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Westfield River Watershed

Photograph by Kay Sadighi
Chesterfield Gorge

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Central and western Massachusetts contain all or part of eleven exceptionally large, intact forest areas.  Each of these forests contains least one unbroken block of contiguous forested land spanning 15,000 acres or more.  These areas provide important habitat for wide ranging mammals, like the black bear, mink, fisher and bobcat, and interior forest nesting birds.  They also link habitat from the mid-Atlantic through the Northern Appalachians, creating safe passages for migrating animals and supporting diverse populations of many different species. 

Forests not only provide habitat for plants and animals, they also keep our water supply clean by buffering important river and wetlands systems on which human, animal and aquatic communities depend.  Perhaps more than any other single landscape, our Massachusetts forests exemplify the traditional beauty and heritage of New England.

Threats
The Westfield forests face a variety of threats.  Parts of these forests are actually being directly converted to residential neighborhoods, retail centers and mining sites.  Existing land parcels are being divided, which produces smaller holdings and fragments the native habitat.  Non-native weeds invade the territory, choking out indigenous plant species.

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Animals
The Westfield River Watershed offers the large-scale habitat needed by wide ranging animals like mink, black bear, bobcat, and interior forest nesting birds like the scarlet tananger. The wetlands provide habitat for a variety of species, including the American Bittern. Because of the water quality and areas of natural habitat, the Westfield River and its tributaries are ideal for wild Atlantic Salmon restoration.

Our Conservation Strategy
Our conservation strategies for the Westfield River Watershed include:

  • Conducting a comprehensive forest inventory to measure and evaluate the viability of the species and natural community targets and the threats to forest health.
  • Working directly with landowners in core areas to protect the most ecologically significant lands.
  • Creating public-private partnerships to increase the pace of forest land acquisition, enhance management of publicly owned forest lands and encourage land protection at the town level.
  • Building creative partnerships that accomplish one or more of the following:
    1. build commitment to land conservation,
    2. enhance resource-based economic activities,
    3. focus new residential and commercial development in already developed areas.

What TNC Has Done/Is Doing:

  • To help direct the Chapter’s land protection and restoration efforts in this landscape, science staff conducted a detailed forest and wetlands inventory in 2003, which revealed numerous diverse natural communities.
  • The Conservancy also carried out a thorough analysis of the Westfield River and its freshwater species, including migratory fish like Atlantic salmon and American shad. The outcome is a greater understanding of the natural systems, key threats, and most promising conservation strategies for this important landscape.
  • In 2003, the Chapter submitted a successful proposal to the U.S. Forest Service to designate the 380,000-acre landscape a Forest Legacy Area. Within such an area, a state environmental agency or land trust organization works with willing sellers to purchase conservation restrictions on their property. Landowners retain ownership, but convey development rights to the state. When landowners within a Forest Legacy Area agree to sell development rights, federal funds may be used to pay for up to 75% of the cost.

Preserves in the Westfield Area:
McElwain-Olsen
Reed Brook
Hawley Bog
Stacy Mountain
Greene Swamp

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