Conservation Efforts Butt Up Against Possible Power Sites
 Photos Courtesy Berkshire Natural Resources Council Inc.
A hiker crosses a beaver pond on the Hoosac Range; top, the mountain range in fall.
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Berkshire Natural Resources Council is a fan of renewable energy. But the Pittsfield-based group isn't so sure it would want wind turbines built next door to conservation land that it's trying to buy in the city.
Narain Schroeder, acting president of the nonprofit conservation group, said it has purchased several parcels that are adjacent to state forest land along the Hoosac Range ridgeline. These parcels run north from Savoy Mountain State Forest, specifically the Spruce Hill area, to the Florida State Forest.
"Our goal is to connect with the Spruce Hill trails and have a trail that runs along the ridge. And of course our goal is to protect the very scenic mountain habitat of the Hoosac Range," said Schroeder on Friday.
The plan is to sell a conservation restriction to the Department of Conservation and Recreation. In a Feb. 11 letter from the DCR to the City Council, the DCR states that it is looking at about 630 acres for conservation restriction in the area.
Schroeder would not disclose the names of the sellers or their asking price, nor would he name the price of the DCR restriction. Schroeder emphasized that the land sale has not yet closed.
DCR spokeswoman Wendy Fox said Friday that the terms of conservation restriction were still being negotiated. She did not know the price of the restriction that the state would pay.
Parallel to the council's proposed land buy is a state report, released last week, which highlights 40-plus sites in the commonwealth that might be suitable for sub-utility- or utility-grade wind power production facilities. Among the many Berkshire County sites named are North Adams, the Savoy Mountain State Forest and the Florida State Forest.
Schroeder said that, while he and council are not opposed to the development of clean energy, the construction of a wind facility in state forests — known as Article 97 land — wouldn't be suitable.
"The Berkshire Natural Resources Council does not think that lands protected for conservation, Article 97 lands, are appropriate places to build wind turbines and industrial facilities," said Schroeder. "Lands that are subject to Article 97 are already serving a public purpose. That's well understood; it's well stated. It's conservation; it's not development of power."
Besides, he added, "If the state wants to build wind turbines, then the state should purchase lands for that purpose."
The council has been asking for a statewide siting plan since 2005, when it formally issued a letter to the commonwealth outlining its concerns.
"If this is a very first step in a statewide siting plan, then maybe that's OK. Now we need to figure out what's an appropriate site, what's not protected under Article 97, where are the significant conservation interests, and show us step 2. I guess that's what I want to see," said Schroeder.
Lisa Capone, spokesperson for the Executive Office for Energy and Environmental Affairs, told iBerkshires last week that the process of constructing wind energy facilities, which has been mandated by the governor, is in its infancy, and that it's too soon to discuss many of the specifics that could evolve from the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Potential at State-Owned Properties report.
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"The [renewable energy] report was meant to be a the first step to open the conversation up and have a public process, which would include talking with legislators and members of the public about appropriate uses of any of these parcels," said Capone.
With a goal of preserving a two-mile stretch of the Hoosac Range ridgeline in North Adams, the council bought its first parcel of about 195 acres from a bankruptcy auction in 2007. The land had been owned by Adelphia Communications Corp.
Soon after, the council bought an approximate 130 additional acres directly to the south from J.W. Kelly Enterprises, which connects the original parcel with Spruce Hill and Savoy Mountain State Forest.
The council bought its next property, 256 acres, to north from the West Shaft Realty Trust on Oct. 30 last year, followed by another 50 acres.
