In the News
We
Need Your Help
We are working hard to preserve open space, working farms
and forestland in Rochester. We need help for the “Mattapoisett River
Valley Aquifer Project.” Because the
Rochester Land Trust is a relatively new, all volunteer, land conservation
organization, we are working with the Coalition for Buzzards Bay
to help us raise money for 400+ acres owned by the extended Rounseville
family. This land is important not only
because it includes an historic mill site, ponds, wetlands and working forest,
but also because it sits over the aquifer that supplies drinking water to over
24,000 residents in Fairhaven, Acushnet, Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester.
The
Rounseville family has been exceptionally generous to our communities in
donating land and in negotiating “bargain sales” of land and agricultural
restrictions to protect our drinking water supplies. But, even with exceptional generosity on
their part, we have to pay them something.
The
Land Trust does not ask this lightly, but we will need your support at town
meeting, as well as any contribution you may choose to give toward this
project.
We need town voters to vote YES at Town Meeting – June 7th. We’re asking the Town to transfer $125,000
from the stabilization fund toward the project cost.
Because the project cost is $1,500,000, we are doing
the work in phases.
*
Phase 1 was completed in
2002 with the purchase of, or conservation restriction on, 274 acres.
*
Phase 2 needs $680,000 to purchase
conservation restrictions on the 164 acres of highly developable upland on the
north side of Rounseville
Rd. We’re doing half of that in 2004 and the
other half in 2005. The money comes from
towns, land trusts and contributions from individuals.
What does the Town get?
*
Land permanently protected
from development. That keeps our taxes
down.
*
A potential well site
through an easement on the property.
That gives us options for water supply separate from the Marion Water
Department.
*
Protection of the Mattapoisett River. Alewife
populations are way down. We don’t know
all the reasons for that, but we do know that a lot of houses along the river
increase pollution and water temperature – and decrease the number of fish.
SEMASS donates $10,000 Toward Land Protection!
The Rochester Land Trust is pleased to announce that SEMASS, an anchor
business in Rochester’s
industrial park, has donated $10,000 to the "Mattapoisett River Valley
Aquifer Project." SEMASS representative John Walker made the
presentation to Rochester Land Trust President Susan Adams at the Land
Trust’s Annual meeting, held at the Congregational Church Fellowship Hall on
March 31st.
Save these Dates
Sunday, May 16th, 2004
Join us to honor the memory of Lincoln Rounseville and to
explore the land we’ve already protected along the Mattapoisett
River. We’ll have a glorious Spring
walk on the land Linc loved and worked so hard to
protect.
Join
us, rain or shine, at 1 p.m.
for a two hour ramble. Park along the south side of 105, well off the road, east of the
river. Call Susan Adams at
508-763-3971 for information.
Saturday, June 5th,
2004
“T”
for Two and Two for Tea
Ever wanted to ride in one of those beautiful antique
cars you see in parades?
Rochester Land Trust is having a fun(d)
raising event that you don’t want to miss.
Antique
cars, mostly Ford Model Ts, will take folks on a guided tour of Rochester’s
back roads, highlight land conservation efforts and show off our beautiful
town. After the tour, there will be high
tea at the Teal/Peterson Farm with photo opportunities with the cars.
When? June
5th, 2 p.m. (rain date:
June 12th)
Where? Meet
in Rochester Center
at the Church Green
What to wear?
“Period” costumes from the 1920s and 30s would be great, but we’ll take
any who is presentable.
How long? The tour may take 1 ˝ hour; high tea
starts when the guests arrive at the farm
How much?
This tax-deductible fundraiser is $100/person.
Who to call? Richard Cutler at
508-763-2735.
Special Places
Richard Cutler:
The Mattapoisett River
There are a
lot of impressive rivers in the world. I've spent more time on some than I care
to remember. Of all those rivers, I like the little trickle of water we call
the Mattapoisett River the best. Without much
imagination, the river can take you back in time to when water powered mills
were major businesses, or further back to before the area was settled. Wildlife
can surprise you at every turn: large spiders on stumps, turtles on the banks,
red winged blackbirds in the brush, or geese protecting their nests.
Once a
year, on Memorial Day, it seems as though all of Rochester gathers together for a
party known as the Memorial Day Mattapoisett River Race. (Many homes in Rochester don't allow any mention
of the race until after New Years, but they make up for it in the spring.) It is an event that brings people from all
walks of life together to earn bragging rights for a year. You don't have to win
or even place, you just have to finish.
It is a serious race, but not to the detriment of friendships. I’ve
built 3 boats and raced 11 years. I’ve had many partners. One year my two
children and I raced in different boats with non-family members.
On race
day, the homemade boats are lined up and the racers walk the line admiring the
new ones and marveling at the "secret" weapons designed into the
latest models. Family and friends follow favorite teams down the river from
vantage point to vantage point. Everyone paddling is cheered on. It doesn't
matter if it’s a cold rainy or a hot sunny day. The race goes on. People come
out because this is Rochester's race!
The awards
ceremony that evening is always well attended and everyone gets a customized
certificate and a round of applause. Boat race officials are volunteers, but
that doesn't take away from the professional way the race is managed.
Many of the
boat race officials and racers are also members of Alewives Anonymous. This
band of hardy souls takes the annual migration of Alewives (herring) up the Mattapoisett River very seriously. Fish are
counted and brush that might hinder migrating fish (or the Memorial Day racers)
is cleared.
With so
much reverent attention to one place by so many people, the Mattapoisett River has become special to me.
If I never saw the river again, it would still be special to me, just knowing
it is there and that so many people care.
Do
you have a Special Place in Rochester? Would you tell us about it? Send your contribution to RLT, PO Box 337, Rochester MA 02770, fax it to: 508/763-2640 or e-mail to:
sbptrsn@comcast.net
WEB PAGE
We
have our own web page now, thanks to Russ Keeler:
www.rochesterlandtrust.org
Join the Rochester
Land
Trust! Cut here and send it
in!
********************************************
Rochester Land Trust 2004
PO Box 337 Membership
Invitation
Rochester, MA 02770
Life
Member $1000
YES,
I want to protect Friend
of Rochester $250
Rochester’s rural character Supporting
Member $100
and
natural beauty. Business
Member $ 25
Family
Member $ 15
Individual
Member $ 10
Name
______________________________________
Address
____________________________________
___________________________ ____________ e-mail _________________________
zip
Telephone
__________________________________
Rochester Land
Trust NONPROFIT
ORG
Post Office Box 337 STANDARD
A
206 High Street ROCHESTER,
MA
Rochester, MA
02770 Permit
No. 12
ECRWSS
Postal
Patron
Rochester,
MA 02770
Rochester
Land
Trust Board of Directors 2004-2005
President: Susan Adams Vice
President: Russ Keeler
Treasurer: Michael Costa Clerk: Susan Peterson
Richard
Cutler Laurene Gerrior Norene Hartley Daniel
Kennedy
Robert
Lawrence Gil Lafrance Rod McCollester MarySarah Riggs
Maureen
Sperry Herb Wood