Happy ending for MMM Trail: Congress makes it part of protected system

[ Originally published on: Monday, March 30, 2009 ]

Federal legislation making the Metacomet, Monadnock and Mattabesett Trail part of the New England National Scenic Trail has been approved by Congress, making the 190-mile hiking network -- which now cuts through Northfield, Erving, Wendell, Montague, Leverett and Shutesbury -- part of the National Trail System.

The legislation, which now awaits President Barack Obama's signature, passed the House, 285-140 following approval in the Senate.

Passage was hailed by Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, who co-sponsored the legislation two years ago following a two-year study that found the long-term viability of the trail system threatened by increasing development pressure and division of land.

''I have hiked every mile of the trail through Massachusetts,'' said Olver, ''and, while some segments are very well protected, other sections have suffered serious encroachment. Not only will designation provide an opportunity for maintenance assistance, but it will also help ensure that we don't lose the trails to residential subdivision growth.''

Olver called the vote ''the culmination of an effort that has been nearly a decade in the making.''

He introduced legislation in 2001 authorizing the feasibility study on the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, which concluded that national scenic trail designation would be the most feasible way to generate the necessary increased levels of attention and resources to ensure the long-term viability of the system.

But Cinda H. Jones, president of Amherst-based Cowls Sawmill and Land Co., called the measure ''a colossal waste of taxpayer money'' and said that rather than a boon, attracting hikers to the trail system would prove ''an economic drain'' to towns that might be called on to provide rescue services.

Of the 100 miles of MMM Trail in Massachusetts, 8 are on Cowls land in Northfield, Leverett, Shutesbury, Pelham and Belchertown. Despite efforts by the state, with help from Appalachian Mountain Club, to move the trail eastward onto Quabbin Reservoir property so that it avoids Cowls property, she said, the ''connecting and side trails'' on her property are still affected by the designation, barring it from future development.

Meanwhile, Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., said, ''Including the New England National Scenic Trail as part of the National Trails System will bring immeasurable economic benefits to the region and allow our communities to preserve the area's countless historic sites.''

By designating the MMM Trail System a National Scenic Trail, according to Kerry's office, the National Park Service will be the lead organization charged with maintaining the trail system. Including proposed extensions and relocations, the system would be approximately 220 miles.

Jamie Fosburgh of the National Park Service said that while maintenance of the trail would still be done by volunteers, the $270,000 a year requested for the scenic trail system would help organize those efforts and work to resolve issues with private landowners like Cowls.

The designation, he said, will ''establish a national significance and presence to the importance of the trail will be very helpful to kind of coalesce efforts to protect it, and for nonprofits to fund-raise and rally around.''

The origins of the trail, which passes through 39 communities from Long Island Sound through Connecticut into New Hampshire, are largely unknown, but they are believed to have been Native American paths later used by hunters. Tribal sites have been found in the region dating from 9,000 B.C.

The legislation approved by Congress Wednesday set aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as protected wilderness, from California's Sierra Nevada mountains to the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia.

''After nearly a decade during which our parks were taken for granted and our range lands were scarred by a spider-web of roads and (drilling) well pads,'' the lands bill ''represents a new dawn for America's heritage and American values,'' said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee.

On the Web: www.mmmtrail.org

You can reach Richie Davis at: rdavis@recorder.com or (413) 772-0261 Ext. 269

 

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