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Conservation of Lenox Watershed Progresses

Posted Friday, December 16, 2016
ConservationNewsProperties

You normally help BNRC acquire land. This week, you helped us give some away.

Here’s how it happened:

In 1982, Henry and Joan Williams donated 16 acres along the so-called Fire Tower Road on Lenox Mountain to BNRC.

The woodlot slopes down to a stream that feeds into the town’s drinking water reservoirs. With your help, BNRC has been the landkeeper for the parcel ever since the Williamses made the gift.

Now, with the kind assent and assistance of Mrs. Williams and her son Peter, the land will be made whole with the other 949 mountain acres that feed clean water into the faucets of Lenox. The land will be kept safe by the good hands of the Town of Lenox and its Water Department.

There’s a coda to the story: This week, the Lenox Board of Selectmen approved and signed a conservation restriction that will add an extra layer of protection to the entire 965-acre watershed property on the mountain—including the Williams parcel.

This has been a long-gestating project (it started nearly five years ago!), and it still has a few steps to go. Many Lenox citizens, along with town and state officials, will deserve a huge pat on the back when it finally crosses the finish line, but we’d like to thank and congratulate you too. The persistence and patience needed to build partnerships and get good work done is only possible thanks to you and your donations.

Thank you!