Mineral Hills overview and natural history 1
The Natural History
of the
Mineral Hills Conservation Area
Prepared by Laurie Sanders, M.S.
March 2015
i
Table of Contents
Page
Overview of Mineral Hills 1
Bedrock Geology 4
Glacial Lake Hitchcock 6
Surficial Geology: Big Picture 6
Surficial Geology: A Closer Look 7
Ecological Value 8
Ecoregion 11
Wildlife Value 12
Vernal Pool 13
Rare Species Habitat 13
Interior Forest Core 14
UMASS CAPS 14
Aesthetic Value 16
Zone II: Aquifer 17
Outstanding Resource Water 17
Recreation Value 18
Agricultural Value 19
Part I: A Natural History of the Quarry & Vicinity 20
History & Conservation 21
Vegetation Patterns 28
Uplands 30
Quarry Detail 36
Wetlands 41
Recommendations 44
Part II: A Natural History of the Bookend North (formerly Sarafin/Clapp Farm) 46
Conservation of the Clapp Farm 47
History 48
Vegetation Patterns 53
Uplands 54
Wetlands 56
Recommendations 57
Maps
Vegetation Patterns Map of Turkey Hill Road & Vicinity 29
Vegetation Patterns Map of Bookend North (Former Sarafin) 52
Appendix 1: Forest Stewardship Plan —Forest Stands 2010 (Mauri) 61
Appendix 2: Forest Stewardship Plan 2013—Forest Stands (Mauri) 62
Funding for this document was provided through the Community Preservation Act.
ii
Acknowledgements:
This report would not have been possible without the support of Northampton’s Conservation Commis-
sion, Wayne Feiden and Sarah LaValley. Special thanks to: Mark Carmien for information on the Tur-
key Hill portion of the Mineral Hills, John Clapp for Clapp family history, Paul Foster-Moore for infor-
mation on the conservation history of the quarry, Elizabeth Farnsworth and Arthur Haines for confirma-
tion of Ranunculus micranthus, Andy Keuther for assistance with maps (in particular the configuration
of Lake Hitchcock) Adam Lesko for trails information, Fred Morrison for editing and knowledge of the
area, Barbara Pelissier for historical research, Leah Sanders for editing assistance, and James Thompson
for GIS support.
Sources & Citations
Kitely, Brian. 2009. The River Gods. Fiction Collection Two. 176 pp.
Parsons, James. 1996. Images of America: Northampton, Massachusetts. 128 pp.
Sheffield, Charles, ed. 1895. The History of Florence. Florence, MA: By the editor. 268 pp.
In addition, I relied on Mike Mauri’s forest stewardship plans (2010, 2013), Molly Hale’s 2006 ecologi-
cal report for the Jedoron property, deed records & plans from the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds,
court documents (Civil Action 00-226, 00-271), MA GIS data, as well as many other records that are
available in Northampton’s public file cabinet.
About the Author:
Laurie Sanders, M.S. is a field biologist, radio journalist and natural history tour leader. She has lived in
the Connecticut River Valley for nearly thirty years. A graduate of UVM’s Field Naturalist Program and
Smith College, she prepared Rediscovering Northampton in 1993. At the time, it was the first compre-
hensive ecological assessment of the city’s conservation lands, which included only 13 parcels that col-
lectively totaled about 800 acres.
Photographs
Unless otherwise noted, all photographs by Laurie Sanders.
1
A Natural History of the Mineral Hills Conservation Area
Overview
In 1974, as part of Northampton’s
first comprehensive master plan, the
Conservation Commission was
asked to identify areas around the
City that they thought should be pro-
tected as conservation land. Their
final plan (right) was impressive for
many reasons, but especially for its
ambition. The highlighted areas en-
compassed several thousand acres
and included a large block of land in
the Mineral Hills.
Over the next twenty years, the City’s conservation program took off. By 1994, the City owned more
than a thousand acres of conservation land spread across more than a dozen different conservation areas.
And that year, thanks to the generosity of Armand and Rosel LaPalme, it also owned conservation land
in the Mineral Hills.
The LaPalmes had moved to Northampton in 1953, purchasing 88 acres along Sylvester Road. The land
included farm land along the road and woods up on the hills. In 1994, after stewarding the land for forty
years, the LaPalmes approached the City with an offer to sell the 65 acres around their home to the Con-
servation Commission for a discounted price—in fact, just 10% of its market value. Their reason was
simple: they loved the land and they didn’t ever want it to be developed. The couple had few stipulations
when it came to the sale, but one of them was that the new property be called the Mineral Hills Conser-
vation Area. The Conservation Commission had the final say, but it was in complete agreement.
During the next decade the LaPalmes’ property became the anchor in the Mineral Hills and a source of
inspiration. Many people credit them for the conservation successes that have followed—and there are
2
an impressive number of
them. In fact, in the
twenty years since their
gift, land protection along
Northampton’s western
boundary has proceeded at
an unprecedented pace.
Since then the City has
worked with the Town of
Westhampton and Kestrel
Trust and has helped to
protect another 750 acres,
with 638 acres in North-
ampton and 112 in West-
hampton. This acreage,
when viewed from above,
form two core areas
within the Mineral Hills: a
415-acre block contiguous
with the LaPalme property
and centered around the
now-abandoned quarry
and another 587-acres to
the north that includes city
-owned watershed land and property owned formerly or currently by the Clapp family (90 acres owned
in fee as conservation land; 280 acres held under private conservation restriction). What now separates
these blocks is a single parcel.
All of that
land protection
work in the
Mineral Hills
has added up
to multiple
The protected land within the Mineral Hills (circled) in context to other nearby conserva-
tion land. The Mineral Hills includes a mix of conservation land (green), APR land (light
red), and watershed land (blue). When all of these parcels are tallied, their collective total
exceeds 1,000 acres. When the DPW and conservation land along Chesterfield, Sylvester
and Reservoir Roads is added in, the number jumps to more than 1,500 acres.
Acres of Protected Land in the Mineral Hills in Northampton and Westhampton
(as of March 2015)
Northampton
Conservation and APR
Land
Contiguous DPW-owned
Watershed Land
(Bounded by Chesterfield
and Sylvester Roads)
Private
Conservation Restrictions
(Northampton Only)
Contiguous
Protected Land
in Westhampton
413 191 290 112
3
benefits. These include not only the usual
set—miles of trails, pretty views, improved
water quality, impressive wildlife habitat,
active farmland—but also some geological
and ecological treats. There is the now-
abandoned quarry, which has both raw
beauty and also some weird and unusual (i.e.
interesting) microhabitats that have devel-
oped following disturbance. In addition, be-
cause the underlying bedrock includes cal-
careous (limey) inclusions, the Mineral Hills
is the only place in Northampton where you
can find an oak-hickory forest. This special
natural community type is uncommon in the Commonwealth and from a parochial perspective, it pro-
vides habitat for several plants that occur nowhere else in Northampton.
Finally, while invasive plants do occur in the Mineral Hills, they are found in relatively few areas—
mostly in former pastures, along roadside edges and trails, and in and around the old quarry.
The remainder of this report
provides an overview of the
natural history of the Mineral
Hills, followed by more de-
tailed descriptions of the two
primary areas that have been
protected—the conservation
land in and around Turkey
Hill Road Quarry and the land
that was once part of the
Clapp Farm. More informa-
tion about invasive plants and
recommendations are included
in the specific sections. The Jigsaw Puzzle of Protected Land: Only one privately held parcel now separates
the northern portion of the Mineral Hills Conservation Area from the southern por-
tion around Turkey Hill Road.
The edge of the farm field, below the LaPalmes' house, is one of the
places within the Mineral Hills that is loaded with invasive plants:
Japanese knotweed (seen here) as well as multiflora rose, Autumn
olive and Asiatic bittersweet.
4
Bedrock Geology
Among the reasons that the Mineral Hills is interesting geologically is the fact that the rock type under-
lying these hills is different than the bedrock in other parts of Northampton. In the very simplified image
above, the bright green is the Gile Mountain Formation. This is metamorphic rock that is mostly phyl-
lite/schist with beds of light gray quartzite. What makes it interesting from a botanical perspective is that
within the core matrix are calcareous granofels, quartzose marble and vein quartz. Translation: these
rocks were metamorphosed (changed from the ocean sediments and volcanic they once were) during one
of several episodes that had island arcs and even entire continents crushing against the proto-North
American continent, eventually creating the super continent Pangaea. Some of those original ocean sedi-
ments were calcareous (limey). As these rocks weather, the calcareous minerals partially neutralize the
soil, which increases its fertility and the diversity of plants that can exist here.
The name Mineral Hills was first given to the hills further to the south near Route 66 and near the border
of Southampton, Easthampton, Westhampton and Northampton and where minerals like lead and barite
were mined during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. As new maps were made, the entire band of hills
became known as the Mineral Hills. And while the mines have been closed since the 19th century, two
new rock quarries are now located on Turkey Hill in Westhampton, due west of the now-abandoned
quarry that is within the conservation area.
5
The size and steep walls of the
now-abandoned quarry are the
features that attract most people’s
attention in this part of the conser-
vation area. But there is another
geologic feature of note close-by.
It’s a surface exposure (because of
past gravel mining) of the underly-
ing bedrock that tells several sto-
ries. John Brady, a geology pro-
fessor at Smith College, brings his
students every year to see the
quarry and in particular, to see this
exposed bedrock outcrop. In a
letter to the City’s planning de-
partment in support of the prop-
erty’s acquisition, Brady described
it as an outcrop with a “glacially
smooth surface that displays won-
derfully-folded metamorphic rocks intruded with Williamsburg granodiorite, which is an igneous rock.”
The outcrop can be found in the abandoned gravel pit, a little southeast of the quarry.
6
Glacial Lake Hitchcock
Although the Mineral Hills were too high to be covered by the waters of Glacial Lake Hitchcock
(~15,400 to 12,600 years ago), a small stretch of land along West Farms Road and Turkey Hill Road
was part of the lake’s shoreline. In fact, part of that old shoreline/beach/outwash plain forms the small
cemetery on West Farms Road .
Surficial Geology—Big Picture
The Mineral Hills (outlined by dashed lines on local roads) are covered mostly with glacial till (light
green) and marked by prominent rock outcrops (red hatching). Around the base of the hill are deposits
of water-sorted sands and gravels (orange), which were deposited ~15,000-12,000 years ago as deltas,
outwash plains and possibly some beach deposits.
7
Surficial Geology: A Closer Look
This image focuses in on the surfi-
cial geology underlying the City’s
conservation and watershed lands
(darker green). As seen in the
broader view, almost all of the
Mineral Hills are underlain by till
deposits (lighter green), with bed-
rock (red hatching) frequently at
or near the surface. Note that the
small-scale sand and gravel min-
ing that took place along Turkey
Hill Road, before the rock quarry-
ing, was located in a finger of gla-
cial outwash sediments (circled in
red). The lavender and yellow ar-
eas are recent organic deposits and
alluvial sediments.
For early farmers in West Farms, the till-
derived soils on the hillsides provided chal-
lenges and resources. Although all the rocks
made growing crops difficult, they were useful
when it came to making stonewalls to keep in
sheep and other livestock. Most stonewalls
were constructed at the peak of land clearing
(1820-1850) when timber was so scarce that
wooden fences were harder to come by. This
stonewall is located on the former LaPalme
property.
Part of an old gravel pit is located
to the southeast of the quarry.
8
Natural Communities in the Mineral Hills
(follows MA NHESP Classification of Natural Communities)
1. Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop
2. Circumneutral Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop
3. Acidic Rocky Cliff*
4. Circumneutral Talus Forest
5. Acidic Talus Forest/Woodland*
6. Oak-Hemlock-White Pine Forest
7. Successional White Pine Forest
8. Mixed Oak Forest
9. Ridgetop Chestnut Oak Forest/Woodland
10. Oak-Hickory Forest
11. Dry, Rich Acidic Oak Forest
12. Red Oak-Sugar Maple Transition*
13. Red Maple Swamp
14. Deep Emergent Marsh
15. Hemlock Hardwood Swamp
16. Woodland Vernal Pool*
* Found within the Mineral Hills region, but not currently
within the protected land
Ecological Value
Underlain by phyllite/schists/quartzite with
some calcareous minerals and covered with
till deposits, the hilltops, slopes and wetlands
in the Mineral Hills support a mix of habitat
types—a sampling of which are profiled here
and on the following pages. All told, sixteen
natural communities were identified. Of par-
ticular interest are the circumneutral rocky
summit and oak-hickory communities, which
are found nowhere else in Northampton.
Good examples of these communities occur
within the conservation area, while even big-
ger examples occur on the prominent knob
south of Turkey Hill Road.
In addition to natural communities, the Min-
eral Hills also contain a few anthropogeni-
cally-generated habitats, including some
small grassy clearings, three old gravel pits,
and the quarry floor. Biologically, these are
interesting, ephemeral and often strange
habitats. The quarry floor, for instance, pro-
vides habitat for a few native plant and ani-
mal species that are only known in North-
ampton from other abandoned gravel pits.
Circumneutral rocky summit/rock outcrop. Open and park-like, this is one of the most biologically diverse and interesting natu-
ral communities within the entire conservation area. It supports a variety of spring wildflowers, including early saxifrage and
wild columbine, which are shown here.
9
Oak-Hemlock-White Pine Red Oak-Sugar Maple Transition
Successional White Pine (Seriously Thinned)
Circumneutral Talus Slope (Holyoke Range in distance)
10
Hemlock-Hardwood Swamp Red Maple Swamp
Anthropogenic Deep Marsh Habitat (in the abandoned quarry) Natural Deep Marsh Habitat (created courtesy of beavers. )
Intermittent Streams vary from rocky, hemlock-covered waterways to sandy bottomed streams within deciduous forest.
11
Ecoregion
The Mineral Hills are associated with an ecotone that lies between
the Connecticut River Valley lowlands and the Berkshire Plateau
and is called the “Berkshire Transition.” This band of hills is not
only higher in elevation, but cooler than the milder temperatures
typical closer to the Connecticut River. It is also far enough away
from the Connecticut River to feel the effect of its moderating in-
fluences. This extends even to fog conditions: the Mineral Hills, for
instance, are seldom bathed in the fogs that regularly engulf the
lower valley in the spring and fall.
American beech (right) is an example of a species that is more typi-
cal of northern forests. It occurs in low numbers within the Mineral
Hills.
12
Wildlife Value
The Mineral Hills encompass a large block of forest that includes roughly 1,500 acres in Northampton
and another 700 (or so) acres in Westhampton. On its own, the size of this wooded tract makes it valu-
able to forest-dependent animals, especially to species like wood thrush and rose-breasted grosbeak,
which are suffering from population declines. In addition, the area’s wildlife value is further enhanced
by its proximity to two other big blocks of uninterrupted woodland: the Sawmill Hills to the east, with
1,500 acres, plus thousands more wooded acres to the north and west. These qualities--large size and
connectivity--are critical factors in terms of this area’s ability to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem
function over the long haul. Put simpler, bigger is better—especially now with impending climate
change.
Sawmill Hills
(1,500 acres
of forest)
Mineral Hills
(2,200 acres
of forest)
Even more extensive
forests to the north
and west
The mix of habitats in and near the Mineral Hills also
increases its biodiversity value, from larger, more obvious
creatures like porcupines to smaller, often overlooked
creatures.
13
Vernal Pools
Of the 99 certified vernal pools in North-
ampton, only two have been certified
within the Mineral Hills, one on the DPW
property just off Sylvester Road and the
other is located at the north end of the
quarry. The main pond in the quarry does
not qualify as a vernal pool under MA
NHESP’s criteria because goldfish were
released there and have been able to over-
winter for at least ten years. That said, the
pond does provide breeding habitat for
gray tree frogs, pickerel frogs, green frogs
and bull frogs. In addition, a very small
depression near the northern rim does con-
tain enough water to act as a vernal pool.
Only four “potential” vernal pools have
been mapped within the Mineral Hills, but
others probably exist. More work on ver-
nal pools could be done within the Min-
eral Hills.
Rare Species
So far, only one state-listed species (wood
turtle) has been confirmed within the ex-
isting conservation area and it was ob-
served close to the intersection of Monta-
gue and Chesterfield Roads. Additionally,
one state-endangered plant (Rock butter-
cup (Ranunculus micranthus)) and two watch-listed species—Early Buttercup (Ranunculus fascicularis)
(pictured) and Rock Spikemoss (Selaginella rupestris)—are known to occur in the Mineral Hills (but
outside of the existing conservation land).
Aside from taxa tracked by MA NHESP, a few other species that are uncommon in the state have been
in or near the City’s conservation land. The quarry, as disturbed a setting as it is, provides habitat for
two species that were historically tracked by MA
NHESP: the Red-belly Tiger Beetle (Cicindela
rufiventris var. rufiventris) and Varied Scouring Rush
(Equisetum variegatum). The band of oak-hickory
forest in the Mineral Hills is also the only known site
in Northampton for four-leaved milkweed (Asclepias
quadrifolia) (pictured right), squawroot (Conopholis
americana) and wood violet (Viola palmata). Two
uncommon terrestrial snails are also found only in this
habitat type.
14
Interior Forest
This map that shows the least
fragmented interior forest
cores (dark green) in relation-
ship to protected land (bright
green). Interior forest areas
are recognized as critically
important to species that are
sensitive to forest fragmenta-
tion (scarlet tanagers, many
warblers). These areas are
“becoming increasingly
scarce in highly populated
states like Massachusetts,”
according to MA NHESP. As
such, knowing the location of
interior forest helps prioritize
properties for land acquisi-
tion, whether the focus is re-
silience to climate change or
forest-dependent species.
UMASS Conservation Assessment Prioritization System (CAPS)
Researchers at UMASS have developed computer
software (CAPS) that analyzes the landscape and pri-
oritizes land based on its ecological integrity and
long term sustainability. The integrity of interior for-
ests is one of the metrics that this model measures,
but it also takes into account many others.
Based on a CAPS analysis, the Mineral Hills are one
of the highest ranking areas in Northampton in terms
of its ability to sustain ecosystem processes and
maintain biodiversity over the long-term. Like
“Interior Forest” above, CAPS is yet one more way
to measure a landscape’s value and in this case, it
provides support for the continued acquisition and
protection of properties within Mineral Hills.
In this image, the colored areas are better than aver-
age based on CAPS analysis, with blue representing
aquatic habitats, red is shrub and grassland, and green
shading is forest. White areas are below average
based on CAPS. The darker the color, the “better” it
is in terms of its biodiversity potential.
15
Although much of the Mineral Hills has now been protected, its interior forest core is still at risk from
fragmentation. During the last fifteen years, two new hard rock quarries were created along the western
edge in Westhampton (largest yellow circle) and during the last 25 years several new homes with long
driveways were built along the eastern slopes (smaller yellow circles).
16
Aesthetic Value
The beauty of the Mineral Hills can be appreciated
from a distance and experienced firsthand within the
conservation area.
17
Zone II Aquifer
The narrow band of water-sorted sediments left behind during the era of Glacial Lake Hitchcock is an
outlying finger of a Zone II aquifer and contributes to the recharge and quality of Easthampton’s aquifer.
A small portion of the Mineral Hills Conservation Area along Sylvester Road is within this area.
Outstanding Resource Water: Tributary to a Surface Water Reservoir
A small portion of the Bookends parcel (formerly Sarafin/Clapp Farm) drains to Roberts Meadow
Brook, which is the principal tributary to the Roberts Meadow Reservoir. On this map what looks like a
giant lake is the drainage area for the streams that have been designated by DEP as Outstanding Re-
source Waters. Today the reservoir is an emergency water supply, but in the 1800s it was the City’s pri-
mary source for drinking water and fire protection.
18
Recreation Value
Although still unfamiliar to many Northampton residents, the Mineral Hills includes an elaborate net-
work of old wood roads and footpaths. Of these, the best marked trail system is located within the 413-
acre core property. It includes an old wood road that connects to other trails, one of which leads into
Westhampton (A) and another that links with the trail at the north end of the Mineral Hills. Other trails
(B) within the Clapp Farm have been obscured by recent logging activity and without some attention,
they will soon be overwhelmed and lost. The trails are maintained by the Friends of the Mineral Hills, an
all-volunteer group.
A B
19
There are currently five access points into the
conservation land, including three parking areas.
Turkey Hill Road/Sylvester Road
Parking is available on Sylvester Road.
There is a trailhead and kiosk here.
Parking is also available at the end of Turkey
Hill Road, which is discontinued from this
point. This is the simplest way to reach the
quarry and ridge trails.
A footpath on Turkey Hill Road begins near
the ponds and connects to the network of
trails.
North Bookend (Clapp Farm)
Marginal parking is available by pulling off
the road near the stop sign at the end of Mon-
tague Road. A trail leads into the protected
conservation land. Across the street, on the
west side of Roberts Meadow Brook, is a
wood road that leads to the 168 acres held
through a private conservation restriction.
This road was historically known as Mos-
quito Hollow Road. In the 19th century
Judson Marble lived about 1/2 mile in along
this road. A small stream in this vicinity now
bears his name and is a tributary to Roberts
Meadow Brook.
Agricultural Value
Prime farmland can be seen around the margins of the Mineral Hills. Within the conservation land,
about 13 acres are still farmed. This includes the 7-acre field that was formerly owned by the LaPalmes
and is now farmed by Henry Parsons of Mayval Farm in Westhampton. The remaining six acres is a
hayfield that is mowed by John Clapp and is part of the original Clapp Farm.
A B
20
Part 1: A Natural History of the Quarry & Vicinity
The Mineral Hills Conservation Area near Turkey Hill Road is outlined in yellow, with land under conservation restriction out-
lined in blue. The westernmost conservation restrictions are in Westhampton. Just west of these areas are two hard rock quarries
that have opened since the closing of quarry on Turkey Hill Road.
21
The Natural History of the Quarry & Vicinity
History & Conservation
Unlike some other parts of Northampton, news from West Farms was seldom reported in the Gazette
during the 19th or even early 20th century, probably because this region was sparsely settled and its pri-
mary activities of farming and logging weren’t viewed as particularly newsworthy.
In spite of that, it’s possible to make some good guesses as to what West Farms and the Mineral Hills
were like. Based on the descriptions of early English explorers, it’s likely that the Nonotuck used this
area infrequently and not for farming, but for hunting and gathering. In addition, like most upland areas,
they probably burned the wooded slopes every
few years. This would have created a forest with
relatively little undergrowth and old, widely
spaced canopy trees.
Once the English arrived and settled in North-
ampton, they continued the practice of inten-
tional burns in some parts of town (especially
along the rivers), but they also adopted rules on
cutting trees and prohibiting fires in the uplands.
In the early days of settlement, this part of
Northampton was set off as part of the Long Di-
vision and until the 1680s, it was held in com-
mon. During those years, the early settlers
probably used it intermittently (if at all) as a
place to harvest firewood, candlewood and tim-
ber.
Judging from nearby settlement patterns, the
first full-time residents probably didn’t arrive in
22
West Farms until the mid to late 1700s. (Westhampton’s first settlement was in 1762 and Florence was
settled in 1778). The relatively gentle slopes and broad flats along Parson’s Brook were good pasture
and the brook itself provided water power to run a sawmill. By the time the 1831 map was produced,
several families were living here, much of the area was cleared, Turkey Hill Road connected to West-
hampton and the area had become known as
West Farms. This district also had its own
school, a church and a sawmill on Parson’s
Brook (which was then known as Sawmill
Brook.) The residents of West Farms could
visit with their neighbors to the north in
Roberts Meadow District, which also in-
cluded several farms, two small manufactur-
ing operations, a school and a tavern. To the
southwest, Loudville was as busy or busier,
with mills, mining operations and a tavern.
During the 19th century, West Farms didn't’
Workers at Bartlett’s Sawmill in the 1880s. They harvested wood
from the Mineral Hills as well as the Sawmill Hills. Photo copied
from Images of Northampton by James M. Parsons.
No name is given to the hills north of Turkey Hill Road in the 1831 map (shown on the previous page), but by the time the 1856
map is created (above, left) , the knob where the now-abandoned quarry is located is called Bald Hill. On the 1939 topographic
map (above, right), the name Mineral Hills is used to describe this entire range, from Route 66 north to Chesterfield Road.
Meanwhile, the place name “Bald Hill” is now given to a lower-elevation knob further to the north. Today’s topographic maps
are consistent with the 1939 map.
23
change much. Although some new homes and names appear on the historic maps, it remained sparsely
settled. In fact, it wasn’t until after WWII that change began to take place—but only modestly. In 1947,
John Omasta, who had grown up in West Farms (his descendants still own and operate the family farm)
bought land with his brother along Turkey Hill Road and opened up a small sand bank, which was lo-
cated just south of the now-abandoned rock quarry. Several other sand and gravel operations began in
the vicinity around
the same time: the
area off of Burts Pit
Road owned by Bill
Willard, the former
gravel pit that became
Northampton’s land-
fill on Glendale Road,
and the gravel pits
owned by the Brakey
family, also on Glen-
dale Road.
Over the next three
decades, the Omastas
and subsequent own-
ers continued on-and-
off small-scale sand
and gravel mining. In
the 1971, the land was
purchased by James
Wzorek, another
gravel operator, who
ramped up the sand
and graveling opera-
tions. In addition, dur-
ing the next three
years, Wzorek bought
three more nearby
The conservation area, roughly outlined, and the surrounding landscape as it appeared in 1952.
What’s worth noting is the patchwork of forest, which reflects this area’s logging history and
different aged stands. In addition, this image shows the small sand quarries opened by the
Omastas on Turkey Hill Road in 1947/48. The sand banks are located at the “end” of Turkey
Hill Road, south and west of the large hayfield that can be seen in the center of the image. To-
day this former hayfield includes two single family homes along Turkey Hill Road, while the
rest has become wet meadow and shrub swamp.
24
properties and by 1975, had stitched to-
gether 195-acres of land. By then, he
had hit ledge while graveling and had
begun quarrying the highly fractured
rock. Although hard rock quarrying was
technically outside of the special permit
that allowed him to remove “gravel,
sand and topsoil,” no one stopped him.
By 1978, he was operating a stone
crusher on the site, which allowed him
to break up the rock before hauling it
away.
Wzorek continued mining gravel and
quarrying rock until 1986, when he sold
all of his land to a Connecticut-based
gravel and stone business known as Val-
ley Aggregates. It continued operations
and in 1988, the company requested a
permit from the City to build a cement
plant on the site. This was denied and
two years later, Valley Aggregates asked
for a permit to expand their stone crush-
ing on-site to include secondary and ter-
tiary processing. Until then, only pri-
mary crushing was done in the quarry.
This request was also denied and in
1990, in the wake of the second denial,
Valley Aggregates appealed the local
decision to Superior Court. In his deci-
sion, the judge not only ruled in favor of
the City, but he also noted that the stone
quarrying operation and stone-crushing
were non-conforming and “unlawful” Land use changes along Turkey Hill Road from 1971-2005.
Top image 1971, middle image 1999, bottom image 2005.
25
uses. In spite of the judge’s ruling,
quarrying and graveling continued.
But between 1990-1998, the operation
was minimal. The local zoning rules
were part of the reason, but so was a
slow economy. During those years the
company blasted just five times. But
in 1999, they ramped up their opera-
tions, detonating three times between
April and December. The following
year, they blasted five times. Mean-
while, to keep up with the added quan-
tity of material, eighteen wheelers
were now making multiple daily runs
up and down Turkey Hill Road.
Not surprisingly, the neighbors were
upset. Since Wzorek began quarrying
in the early 1970s, a dozen plus
homes had been built along Turkey
Hill. And as the number of large
trucks and blasts increased, the
neighborhood pulled together. They
were concerned about the safety of
their families with all of the added
traffic. They were alarmed by the
noise from the blasts and the crushing
machine. And finally, they were wor-
ried about structural damage to their
homes from the blasting. Already
some people had noticed cracks in
their ceilings.
The quarry in 1995 (top), 2001 (middle) and finally, in 2005 (bottom), a
year before it was protected as part of 150-acre conservation project.
26
In 2000, the neighbors sought help from the City and the building inspector, after visiting the quarry,
cited Valley Aggregates for a lack of permits and issued a cease-and-desist order. The company ap-
pealed, and the next few years were full of meetings, lawyers and court proceedings.
Although there were some stretches when work at the quarry was required to stop, mostly it was busi-
ness as usual. Then, in 2003, Ron Dahle, the owner of Valley Aggregates, informed neighbors that he
was planning a significant expansion, with 6-10 blasts per year and 70 truck trips per day. Based on pro-
jections, he said, the quarry could operate for a century. Faced with this news, the neighbors asked if he
would consider closing the quarry and putting in a housing development instead. But the quarry, they
were told, was worth much more than as a development.
In spite of this information, neighborhood
reps kept reaching out to Dahle, encourag-
ing him to shut down the quarry and con-
sider a subdivision. It’s unclear exactly
when along the timeline he changed his
thinking, but by 2005, Dahle had agreed.
Unfortunately his initial plan was almost as
alarming as the quarry’s continued opera-
tion: nearly 60 homes and more than a mile
Three potential subdivision layouts for the land in and around the quarry, showing 57 homes (top), 37 homes (above, left) and
22 homes (above, right). In the end, an even smaller scale project was built that protected 150 acres of land.
27
of new road threading throughout the entire property. But as site constraints and negotiations continued,
the plans were revised and scaled down, first to 37 homes, then 22 and finally to 11 units (3 triplexes
and two single family homes) on 22 acres, with most of the remaining land—150 acres—sold for con-
servation purposes (30 acres in Westhampton and 120 in Northampton).
To pay for the conservation portion, the City secured a self-help grant and the neighborhood and other
conservation groups raised the balance. The neighborhood effort was particularly stunning. In less than
two months, hundreds of individuals sent in a total of $186,000, with contributions coming from as far
away as Illinois, Texas and Alaska.
Finally, in late 2006, the 30 acres in Westhampton land were protected, and in early 2007, the 120 acres
in Northampton—including the quarry--were transferred to the City’s Conservation Commission. After
fifty years of gravel mining and more than 30 of quarrying, the sand and rock operations on Turkey Hill
Road in Northampton were over.
Since 2006
Since the acquisition of the 150 acres around the quarry, the City has continued buying land in the Min-
eral Hills. In the last ten years, it has completed five more transactions in the Turkey Hill area, including
a purchase two years later that linked the LaPalme property to the 150 acres in and around the quarry
site. All told, the City has helped to protect another 400 acres in the Turkey Hill/Sylvester Road
neighborhood, with 87 of those acres in neighboring Westhampton and the remainder in Northampton.
28
Vegetation Patterns
Of the two core areas of
protected land within the
Mineral Hills (Clapp Farm
and Turkey Hill), this
southern 413-acre block is
much more biologically
diverse. In addition to the
old quarry and abandoned
gravel pits, it includes a
former field/wet meadow
and beaver pond, rock
outcrops, red maple
swamp, and several kinds
of forest communities. In
many of these areas, there are few management or stewardship issues. The trail system is well-
maintained by the Friends of the Mineral Hills, ATV traffic has mostly ended, parties seldom happen at
the quarry (once an incredibly popular party spot), and the bulk of the property is free of invasive plants.
There are some troubles, however, as noted by Molly Hale in a write-up she prepared in 2006 for the
City’s Self-Help grant and also by forester Mike Mauri, who prepared a forest stewardship plan in 2010.
What follows are detailed vegetation descriptions, which are based on multiple visits to the conservation
area during 2014 and Mike Mauri’s findings. The descriptions correspond to the Vegetation Map on the
next page.
The changing look of the quarry as vegetation creeps in, in September 2011.
Indian Cucumber Root American Spikenard Whorled Loosestrife
29
Vegetation Patterns Map
Uplands
1a: Hemlock dominated with mixed hardwoods, some springs
1b: Hemlock with mixed hardwoods, some seeps and some Japanese barberry and Asiatic bittersweet
2: White pine dominated with mixed hardwoods
3a: Mixed oak (red oak, black oak, scarlet oak, with some chestnut) dry slope dominated hardwoods
3b: Mixed hardwoods (oak dominating) with history of cutting and wood roads
3c: Mixed hardwoods with oak, black birch
4a: Northern hardwood mix with black birch, some sugar maple, red maple, hickory, occasionally pine and hemlock
5: Circumneutral oak-hickory forest, rich with some talus—open and park like
6: Oak-hickory-dry slopes, abundant rock outcrops
7: Ridgetop Oak, with chestnut oak dominating. Low bush blueberry, huckleberry in shrub layer
8a: Former sandbank, white pine, quaking aspen, etc. kept open by ATVs
8b: Former sandbank, rock exposures, white pine and gray birch abundant, growing in; Japanese knotweed
9: Highly altered former clearing with young white pine, gray birch, black birch, etc. bittersweet and multiflora rose
10: Former quarry
11: Active farmland, with abundant invasive plants along edges and roadside border
Wetlands
W1: Red maple swamp
W2: Wet meadow, shrub swamp and former beaver impoundment
W3: Watershed divide swamp with some invasives (east draining side) and richer flora (west draining side)
1a
1b
1a
2
1a
3a
3a
3c
3a
4a
3b
6
7
7
7
5
8a
11
9
10
w2
w1
w3 8b
30
Uplands (Numbering Corresponds to Vegetation Patterns Map, page 29)
1. Hemlock Dominated Forest
1a: Dense stands of dying hemlock. The
stand to the south includes some huge
pines, plus scattered red oak, black oak,
red maple, black birch and hickory. The
stand to the north is on a slope and at its
base of the slope, there are more hard-
woods (including sugar maple) plus
multiple springs and seeps. This area is
free of invasives.
1b: This hemlock stand also includes scat-
tered white pine, shagbark hickory, red
oak, white oak, ash, sugar maple, black
birch, big-toothed aspen, and some tulip
trees. The understory is varied and shifts
with moisture and topography. In drier
areas, the shrub layer includes mountain
laurel, maple leaved viburnum, striped maple, and hazelnut, while the ground layer includes New
York fern, hayscented fern, Canada mayflower, wild oats, Indian cucumber root, partridgeberry,
starflower, false solomon’s seal and Christmas fern. Interestingly, along the stonewall near the for-
mer LaPalme pond, the soil is more fertile and the plants include wild geranium, red trillium, perfo-
liate bellwort, white baneberry, and poke milkweed. In wetter areas, spicebush, hog peanut, and
various violets, grasses and asters can also be found. Some Japanese barberry and Asiatic bittersweet
have invaded near forest edge not far from the LaPalmes’ former home.
2. White Pine Forest
This small patch is dominated by white pine, but also includes a mix of oaks and other hardwoods. Rock
outcrops are common here.
3. Mixed Oak/Hardwoods (3a, 3b and 3c)
3a: An oak-dominated forest (red oak, black oak, chestnut
oak, and some scarlet oak) with a mix of red maple,
hickory, black birch and scattered pine and hemlock.
The drier areas have swaths of Pennsylvania sedge,
huckleberry, and lowbush blueberry and more chestnut
oak. American chestnut resprouts can also be found
here, suggesting that historically chestnut was an im-
portant component in the canopy. Exposed rocky out-
crops occur here, and there are occasional patches of
little bluestem, wild basil, pussytoes and different as-
ters and goldenrods. This rich zone deserves more bo-
tanical exploration.
3b: Some of these woods have been cut fairly recently.
There are cut stems and an abundance of resprouts.
More generally, this area includes a mix of oak (red,
black, white), white pine, black birch, pignut hickory,
A shady stand of hemlock.
31
red maple, big-toothed aspen, paper birch, and hemlock. There is also some sugar maple, shagbark
hickory, beech. The shrubby understory includes mountain laurel, striped maple, maple-leaved
viburnum, and beaked hazelnut. Ferns are bracken, hayscented, New York and Christmas fern, and
in wetter spots, interrupted fern. Wildflowers include Virginia creeper, spotted wintergreen, com-
mon cinquefoil, wild licorice, pipsissewa and woodland asters. It includes a network of trails and
wood roads, an old log landing/small clearing and some old test pits. The clearing and old test pits
should be monitored for invasive plants; they are ideal sites for Asiatic bittersweet to get a foothold.
(A) The dead trunk of a red cedar can be seen in the center of this mage, a telltale sign that this area was once open. (B) A view
of the oak forest on the drier slopes, with clumps of huckleberry, lowbush blueberry and barren patches of dry leaves.
(C) Black birch, hemlock and several other species are common in this forest typically dominated by oak. (D) This healed
wound on this tree is a clue of past logging operations: it was caused by a skidder.
A B
C D
32
3c: Located on the south side of the wetland, this forest slope includes a mix of red oak, black oak and
other hardwoods (red maple, black birch, ash, hickory, poplar, as well as some black cherry and yel-
low birch). Hemlock and pine are less common. Mike Mauri estimated that the forest east of the
Cowls access road was last cut around 1920, while the forest to the west (mostly red maple, black
birch and paper birch) was cut in the 1960s. Finally, next to the old gravel bank (Stand 7) in the
westernmost section of the property, the mixed oak woods include black birch, red maple, and paper
birch. Mauri estimated that these trees were about 25 years old.
4. Long-Ago Pasture/Mixed Hardwoods
A few old sugar maples, wolf pines, dead red cedars, and strands of barbed wire indicated that this area
was a pasture long-ago. The area is varied topographically, with mostly gently sloping hillsides, a steep
ravine, and two small streams. Overall the forest is a mix of northern hardwoods, with black birch, sugar
maple, red maple, ash, hickory and some hemlock in moister areas and black oak and red oak in drier
areas. There is also some beech. Mauri estimated the different ages of the forest, with the western half
cut around 1930-1950 and the eastern portion last cut around 1910.
The understory plants are typical of the Mineral Hills. When present, the shrub layer often includes
mountain laurel, witch hazel, striped maple, maple-leaved viburnum, and beaked hazelnut. Spicebush is
common on the wetter slopes, along the streams and in the seepy areas. Grape vines are present in more
fertile areas. Hayscented, NY fern, lady fern and Christmas fern are common and often abundant.
Partridgeberry, Indian pipe, true solomon’s seal, wild sarsaparilla are among the common wildflowers.
The ravine includes a mix of hemlock, red maple, dying ash, sugar maple and mountain laurel, witch
hazel and striped maple. There are broad swaths of New York fern and hayscented fern, as well as
Two views of the deciduous forest along the trail that loops through the long-ago pasture, now hardwood forest.
33
Christmas fern, interrupted fern and also wild oats and white baneberry.
Although most of this area is free of invasives, some can be found closer to the quarry (e.g. Japanese
barberry and bittersweet).
5. Circumneutral Oak-Hickory Forest
Perhaps the most visually enchanting and botanically interesting, this narrow band includes abundant
rock outcrops and an open, park-like forest. Hickory, chestnut oak, and hop hornbeam are common and
red cedar, both stumps and some living specimens, can be found here. The understory includes swaths of
Pennsylvania sedge and several kinds of grasses. The rockier slopes, meanwhile, provide habitat for sev-
eral plants that are otherwise unusual for Northampton, including wild columbine, early saxifrage, sev-
eral sedges (including Carex plantaginea), gooseberry and red-berried elder. Nearby, on slightly drier
ground, grow four-leaved milkweed, ebony spleenwort, round-leaved ragwort, blue-stemmed goldenrod,
tick trefoils and other oddities that make this area interesting to explore. Unfortunately a few invasive
plants have also become established here and should be removed (e.g. Japanese barberry, Asiatic bitter-
sweet, winged euonymus, garlic mustard). Monitoring should be done here to ensure that these unwel-
come invaders do not overrun this special habitat.
This area was probably burned in the distant past, either through lightning strikes or carelessness, but the
presence of old wire fencing also reveals that it was once used as pasture.
Four views of the circumneutral oak-hickory forest.
34
6. Dry, Oak-Hickory-Sugar Maple Slopes
Adjacent to the circumneutral oak-hickory forest are drier, less rocky slopes that include a similar, but
slightly different mix of oak, sugar maple, red maple, birch, hemlock and occasional white pine. The
forest is taller and its patchy understory includes open grassy/sedgy clearings as well as thickets of huck-
leberry, deerberry and lowbush blueberry. The understory plants include asters and goldenrods that are
less commonly found in Northampton, as well as wild basil, four-leaved milkweed, perfoliate bellwort,
early violet, enchanter’s nightshade, and white snakeroot. This area is also one of the few known sites in
Northampton for round-leaved dogwood. No invasive plants were found within this habitat.
Some old bricks, daylilies and the remains of an old boat can be found near an old foundation located
along the trail that leads through this forest to the ridge.
7. Ridgetop Oak
Three areas within the conservation area are characterized as ridgetop oak communities and are domi-
nated by oaks (mostly chestnut oak, but also white, scarlet, and black oak). Red maple is also fairly fre-
quent and white pine is sometimes present. The understory is mostly huckleberry and lowbush blue-
(A) Wire strung now embedded in a large hickory. (B) The remains of an old rowboat lie adjacent to the trail. (C) A typical
view of the rich, dry oak-hickory-sugar maple slopes. (D) Ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron), a species that survives in
drier, richer sites and within Northampton, known only from the Mineral Hills.
A B
C D
35
berry. The conditions on the
ridge, with droughty, thin
soils, are so stressful that the
trees are dwarfed and only
about 20-25 feet in height.
At this point, there are no
invasive plants known from
this area.
8. Abandoned Sandpits
8a: This former sandpit re-
mains a mix of open
sand, with a margin of
gray birch, white pine,
black birch, and sweet
fern. The barren soils support few plants, but include
frostweed, whorled loosestrife, bluets and red clover.
Although anthropogenic in origin, this area provides
habitat for certain species, especially insects. Butter-
flies regularly seek these areas for basking, and tiger
beetles and native bees depend on areas like this for
nesting. Turtles from the nearby beaver pond might
also use this area for nesting. In recent years, this spot
has been unintentionally kept open by ATVs. It would
be good to keep this area open (but not by ATVs!).
Volunteers could cut the vegetation back, and while
they’re at it, they could cut out the few Morrow’s hon-
eysuckle that have established. They could also moni-
tor this area to make sure other invasive plants haven’t
become established.
8b: This sandpit includes rock exposures and some exposed sand. Much of it has grown in with pine.
There is a patch of Japanese knot-
weed within this highly altered area.
9. Highly Altered Land Immediately
Around Quarry
This is a highly altered area that was cut
and in some areas, scarified. It is now a
brushy area with a mix of white pine,
black birch, gray birch, pin cherry, quak-
ing aspen, wild grape, sweet fern and
blackberry. Asters, goldenrods and vari-
ous grasses are common, as are patches
of bracken and Polytrichum moss. Al-
though invasive plants in this area were
treated in 2007, Asiatic bittersweet and
multiflora rose are still present and
should be controlled.
In 2009, Brian Kitely, a native of Northampton and writer, published a
novel called The River Gods. In it, he brings his ancestors and relatives to
life, writing from their personal perspectives. One of them includes a jour-
nal entry in 1852, “written” by the” Sage of Mineral Hill:
…Northampton below from Mineral Hill is as remote as the North-
west Passage. We live on what we find, the dog and me-service
berries in June, tart strawberries, carrots that taste of metal. What
is any man's discourse to me, if I am not sensible of something in it
as steady and cheery as the creak of crickets? In it the woods must
be relieved against the sky. Men tire me when I am not constantly
greeted and refreshed as by the flux of sparkling streams. Surely
joy is the condition of life.
Gray birch, Betula populifolia.
The trail around the quarry rim growing in with sweet fern, gray birch,
pine, blackberries, oaks and other species.
36
10. Now-Abandoned Quarry
(a) Open Water: Fed by
groundwater and rain-
water, the pond now sup-
ports a mix of cattails
(Typha latifolia, T. angus-
tifolia) as well as bladder-
wort and pondweed
(Potamogeton sp.). Along
the margins grow three
kinds of willows, a variety
of sedges, bulrushes and
grasses, and also several
different wild-
flowers (tickseed
sunflower, marsh
bedstraw,
groundnut).
Gray tree frogs, American toads,
bullfrogs and green frogs all use
the open water in the quarry for
breeding.
a
b
c
d
e
c d f f
g h
i
j
37
(b) Quarry Floor/Wildflowers: This area was seeded with wildflowers years ago and now in-
cludes a mix of grasses (timothy, orchard grass) and wildflowers (St. Johnswort, sweet
white clover, sweet yellow clover, hop clover, black medic, red clover, white clover, bird’s
foot trefoil, yarrow, ox-eye daisy, brown-eyed susan, common speedwell, common milk-
weed, wild alfalfa, Queen Anne's lace, asters, etc.)
(c) Quarry Floor and Rim: These areas of the quarry have revegetated on their own and are now
dominated by sweetfern, with patches of blackberry, winged sumac, raspberry, gray birch,
white pine, quaking aspen, bracken, goldenrod and asters. The vegetation within the quarry
should be mechanically cut back to provide shrub habitat. Otherwise it will all grow up into
brush and forest.
Two of the many species of wildflower planted in the floor of the quarry. Although many of these wildflowers are non-native,
they do not spread into natural communities, but are essentially confined to disturbed settings like this. Aside from their i nher-
ent beauty, the wildflowers attract a wide array of insects.
Sweet fern is a relative of bayberry and not a fern at all. It thrives in settings like the quarry floor and around the rim. In some
parts of the old quarry, species like sweet white clover and daisy fleabane have established in the more open clearings. Unle ss
this area is managed, the sweet fern and other woody species will spread into these areas.
38
(d) Quarry Rock Walls: Black locust, staghorn sumac, black birch, quaking aspen, gray birch,
pin cherry, plus coltsfoot, yarrow, ladies’ tresses (in wet areas)….and some tangles of Asi-
atic bittersweet.
(e) Vernal Pool & Wetland: A small seep and depression form a vernal pool (certified) and the
surrounding area includes wet ground that has revegetated since 2006. This area includes an
interesting mix of plants, including various violets, swamp candles, seedbox, meadowsweet,
steeplebush, round-leaved sundew, marsh fern, blue-eyed grass, field horsetail, scouring
rush, variegated horsetail (only known from one other site in Northampton). It also includes
a mix of sedges, rushes, sphagnum moss, cattail and a small patch of Phragmites, which
should be controlled.
(A) The quarry walls are highly varied-some are tangled with vegetation —like this bittersweet—while others (B) are com-
pletely open. Ravens have been nesting on one of these open ledges for the last five or so years.
A B
This diminutive variegated horsetail (Equisetum variegatum) is known from only one other site (also a gravel pit) in Northamp-
ton. (B) The small depression that holds water and is a certified vernal pool is threatened by the spread of Phragmites, see n
here.
39
(f) Open Gravel: Scoured open areas with sands, gravel and exposed ledge are found just out-
side the quarry entrance and on its southern rim. These areas are mostly open, but include
patches of sweet fern, quaking aspen, gray birch and winged sumac. There are also broad
patches of Polytrichum moss as well as other grasses, violets, blue curls and some other
hardy plants. More concerning is that these areas also have some Asiatic bittersweet and
autumn olive.
(g) Tree Islands and Formerly Cut Forest: These areas are former spoil piles that have been al-
lowed to grow back and now include: big-toothed aspen, gray birch, sweet fern, willows,
white pine, red maple, hayscented fern, whorled loosestrife, coltsfoot and sedges. These ar-
eas also host several invasive plants, including Morrow’s honeysuckle, Asiatic bittersweet
and multiflora rose.
Weedy patches along with white pine, birches and aspen characterize these young stands found in the quarry. These are places
where Morrow’s honeysuckle, seen here in fruit, has established.
40
(h) White Pine/Sugar Maple: Located along the entrance road, this area is dominated by white
pine and sugar maple. Also present are hemlock, some oaks, and one of the largest shagbark
hickories I have seen in Northampton. Canada mayflower, wild oats, sedges, red trillium,
and woodland asters grow in the understory. The road in this area is eroding.
(i) Former Hayfield/Shrub Meadow and
Parking Lot Edge: Once a hayfield,
this area is now a wet meadow with a
mix of grasses, young shrubs (panicled
dogwood, alder, willow). The nearby
parking lot edge shares some species,
but it is generally drier, with a history
of more alteration. It was once part of a
much larger gravel bank. On its margin
grow both native and non-native
plants. Cottonwood, staghorn sumac,
willows and goldenrods are among the
more common natives, while Asiatic
bittersweet, multiflora rose, Japa-
nese knotweed and tree-of-heaven
are very abundant non-natives.
These should be controlled—and since the invasions are still small enough, they could be.
(j) Wet Meadow: A soggy, more open stretch along the stream with sedges, bulrushes, touch-me
-not and other common wetland plants.
11. Agricultural Fields
Although the bulk of this land is under cultivation, the field’s brushy borders, below the former LaPalme
home and along an old stonewall, include a mix of young trees and shrubs as well as an abundance of
invasive plant, including a large and expanding patch of Japanese knotweed, as well as multiflora rose,
autumn olive, Morrow’s honeysuckle and quite a bit of Asiatic bittersweet. Controlling these invasives
(A) This remnant patch of pine and sugar maple forest has little growing in the understory. (B) Japanese knotweed grows along
the edge of the parking area at the end of Turkey Hill Road.
The open hayfield shown in the 1952 aerial photo is now a mix
of wet meadow and shrub swamp.
A B
41
will be difficult because the vegetation in this area is so dense. There are also several young butternut
along the edge; these should not be cut.
Wetlands
Although wetlands and streams make up a relatively small portion of the property, their contribution to
the site’s overall biodiversity is disproportionately large. In addition to the old quarry site and the inter-
mittent streams draining through the hardwood forest, there are three other wetlands on the property.
w1: A swamp dominated by red maple, winterberry and spicebush, this wetland also includes hemlock,
black birch and yellow birch in the canopy. Silky dogwood, highbush blueberry, ironwood and mountain
laurel as well as a variety of grasses, sedges, wildflowers and ferns fill in the understory. Sphagnum and
other mosses are abundant.
w2This wetland varies from open, wet meadow to shrub swamp (alder, willow) to a former beaver pond
that at this point is drained. The beavers, which arrived ~2003, used an old stonewall as the base for
their dam. During their tenure, all of the trees were killed by flooding or chewing. Today the former bea-
ver pond includes fewer trees and more shrubs.
w3: Portions of this wooded wetland varies dramatically and it includes a watershed divide. The inva-
sive plants are all found on the east side, close to an old gravel pit.
Wetland Draining to East
Closest to the old gravel pit and parking area the drier, altered margins include quaking aspen, cotton-
wood, willow, and big-toothed aspen. There is a small pond near the old access road that includes cat-
tail, alder and tussock sedges, as well as Phragmites and Japanese knotweed. This area has been highly
altered (gabions, culvert), but the small depression provides breeding habitat for toads and green frogs.
Other plants in the area are silky dogwood, red maple, sensitive fern and several grasses. There is also
some bittersweet.
Moving away from the highly altered area, the wet forest includes a mossy stream that is very pretty.
The bordering land is moist and includes hemlock, red maple and sugar maple. In the understory there
is witch hazel, spicebush, witch hazel and a variety of wildflowers and ferns (golden saxifrage, touch-
The edge of the farm field includes a mix of non-natives, a few of which are seen here: Japanese knotweed, multiflora rose and
autumn olive.
42
me-not, violets, wood anemone, dwarf ginseng, jack in the pulpit, Virginia creeper, Indian cucumber
root, hellebore, as well as hayscented fern, Christmas fern, lady fern and interestingly, even a little
maidenhair fern.
Moving still further from the areas that were once disturbed, the stream becomes deeply shaded and
dissecting. There are occasional seeps, and the vegetation shifts to more hemlock, with white pine, red
maple and yellow birch. The forest floor now includes partridgeberry, foam flower, golden ragwort,
wood anemone, poison ivy, bluebead lily, cinnamon fern, turtle head, and lots of dewberry. The rocks
are more moss covered and to the south, there is a small area where the hillside is covered with rocks
and dominated by hemlock, with scattered ash and red maple. Bluebead lily, Canada mayflower, gold
thread and cinnamon fern are very common here.
The character of the wetland shifts again and now includes more yellow birch, as well as black ash and
scattered hemlock. Cinnamon fern, royal fern, swamp saxifrage, Canada mayflower, poison ivy, and a
sedge called Carex bromoides are the most common in the understory. Several other less commonly
observed sedges are present here as are a number of other wildflowers.
Swamp Forest draining to West
At the watershed divide, the character of the wetland changes and becomes very rocky and dominated
by hemlock. A gurgling stream can be heard below and then emerges. There is much less cinnamon
43
fern (than in the east draining wetland) and lady fern is much
more common, as is silvery spleenwort. Leatherwood, a spe-
cies that prefers neutral soils, is common here, and the canopy
includes yellow birch, red maple, black ash, with an abun-
dance of mountain laurel and witch hazel on the drier borders.
Touch-me -not, hellebore, foam flower, golden ragwort, en-
chanter’s nightshade and broad beech fern are also present as
well as some mountain maple. The topography changes and
the stream enters a narrow, tight ravine with hemlock borders.
The 30-foot right of way for the Cowls lot crosses the wetland
in this vicinity.
As the topography flattens out, the stream winds through a
hemlock swamp forest with abundant sedges, wood horsetail,
poison ivy, cinnamon fern, various sedges and grasses. It
eventually drains into Turkey Brook in Westhampton.
The intermittent stream draining to the west flows into this beaver pond in Westhampton, which is protected through a private
conservation restriction.
Two botanical indicators of richer soils: (A) leatherwood and (B) silvery spleenwort.
A B
The access road to the Cowls land.
44
Recommendations
Mike Mauri’s forestry stewardship plan for this property included several management recommenda-
tions, several of which are echoed here.
1. Control existing invasive plants & monitor for new invasions
At present, there are four primary areas with invasive plants: along the parking lot at the end of Tur-
key Hill Road, in and around the quarry, along the farm field edge of the former LaPalme property,
and within the narrow band of circumneutral oak-hickory forest. From an ecological perspective, con-
trolling invasives in the rich oak-hickory zone is the most important. It is also the most easily accom-
plished; at this point, the number of invasive plants is still low and one or two people could remove
all of them in less than a day. In contrast, the other three areas will require more effort over a longer
period of time. Although volunteers could make a big difference, the invasive plants in these areas are
particularly difficult to eradicate (e.g. Japanese knotweed, Asiatic bittersweet, multiflora rose, autumn
olive, Phragmites and Morrow’s honeysuckle), which means that until a biological control is found,
any volunteer efforts would need to be followed up with herbicide spot treatments.
2. Maintain the shrub habitat and open meadow in and around the quarry and in the adjacent gravel pits
by using a Brontosaurus and/or brush hog.
3. Fix the erosion on the trail leading to the quarry.
4. Work with Smith Vocational, volunteers or a tree service to clear one or two views at the top of the
ridge.
5. Remove the ugly, old silt fence and fix the clogged
culvert at the end of the Turkey Hill Road.
6. Continue to control ATV use.
7. Keep trails wide to reduce the chance of encounter-
ing deer ticks.
8. Certify/investigate potential vernal pools in and near the conservation area.
Deer ticks!
45
9. Extend a trail to the beaver pond in Westhampton and to
the old gravel pit that has the nice exposure of bedrock.
10. Conduct a detailed natural history inventory of the
plants and animals within the Mineral Hills Conserva-
tion Area.
11. Record/video tape interviews with Armand and Rosel
LaPalme, Paul Foster-Moore, Mark Carmien, Jo-Anne
Bessette, Wayne Feiden, and others about the conserva-
tion of this part of the Mineral Hills.
12. Provide support and guidance to the Friends of the
Mineral Hills.
46
Part II: A Natural History of the Bookends Parcel
(Formerly Sarafin/Clapp Farm)
~ 90 acres
The Bookends Parcel (120 acres) includes 90 acres of conservation land in Northampton (outlined in yellow) and 30 acres in
Westhampton (outlined in blue). The land to the north and east is protected through private Conservation Restrictions or owned
by the DPW.
47
Conservation of the Clapp Farm
In 2005 John Clapp asked his cousin/forester
Tom Jenkins to mark the timber on his land
and after cruising the property, Jenkins
asked Clapp if he had ever considered put-
ting his land under a conservation restric-
tion. At the time, Clapp admits, he didn’t
know much about conservation restrictions,
but after learning more about them, he and
his wife Dee were on board. The following
year they worked out the terms of a conser-
vation restriction with a fledgling conserva-
tion group called the Nonotuck Land Fund
(now part of Kestrel Trust), sold their devel-
opment rights and placed twenty acres of
hayfield and forest under a permanent Con-
servation Restriction.
By then, Clapp had also been talking about
conservation restrictions to his sisters, en-
couraging them to take similar steps with
their shares of the family farm. The next
year, Clapp’s sister Miriam put her share—
57 acres—under Conservation Restriction
and two months later, Clapp and his wife
placed another 35 acres under easement.
Three years later, two other sisters—Liz
Clapp Anderson and Christine Clapp Guyette--worked with the Nonotuck Land Fund and placed their
168 acres under a conservation restriction. Two years later, in 2012, another relative, Joan Sarafin, pro-
tected her 120 acres, selling 90 acres of the family farm to Northampton’s Conservation Commission
and 25 contiguous acres in Westhampton to the Kestrel Trust. Known as the “Bookends” parcel during
the fundraising effort, its protection filled in a key parcel. In less than a decade, nearly 400 acres of the
Clapp Farm had been protected in perpetuity.
The Bookends Parcel (120 acres) in context, with the other Clapp
family farmland (light red) and the City’s DPW land (lavender). Its
protection helped protect a block of land that now extends all the way
to Roberts Hill and helped fill a key piece in the Mineral Hills. The
frontage along Montague Road and Chesterfield Road was particularly
vulnerable to development.
48
History
The connection between the Clapp
family and this corner of North-
ampton extends through six gen-
erations. In 1826 Henry Clapp
(John’s great-great-great grandfa-
ther) purchased 100 acres from
Leander Moody’s family. Moody
was best known as the owner of
the then- famous tavern at the in-
tersection of Chesterfield and Syl-
vester Roads, but he also operated
a sizeable farm. In those early
days, this part of Northampton was
known as the Roberts Meadow Dis-
trict and although small, it was
fairly busy and included a school
house, a tannery, a sawmill and another small factory. Henry Clapp settled in the district largely to work
as a blacksmith, but he also farmed and was a co-owner of the local sawmill.
By the time of his arrival, a lot of the forest in this area had been cut and cleared. A sawmill had been
built nearby almost 60 years before and the leather factory just down the road had been operating for
nearly 40 years. In the early 1800s, the tannery was in its heyday and was considered one of the most
important leather factories in the Commonwealth, processing up to 30,000 hides a year and employing
up to 20 men. Its operation, however, required enormous quantities of oak and hemlock bark, which
were ground up and used in the processing of hides and so the tannery alone had a huge impact on the
surrounding forest.
But the tannery wasn’t the only source of pressure on the local woodlands. The development of the
woolen mills in nearby Leeds (then known as Shepherd’s Hollow) in the early 1800s was another. By
the time, Henry Clapp settled his growing family here, Leeds was bustling and like everywhere else in
those days, wood was the only source of fuel for heating and cooking. For the factories and workers in
Leeds, some of their firewood almost certainly came from this part of town. In addition, more forest
The 1831 map shows about ten houses, two factories a school and Moody’s
Tavern. Other farms were nearby in Westhampton and to the south in West
Farms. The stippling on this map suggest that most of the Sawmill Hills and
Mineral Hills were still covered with some kind of forest, but probably none of
it was virgin by then and was growing back.
49
clearing was done to create pasture
for sheep that were being raised by
the thousands to supply local textile
mills with wool. “Sheep fever,” as it
was known, played an important
role in land clearing here and else-
where in southern New England.
When Henry Clapp arrived, land
clearing was at its peak, with up-
wards of 80% of the state open.
During his tenure, Henry Clapp and
his wife Nancy Root Clapp raised
six sons on the farm and during the
next three generations, his descen-
dants bought more land, eventually accumulating 1,000 acres in this corner of Westhampton, Northamp-
ton and Williamsburg. The Clapp Farm owned dairy cows, grew crops, harvested hay and cut timber off
their land.
During the last fifty years,
John’s father and Uncle
Philip ran the farm. In the
1960s, they sold off several
parcels (~300 acres) and in
the late 1980s, they sold off
the last of their dairy herd.
After John Clapp’s father
and uncle died, the farm
was subdivided among the
family’s heirs, which in-
cluded John and his five
sisters and also his uncle’s
step daughter, Joan Sarafin
and her husband John. The
By 1895, when this map was produced, James Clapp had taken over his
grandfather’s farm. During his lifetime, he increased the size of the family’s
holdings from 200 acres to 1,000. What this map doesn’t show is the City’s
new reservoir, which was built in 1883, just opposite the schoolhouse, on
Roberts Meadow Brook. .
Evidence of the land’s farming history is easy to find. Rough stonewalls mark old field
edges and boundaries and although they are now found in the middle of the forest, they
tell a story of past land clearing. Most of these walls probably date to the 1820s-1840s.
Barbed wire is also easy to find. It was invented after the Civil War, came into wide-
spread usage in the 1870s and is still a popular fencing material.
50
Sarafins received 120 acres (90 in North-
ampton and 25 in Westhampton) and in
2006, they hired a local logging company
to begin harvesting some of the trees. Log-
ging continued, albeit sporadically, until
2011, when a new logging company was
hired. During the next year, a fairly heavy
cutting job was done (~276,000 board
feet), with most of the trees being white
pine and oak.
In 2013, forester Mike Mauri completed a
stewardship plan for the property, but oth-
erwise no management or stewardship ac-
tivities have been done since the land’s
acquisition.
Miriam
Clapp CR
John & Diane
Clapp CR
Liz Clapp Anderson
& Christine Guyette
CR
DPW
Kestrel
Trust
Bookend
(Formerly
Sarafin)
The pasture at the intersection of Montague and Chesterfield Road in 1952 and 2013. Today this former pasture is seriously
invaded by non-native plants, particularly Asiatic bittersweet and multiflora rose. Returning this portion of the property to an
open clearing would help reveal the historic stonewalls, control invasive species, improve access, and restore habitat for wo od
turtles and grassland birds (woodcock, savannah sparrow, bobolink). Once cleared, a portion of this pasture could be leased to a
local farmer or it could be maintained as grassland/shrub habitat.
51
These two aerial views show a bigger view of the Bookend parcel, the Clapp CRs properties and
vicinity in 1965 and in 2013.
52
Vegetation Patterns
1: Hardwood dominated (logged 2006-2012), mostly level w1: Hemlock/yellow birch swamp
2. Hemlock/hardwood mix (logged 2006-2012), 25-35% slope w2: Hemlock dominated swamp/perched wetland
3: Successional white pine
4: Former pasture/brushy field/invasives
5: Log landing/open grasses & goldenrods Westhampton-Northampton Line 4
3
w-2
5
1
W-1
2
Private
Conservation
Restrictions
(Clapp)
DPW Watershed Bookends North Parcel
(aka Clapp/Sarafin)
90 acres in Northampton;
25 acres in Westhampton
53
Vegetation Patterns
Except for a steep slope at the south end, most of
this 90-acre property is fairly level, with mild
slopes and no exposed bedrock. The land is
mostly uplands (75 acres), with only two small
wooded swamps. Aside from two small clearings
that have been kept open by log landings and
ATV use, the rest of the property is forested.
In spite of the property’s relative uniformity, the
composition of the canopy—thanks to the richer,
deeper soils--is diverse. Oaks are the most abun-
dant trees (red, black and white oak), but many
other hardwoods are common (shagbark and pig-
nut hickories, black and paper birch, red maple ).
The hardwood component of the canopy also in-
cludes minor amounts of ash, sugar maple, black
cherry and yellow birch. White pine is also com-
mon and widely scattered throughout forest, and
there is one good-sized stand that has grown up in
an abandoned pasture. Hemlock too is found
throughout much of the property, but, at least for
now, it is most common in the property’s two
main wetlands—one in the interior of the property
and the other along Montague Road. All of the hem-
locks are affected by both hemlock woolly adelgid
and scale.
What follows are more detailed descriptions of the vegetation patterns. These numbering and descrip-
tions correspond to the vegetation patterns map on page 52.
Most of the property is fairly level, with only the north end
of Bald Hill having any significant slope.
54
Uplands
Mixed Hardwoods—Level & Gently Sloping (1)
This mostly level area was cut repeatedly between 2006-2012 and includes a diverse mix of hard-
woods, white pine and hemlock. Oaks are the most common (red oak, white oak, black oak) but hick-
ory, red maple, and black birch are also widespread, and several other hardwood species occur in low
numbers (black cherry, ash, sugar maple). Chestnut oak can also be found, especially along the drier
ridges within the Westhampton portion, where some small rock outcrops are exposed.
Within this large block, the understory varies widely. In some sections (especially recently logged
sites) there is a carpet of hayscented fern, while in many other areas, the ground layer is virtually ab-
sent. When herbaceous plants occur, the most frequently encountered are partridgeberry, Canada
mayflower, starflower, common woodland aster, wild sarsaparilla, Indian pipe, bracken fern, New
York fern and Christmas fern. The shrub layer is also variable. Mountain laurel is the most common,
but witch hazel, maple-leaved viburnum, huckleberry and low-bush blueberry are patchy. Blackberry
is abundant in the sunnier, logged clearings. In parts of the central section, the forest includes more
hemlock (all dying), and dozens of young bittersweet seedlings were found growing below. Whether
these plants will survive is unclear, but their establishment in the interior part of the forest was worri-
some. Aside from this area, the only other non-native plants found were some Japanese barberry grow-
ing in the Westhampton portion and a single Asiatic bittersweet in a seepy spot.
55
Hemlock/Red Oak/Mountain Laurel—Steep Slope (2)
The slope at the property’s southern end is dominated by hemlock and red oak, but scattered through-
out are a mix of other species, including black birch, red maple, hop hornbeam, hickory, American
chestnut, white pine and chestnut oak (some good sized). The soils here are drier and more acidic, and
the understory vegetation is patchy. Mountain laurel is the most abundant and witch hazel is common.
The other shrubs here include huckleberry, lowbush blueberry and maple-leaved viburnum. The her-
baceous layer is very thin. Starflower and partridgeberry are some of the only plants. What’s
“interesting” about this slope is that although it feels like you are deep in the forest and away from
civilization. The trees along the boundary, however, have strands of barbed wire, indicating that this
area was used as pasture decades ago.
So far, there are no invasive plants found within this patch of forest. There are, however, invasive in-
sects. All of the hemlock here is dying due to the non-native hemlock woolly adelgid and hemlock
scale.
A dying hemlock stand. Bittersweet seedlings below the dying hemlock.
56
Succession White Pine Stand (3)
This old white pine stand was cut fairly hard
between 2006-2012 and is now thin and
patchy. Red maple is common in the canopy
and there is also some red oak. In the wake of
logging, the forest understory has grown into a
tangled mix of blackberry, witch hazel, hay-
scented and lady fern. There is also an abun-
dance of multiflora rose and Asiatic bitter-
sweet, particularly along the stonewall that
borders John Clapp’s property. Regrettably the
last cutting job left lots of slash and the trail is
now blocked in many places.
Old pasture/Brushy Tangle & Log Landings
(4 & 5)
Used as cow pasture by the Clapp family until the late 1980s, this area along Chesterfield and Monta-
gue Road has grown into a brushy mix, with dense stands of young white pine (no understory vegeta-
tion below) and deciduous species (staghorn sumac, red maple, black cherry, old apple trees, black
birch). This area has the most serious invasive species problem within this 90-acre property. Mike
Mauri, in his stewardship plan, estimated that non-native plants currently cover about 10% of this
area. The most widespread and abundant are Asiatic bittersweet, multiflora rose and Morrow’s honey-
suckle, but Japanese barberry is also present. Two small areas in the old pasture are still open and
grassy, and also include steeplebush, sweetfern, dewberry, goldenrods, blackberry, and yarrow. These
clearings have remained open because they were used as log landings or by ATVs.
Wetlands
Swamp Forest (w-1)
Dominated by yellow birch, hemlock and red maple, this seepy swamp forest is a headwater for Par-
son’s Brook. Striped maple and witch hazel are common on the higher hummocks, while wetter places
support winterberry, northern arrowwood and spicebush. The understory plants are typical of wooded
swamps. Ferns include interrupted fern, New York fern, spinulose wood fern, crested shield fern, and
sensitive fern, while the wildflowers include Virginia creeper, swamp dewberry, poison ivy, gold
thread, turtlehead, spotted touch-me -not, foamflower, enchanter’s nightshade, hog peanut and violets.
There are no invasive plants growing here.
Hemlock Hardwood Swamp (w-2)
This small, shady swamp is dominated by
hemlock, but also includes white pine, red ma-
ple, black birch, and occasionally yellow
birch. The shrub layer is mostly absent, but
includes sporadic patches of mountain laurel
and witch hazel. The forest floor is full of wet,
moss-covered rocks and seepy springs. Wild-
flowers include hellebore, wintergreen, foam-
flower, partridgeberry, poison ivy, golden rag-
wort, golden saxifrage and painted trillium.
The ferns include spinulose woodfern and
57
Christmas fern. Ultimately this water coa-
lesces into an intermittent stream, which drains
under Montague Road and joins Roberts
Meadow Brook. A barbed wire fence runs
through this forest and along the trees border-
ing Montague Road, indicating that cows were
allowed to roam through this wet area in the
past. The hemlock is infested with woolly
adelgid and scale and Japanese barberry, garlic
mustard and multiflora rose can be found
along the roadside edge.
Recommendations
1. Restore the former pasture/clearing at the intersection of Montague & Chesterfield Roads .
This project would make the management and control of invasive plants much easier and it
would also improve the habitat for species in decline (e.g. wood turtle, American woodcock,
savannah sparrow, kestrel and possibly bobolink, which nest successfully in the vicinity), reveal
the historic stonewalls (now almost entirely hidden by brush), and possibly create an opportunity
for a local farmer. The East Quabbin Land Trust, for instance, has a cooperative agreement with
a beef farmer that has been a win: win for both parties. The farmer gets use of the land and in
return is responsible for maintaining the field edges and controlling invasive plants.
Initially a brontosaurus mower would be required, followed by annual (or every other year) disc
cutting or brush hogging. The abutting owner, John Clapp, expressed interest in collaborating.
2. Control invasive plants in and around the former pasture.
3. Create a small parking area along Montague Road at the edge of the former log landing. (Trash
would be a concern, but right now the only parking is along the roadside and suitable for only 1-2
cars.)
4. Work with the Friends of the Mineral Hills, nearby residents, AmeriCorps, Smith Vocational, the
County Jail and/or other volunteers to restore the pre-existing trail system, fix erosion issues, and
map the trails.
58
5. Secure permission to cross private land
and formally link the trails between the
Turkey Hill Road conservation land and
this property.
6. Discuss with DPW the possibility of ac-
cess to the ravine on the other side of
Chesterfield Road, which is one of the
most beautiful spots in Northampton.
7. Install a kiosk at the trailhead describing
the history of the area.
8. Continue acquisition of adjacent parcels.
9. Encourage field walks and research pro-
jects in this area.
10. Enroll the land in the Forest Stewardship
Program (as per the forest stewardship
plan.)
Footpaths and wood roads that used to exist within this conser-
vation area have been obscured by slash left after the last log-
ging job. Unless they are re-opened soon, they will disappear
as the vegetation grows in.
This is one of the few places where erosion occurs along the
main wood road. It could be improved with a few water bars.
This wood road heads south and connects to the trail system in
the conservation land along Turkey Hill Road. Although
mostly free of invasive plants, Asiatic bittersweet and multi-
flora rose occur in this stretch as the trail enters the forest from
the old pasture.
59
Along the narrowest section of this property is one small
area with sweeter soils. Growing here is a mix of sugar
maple, Christmas fern, hazelnut, maidenhair fern and
spicebush. There is also some Asiatic bittersweet and
Japanese barberry near a small intermittent stream
(right).
Although these 90 acres have been recently been logged, the cut-
ting was a shelterwood and there are still many good sized trees
within the forest. Even bigger trees can be found along the prop-
erty’s borders and its corners, like this old white oak. There are
also a few very large red oak, black birch, and bitternut hickory
along the wood road near the old pasture.
60
The property in 1952. At the top of the image is the upper reservoir, Chesterfield Road and the original Clapp family farm
house. To the south, the now-abandoned telephone & telegraph right-of-way can be seen cutting east-west across the forest and
pasture. In the lower left is a former pasture that is growing in. Bald Hill is further south and outside of this image.
61
Appendix 1
Forest Stand Map—Turkey Hill Road Vicinity Prepared by Mike Mauri
62
Appendix 2
Forest Stand Map—The Bookends Parcel (formerly Sarafin) Prepared by Mike Mauri