in size from 1/8-1/2 an acre in size. They have all been certified,
many by Molly Hale. Each spring students from the RFK Finn school visit some of the pools as part of a unit on ecology.
About 200 acres in the Sawmill Hills drain to Parson’s Brook, while the remainder flows into the Mill River.
51
Many of the vernal pools in this part of the
Sawmill Hills are found within the property’s
swamp forest habitat, which, compared to the
surrounding uplands, feels lush and diverse.
Many animals, including this red eft and green
frog, depend on these areas to survive. Several
species of plants, including this uncommon
spring coralroot orchid and an unidentified
orchid (probably purple fringed) occur in these
special habitats as well. The largest swamp
forest within this property is only four acres in
size.
52
Vegetation Patterns
Uplands
1: Ridgetop Chestnut Oak Forest and Mixed Oak Forest. Darker background is mountain laurel
2: White pine/pitch pine stand
2a: White pine grove
3: Hemlock-dominated stand
4: Former gravel pits, highly altered and highly compromised by invasive plants
5: Remnant sand grassland/pitch pine barren
Wetlands
w1: Perched swamp forest, with vernal pools, draining to the Mill River
w2: Perched swamp forest, with vernal pools, draining to Parson’s Brook
vp: isolated vernal pools
1
2a
2
3
4
5 1
w1
w2
vp
vp
vp
vp
vp
vp
vp
Although most of the soils in this section of the Sawmill Hills are dry and acidic, there are a few small areas with richer, more
fertile soils. Where these conditions exist, you can find leatherwood, perfoliate bellwort, wild columbine and a handful of other
plant species that only grow in these settings.
53
Recommendations
Control invasive plants within the sandplains/pitch pine barrens and consider a very small, con-
trolled burn in the former grassland area, mechanical mowing...or goats?
More clearly identify trailheads and
parking areas and develop a map/
brochure that shows access points
Repair the few places where the trails
are muddy or require bridges for stream
crossings
Work with neighboring groups and abut-
ters to promote passive use of this area
and prevent the dumping of yard waste
Acquire additional land in and around this
area
One of the few places where ATVs have muddied the trail.
Yard waste, courtesy of a neighbor.
An impressive kettlehole to the west on private land and bordered on one side by impressive cliffs and boulders.
54
Conservation Parcel 6: “Jeep Eater Trail”
The majority of this 61-acre parcel is dominated by steep, forested
slopes and rocky uplands. Mountain laurel, oaks, and bare rock are
the norm, but the property also includes two small wetland areas, one
of which is an uncertified vernal pool and the other is the headwaters
and tributary to Parson’s Brook. As a conservation property, it is a
pretty place and from the highest ridge, the views to the west, espe-
cially at sunset, are impressive. But most people who visit this con-
servation area aren’t interested
in hiking or the views or nature.
For them, the main attraction is
the steep, rocky right-of-way
that once held telephone and
telegraph wires. Why? Because
that rigorous route is now one of
the most popular places for off-
road, 4 x 4 enthusiasts to crawl
up (or down).
The popularity of the former
telephone and telegraph line as
an assault challenge for off-road
enthusiasts began more than
twenty years ago. In fact, the trail’s
use was so much a part of this
property’s reputation that when the
trail and land were proposed for
conservation land in 2007, a stipu-
lating provision was that off-road
vehicles would be allowed to
use the old ROW.
The Jeep Eater Trail, popular with off-road vehicle enthusiasts, can be seen in this
photo as a thin thread running east-west through the parcel, outlined in yellow.
The Jeep Eater parcel connects to watershed land (pink) to the north and west,
which connects to additional protected land, either under conservation restriction
(light red) or owned outright and held as conservation land (light orange).
Jeep Eater
55
For many of us, off-road use may seem incompatible
with conservation land, but the 4 x 4 community has
taken remarkably good care of the R.O.W. and prop-
erty ever since. Trash, for instance, is rarely left be-
hind, either in the parking area on Sylvester Road or
anywhere in the conservation area, and broken car
parts are typically retrieved. What’s more, the driv-
ers have by and large stuck to the existing right of
way and not created alternate routes through the ad-
jacent natural area. True, some additional alteration
has occurred at the summit, but this appears to be the result of accommodating multiple vehicles rather
than intentionally damaging the landscape. Erosion, which you might imagine would be a serious prob-
lem, is not such a big deal—at least not any longer. With the exception of one large puddle, most of the
route has been so heavily used over the years that most of it is now bare rock or gravel.
If off-roading isn’t your thing, this piece of conservation land offers other opportunities. For walkers and
mountain bikers, there are a few other trails besides the
main ROW. Of the footpaths, one begins partway
along the former telephone and telegraph line, and
more-or-less parallels the ROW and leads to the sum-
mit, where two other trails can be found. One leads
north and is an informal and hard-to-spot path that was
made and maintained by mountain bikers; it extends
into City-owned watershed land and ultimately emerges
at the intersection of Chesterfield Road and Reservoir
Road. The other trail heads to the south, is better de-
fined and links up with the much more extensive net-
work of trails that thread throughout much of the Saw-
mill Hills.
Aside from trail maintenance and upkeep, there are al-
most no other stewardship and maintenance issues at
this site. Roadside dumping of yard waste and land-
scape clippings is a concern on the adjacent proper-
A small trail, used by walkers and mountain bikers, leads
to the top of the conservation area.
A large puddle in the ROW. It is sometimes used by spot-
ted salamanders and wood frogs as a breeding pond, and
for them, it is a black hole. No offspring will emerge as it
dries up too quickly.
56
ties, both to the north and south
along Sylvester Road. But inva-
sive plants, which are such a prob-
lem in so many areas of North-
ampton are almost entirely absent.
A few multiflora rose were found
in the wetland swale closest to
Sylvester Road, but aside from
those, no other non-native, inva-
sive plants were found within the
property.
Vegetation Patterns
1: Oak-hardwood dominated forests, with chestnut oak on the highest ridges and red oak dominating the lower slopes. The
blush of gray-green that can be seen on the slopes is mountain laurel. The brighter green vegetation is white pine.
2: The old telephone/telegraph right of way. Only the portion within the conservation area is used by off-road vehicles. To the
east, the grade is too steep and dangerous.
W1: A forested, headwater wetland between two higher ridges. This is the only place where a few small multiflora rose were
found.
W2: A vernal pool, with breeding spotted salamanders and wood frogs.
Although most of the old telephone line is now bare rock, there are areas
along the margin where bare soil is exposed. This image reveals just how thin
the till layer is in many areas of the Sawmill Hills.
57
(A) A glacial erratic perched on the edge of a rock outcrop, looking west toward Westhampton. (B) Exposures of metamorphic
rock are abundant in the higher elevations . (C) Just below the summit the slopes are covered with huckleberry, low blueberry,
grasses and lichens. White pine and chestnut oak dominate the canopy. (D) Where there is slightly more moisture, many of the
rocks are covered with mosses. (E) This rock makes for tough living conditions for this black birch, which may be more than
100 years old. (F) Bare rock characterizes the summit. (G) An abundance of gray birch on the adjacent watershed land reveals
that it had been heavily logged or burned forty (or so) years ago when these seeds of these birches were able to germinate.
B A
C D
E F G
58
B A
C D
E F
(A) A view of the forested headwater wetland near Sylvester Road.
(B) The vernal pool is surrounded by black gum, mountain laurel and witch hazel, with high bush blueberry and winterberry
on the higher hummocks.
(C) A typical patch of woods within the conservation area includes mostly oak, but also white pine, red maple, black birch and
scattered hemlock. Witch hazel, mountain laurel, maple-leaved viburnum, huckleberries and low blueberries are common.
Herbs include wild sarsaparilla, spotted wintergreen, partridgeberry, and trailing arbutus. Bracken is common along the
roadside.
(D) Low blueberries and huckleberries form an opening near the summit, which looks southwest across the Mineral Hills.
(E) A rocky jumble and den site for porcupines occurs just above the vernal pool.
(F) Although plant diversity is low overall, one of the orchids that occurs here is Rattlesnake Plantain, which is easily recog-
nized by its patterned whorl of basal leaves.
59
Conservation Parcel 7: Formerly Spring Meadow Subdivision
Set aside in 2000 as part of a 4-lot subdivision, these 31+/- acres in-
clude an interesting mix of uplands and wetlands, and although the
land boasts an elaborate network of trails—plus connects to the
broader trail system in the Sawmill Hills, it remains, fifteen years
after its creation, unknown to most people. Why? Because access,
parking and putting up a sign isn’t simple.
A conservation area sign, for
instance, isn’t really an option
as this entire property is es-
sentially back land, located
behind private homes and
away from any public road.
Similarly, the property’s two
access points aren’t so easy to
mark. One begins on Chester-
field Road and follows a now-
abandoned electric line ease-
ment, but it has no real path,
no easy parking, and is a half
a mile away from rest of the
conservation land. The other
access point is easier in many
respects. Not only is it closer
to the conservation area, it
also has a well-defined path.
The trouble is that unless you
find it, you’d never know
about it. To get there, you
have to park along the road-
side edge near the end of
The conservation property, showing the boundary in yellow, the two access routes
(white dashes) and three certified vernal pools. Note the two new homes, north and
west of the property. The National Guard owns the adjacent land to the south; its
building can be seen on the edge of this image.
The subdivision plan, showing the conservation land and the 10-foot access path
(green line), was approved in 2000.
60
Colonel Lavallee Lane (not a dead end road that few people take) and then head north along the chain
link fence line that marks the boundary of the National Guard property. At the end of the National Guard
land, you cross an old farm fence and reach the southern boundary of the Spring Meadow subdivision
and the beginning of a ten foot public
access path. It is not marked at this
point either, but the path is clearly
visible.
From this point, the level path pro-
ceeds due west along the back border
of the house lots. The path passes two
of the subdivision’s three certified ver-
nal pools, all of which are old kettle-
hole ponds that were formed when
blocks of ice were stranded and then
buried during the era of glacial lake
The approximate location of the property, in proximity to glacial
Lake Hitchcock (greenish) and upland areas (gray/white).
This surficial geology map shows the former bog/wetland
(pink) surrounded by till (light green). To the east, the
orange area along Spring Street represents water-sorted
sands and gravels. Yellow along the Mill River is recent
river deposits.
A view of the long, large kettlehole along the trail to the conservation area.
This groundwater-fed wetland is a certified vernal pool.
61
Although no rare species were found during this survey, a portion of this conservation area falls within the Priority Habitat for a
rare species, according to MA NHESP.
This conservation area is currently isolated, but is linked to other properties through the vast trail network that criss-crosses the
Sawmill Hills. Much of that trail system remains unmapped, a portion of it (yellow/green squiggles) is shown in this image.
62
Hitchcock. At that time, about 15,000-12,000 years ago, this level landscape was a sandy outwash plain
and beach. In this section of Florence, the shoreline of Glacial Lake Hitchcock would have been (more
or less) where the upper portion of Spring Street is now.
The conservation area begins ~850 feet fur-
ther, and although its boundary isn’t marked,
it is easy to figure out because of the topog-
raphic break and the beginning of a large
wetland. Although now a red maple domi-
nated swamp, this area was historically a
bog with cranberries, sphagnum moss and
undoubtedly other bog species (Fred Morri-
son, pers. comm.). Sometime during the last
200 years, the bog was ditched, possibly to
harvest “peat” and “muck,” which were
popular soil additives during the 19th century and probably to drain it.
West of the 5-acre wetland, the uplands begin and for about 1,500 feet, the land climbs gradually. The
forest here is generally young and it is laced with a complicated and confusing network of trails, some of
The view of the property in 1965 shows the prominent electric line angling through the property. The dark blotch near the cen-
ter, just north of the electric line, is the former bog, now drained. A long, linear vernal pool/kettle hole is obvious in the open
field.
A view of the former bog, now red maple swamp. It is possible that
a few cranberries still occur in the sphagnum hummocks.
63
(A) The eastern edge of the conservation area is 5-acre red maple swamp, with a lush understory of skunk cabbage, sensitive
fern, golden saxifrage, high bush blueberry and many other species. (B) The swamp is divided by the old electric right of way,
which is still open and dominated by Carex riparius, skunk cabbage, sensitive fern, meadowsweet and cattail.
(C) The forest on the western side of the wetland was heavily cut and is now resprouting with loads of ironwood and witch
hazel. Canada mayflower is common in the understory. (D) A small clearing and an intersection point for several trails.
(E) The old electric line is now growing up into a mix of red maple, birch and other species—including tulip tree, a species that
is uncommon in Northampton, but regularly observed in the Sawmill Hills (F) A cut-off utility pole in the foreground of the
electric easement. First installed in 1918, it was expanded in 1937 and 1970. The current width of the easement is 100 feet.
B A
C D
F E
64
which were created by the National Guard (which used to use the property) and others that were made
during a logging job that took place sometime during the last twenty (or so) years.
The till soils in this section are slightly more fertile than in many parts of the Sawmill Hills, so that in
addition to oaks in the uplands, there is an abundance of ironwood, shagbark hickory and black birch.
Red maple is also common and so is white pine. Hemlocks are scattered and there is also a small but
healthy stand of beech.
Two small, intermittent streams cross the property and their borders also reveal the sweeter soils. Their
mossy borders support a rich mix of hellebore, common toothwort, yellow violets, dwarf ginseng, wood
anemone and New York fern.
Vegetation Patterns & Trails
1: Cut-over forest, with red maple, ironwood, gray birch, black birch, shagbark hickory, red oaks, scattered hemlock
2: Red oak dominated canopy with an abundance of mountain laurel in the understory
3: White pine stands
W1: Red maple swamp with skunk cabbage, cinnamon fern, sensitive fern, highbush blueberry, and yellow birch
W2: Old electric easement, cleared and open. Skunk cabbage, meadowsweet, skunk cabbage, sensitive fern, sedges, grasses
W3: Swamp forest, with red maple, tulip trees, red oak, witch hazel, mountain laurel, dwarf ginseng, interrupted fern, sphag-
num, winterberry, etc.
W4: Former bog, now ditched and drained. Beavers were active here in 2014.
65
B A
C D
F E
(A) A logging road through the heavily cutover and now resprouting forest. Witch hazel is very common in this part of the for-
est. (B) The intermittent stream drains into the former bog, but first flows behind the homes on Shepherd’s Hollow Road. A
mix of false hellebore, skunk cabbage, ferns and many other wildflowers grow along its banks.
(C) A clone of American beech, a relatively uncommon species in Northampton, occurs on the property. Even more unusual, it
is unblemished by the non-native fungus known as beech bark disease. (D) Common toothwort, a member of the mustard fam-
ily, is an indicator of richer, more fertile soils and can be found growing along the intermittent stream channels.
(E) Wood roads and trails lace this conservation area. (F) At the western edge of the property, the slopes are steep, bedrock is
close to or at the surface, and the thin soils support a mix of oak, hemlock, birch and lots of mountain laurel. The elevatio n
change within the conservation area is about 230 feet, from 340’ to 570’ above sea level.
66
Beyond the stream, the land begins to rise more quickly and at the western end, the steepest slopes have
gradients of 25-35%. In this section the forest is dominated by red oak, with extensive thickets of moun-
tain laurel. Young chestnut oak and red maple can also be found here, along with striped maple and
some impressive rocky jumbles. This
is the habitat for rufous-sided tow-
hees, wood thrushes, and scarlet
tanagers.
The property’s southwestern corner
touches the edge of a forested wet-
land that forms the headwaters of the
small streams that eventually cross
the conservation area and empty into
the former bog, now a red maple
swamp.
Invasive Plants
Within this conservation area, like so much of the Sawmill Hills, invasive plants are few and far be-
tween. At present, there is a small amount of Asiatic bittersweet in two locations (see map) and a few
barberry, multiflora rose and euonymus occur in an upland clearing on the old electric line, but the up-
The locations of invasive plants on the property and along a drainage ditch off-site with AB representing bittersweet. Much
more bittersweet occurs in the abandoned gravel pits on the National Guard property to the south.
Water sheets across the forested wetland, which includes some impressive tulip
trees, including one that appears to have old growth bark characteristics.
67
lands are otherwise free of invasive plants—even in the areas that were logged.
More concerning is the presence of invasive plants on the surrounding properties. Young Asiatic bitter-
sweet is fairly widespread on the National Guard land and the edges of the former bog have also been
invaded by multiflora rose, Japanese barberry, and glossy buckthorn. There is also an increasing amount
of Japanese knotweed on the stream that drains this wetland and crosses Chesterfield Road.
Recommendations
Control invasive plants in the few locations, possi-
bly by working with the Spring Meadow Home-
owners Association, National Guard and/or other
neighbors, and try to encourage additional control
of invasives at abutting properties
Create a trails map
Acquire/negotiate permission for trail use of
nearby properties
Install public access signs on Colonel Lavallee
Lane, Spring Meadow subdivision/National Guard
fence boundary and at the beginning of conserva-
tion land
Remove barbed wire coils (photo), presumably
installed by the National Guard. At least two coils
were found in the forest.
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.