Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership Drafts Letter to Hinds for Funding
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership has drafted a letter to state Sen. Adam Hinds' office to request $200,000 in funding from the Legislature for organizational operations.
The Executive Committee of the partnership reviewed and approved the letter for Hinds' office at its meeting on Tuesday. The letter outlines several potential uses of state funding, such as hiring an executive director, sustainable forest product project funding and community engagement efforts to help promote conservation.
Board member Whit Sanford, who helped write the letter, said she had worked with Jon Gould, a member of Hinds' staff, in the past and decided to reach out about possible funding for the partnership. Once received, Hinds' office will consider the letter and a potential request to the legislature, according to Sanford.
"I just thought, 'You know, maybe they would fund something like this,'" she said. "And I called Jonathan and he said, 'Put a one-pager together. That's all we want."
Sanford said obtaining funding of any kind, even if it is not long-term, is something the partnership needs to do to function as an organization. She said this initial funding could lead to long-term funding in the future.
"We have no funding currently from the state or the feds. And it's put us in a kind of a squeeze," she said. "One of the reasons I asked him about this was that very thing, could we seed the organization and then, in the coming year or two, begin to convince the legislators, or the agencies, or whoever's going to fund us, to fund us annually."
In addition to the letter, board Chair Hank Art has also reached out to several state lawmakers and congressmen about getting the partnership long-term and sustainable funding. One person who responded was state Rep. John Barrett III of North Adams, who said he would work with Hinds' office to try and get the partnership funding via the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and other organizations.
"I'm hoping that it's not just that," he said, "And in my discussions with John Barrett, I've urged that, actually, it's not just the regional planning commission, but the state, that has some obligation here in terms of coming to a resolution of how we can get a regular funding stream."
Sanford also discussed a $357,125 draft budget for the entire partnership. She said this budget is primarily aspirational and can help guide the organization when looking for funding opportunities.
"We're not necessarily pie in the sky. We know what we could handle if we'd got a smaller amount," Sanford said.
In other business, the committee discussed the partnership's organizational plan. Lisa Hayden, administrative agent for the partnership and outreach manager for the New England Forestry Foundation, said work on the draft is well underway and should be ready for presentation at March's meeting.
"Sophie [Argetsinger] is working diligently on updating statistics, and we're trying to dive into the text chapter by chapter," she said. "we've been approaching some of the committee chairs on specific questions. So yes, hopefully, we'll have the full plan to be digested. Hopefully, about a week in advance by the board for further discussion."
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