Heritage Landscape Inventory program available to Connecticut River Valley towns

The Department of Conservation and Recreation has announced that it is bringing a second round of the state’s Heritage Landscape Inventory Program to the Connecticut River Valley region.

The Heritage Landscape Inventory Program works with local communities and regional organizations to identify significant landscapes and to develop recommendations for their protection.

“To date, the DCR has been able to help 108 communities, providing them with the tools to leverage funds and generate support for the protection of their heritage landscapes,” said DCR Commissioner Richard Sullivan Jr., who is scheduled to attend a June 19 workshop in Williamsburg. “Due to the high level of interest in the program from communities in this region, we are happy to be offering them a second opportunity to participate.”

The DCR is launching this round of the regional project with two kick-off meetings to introduce area residents and organizations to the program and to distribute application materials.

The first meeting will be held on Friday, June 19, at 9 a.m. at the Williamsburg Grange, 10 Main St. (Route 9), in Williamsburg. The second will be held on Wednesday, June 24, at 5:30 p.m., in the Sunderland Town Offices, 12 School St., in Sunderland.

Communities will be selected to participate in this program through a competitive application process, according to the DCR. Communities must complete an application and provide a local project coordinator to facilitate the project on the municipal level. In exchange, communities will receive free technical assistance from DCR and a professional consulting team.

A cash match is not required to participate in the program.

The following 54 communities are eligible to apply: Agawam, Amherst, Ashfield, Belchertown, Blandford, Buckland, Charlemont, Chester, Chesterfield, Chicopee, Colrain, Conway, Cummington, Deerfield, East Longmeadow, Erving, Gill, Goshen, Granby, Granville, Hadley, Hampden, Hawley, Heath, Holland, Holyoke, Huntington, Leyden, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Middlefield, Monroe, Monson, Montague, Montgomery, Northampton, Northfield, Pelham, Plainfield, Rowe, Russell, Shelburne, Shutesbury, Southampton, Springfield, Sunderland, Tolland, Wales, Wendell, West Springfield, Westhampton, Wilbraham, Williamsburg, and Worthington.

The informational workshops will provide an overview of the Heritage Landscape Inventory Program, the goals and methodology of the Connecticut River Valley Reconnaissance Survey, the work of the program in this region to date, and why your community should consider applying to participate.

The workshops are open to anyone interested in land conservation, historic preservation, environmental protection, and sustainable growth. Municipal staff members and members of planning boards, conservation commissions, historical commissions, open space committees, and community preservation committees are encouraged to attend.

To attend either workshop, register by June 17 by contacting DCR Preservation Planner Jessica Rowcroft at (617) 626-1380 or jessica.rowcroft@state.ma.us.
For more information about the Heritage Landscape Inventory program, visit www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/histland/histland.htm.