Stockbridge, MA – The Stockbridge Land Trust will hold its 2022 Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 8, 2022 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Stockbridge Chestnut Preserve . Besides very brief business, we will have the pleasure of hearing from two members of the staff of the Berkshire Natural Resource Council (BNRC) – Mackenzie Greer (Director of Community Programs) and Deanna Smith (High Road Manager). They will provide some background and an update on the BNRC’s High Road Project.
The rain date is the following day, Sunday, October 9, at 10:00 AM.
About the Stockbridge Land Trust:
The Stockbridge Land Trust is a nonprofit corporation that was established in 1987. It has a fifteen-member governing board and an active membership of over four hundred local residents and friends. The mission of the Land Trust is to encourage and promote the preservation of land and the natural, historic, and community resources in the town of Stockbridge – including open space, forest land, farmland, wetlands, waterways, historic structures, and affordable housing.
For additional information, the Stockbridge Land Trust can be contacted at PO Box 1063, Stockbridge, MA 01262 or via email at: stockbridgelandtrust@gmail.com.
Directions to the Chestnut Preserve:
Starting at the Red Lion Inn, head south on South Street/Route 7 and across the Housatonic River. At the top of the railroad overpass, Ice Glen Road is on the left and a large wetland area is beyond it. Just past the wetland, the northern entrance to the property is marked by a stone post with green-leaf sign: STOCKBRIDGE AMERICAN CHESTNUT PRESERVE.
About the BNRC High Road
100% Walkable. 100% Berkshires.
A network of trails and conservation land throughout the Berkshires, The High Road will bring together the finest features of the region: mountains, streams, forests, farms, and fields, along with villages, cafes, and cultural attractions.
BNRC is working with partners to open the first segment of The High Road in 2020-21: an eight-mile path along Yokun Ridge, which stretches from Pittsfield to Stockbridge. Segments in North Berkshire and South Berkshire are in progress too, and should open by 2023.
Inspired by the Coast to Coast Walk in England and the Camino de Santiago in Spain, The High Road will eventually be a continuous network offering many options of terrain, starting points, and length of walk, from 30 minutes, to a week or more. It connects village and city centers to each other and to conservation areas, so everyone can walk into town from somewhere else, or walk out of town directly into nature.
The High Road is for recreation, but it’s for the benefit of nature too: it will preserve biological diversity, natural habitat, and wildlife travel corridors within the crucial Northern Appalachian/Acadian region of the eastern U.S. and Canada. In an era of climate change, creating and protecting these connections is crucial.
Ultimately, The High Road will be another extraordinary feature of the Berkshires, adding to the region’s beloved appeal. It will support non-motorized outdoor recreation of all kinds, and help promote small businesses that serve visitors and residents alike. It will protect special landscapes, from mountaintop to riverfront, farms to forests, while linking ecology to economics.