EASTHAMPTON — Pascommuck Conservation Trust has added another 10 acres to its protected areas, completing the preservation of an ecologically vital area near where the Oxbow and the Manhan River meet.

At the close of its 40th anniversary this past December, the all-volunteer, nonprofit organization received a donation of more than 10 acres of land along the Manhan River from the family of the late Helen and John Ramsey.

The family of the late Ramseys spent their childhood exploring, hunting, fishing and trapping along the riverbank, according to Gerrit Stover, volunteer conservation adviser to the trust.

“The intact floodplain forest and meadow, near the confluence of the Manhan River and the Oxbow, are state-recognized critical wildlife and plant habitat,” Stover said. “This is a unique and valuable location where the Oxbow and the Manhan meet — biologically productive, historically rich, and quite beautiful.”

Stover also credited Christina Petersen, who recently retired from the state Department of Fish and Game, who spent a considerable amount of time and energy laying the groundwork for this gift.

The property also represents a historic bookend, as it lies next to the 4.64-acre Old Pascommuck Conservation Area on the far east side of town, which is the trust’s first-ever land acquisition. That acquisition was completed in December 1983 with the assistance of the late Terry Blunt and the Connecticut River Watershed Council, he said.

Pascommuck Conservation Trust was founded in 1982 by a group of residents who came together to clean up Nashawannuck Pond, which was polluted at the time, according to Marty Klein, a longtime board member. Once the pond was cleaned, the group shifted its focus to land protection.

Stover says this property also represents a geographic bookend to Pascommuck’s long-standing focus on protecting land along the Manhan, balancing Pomeroy Meadow Conservation Area over where the North and Main branches of the Manhan connect.

The Oxbow was formed during the spring flood in 1840 when the Connecticut River cut a new course bypassing a wide bend in the river. That cut-off section, the Oxbow, became known as “The Old Bed,” according to Stover.

The land trust refers to this new part of the Old Pascommuck Conservation Area as “The Old Bed Fish and Wildlife Area” to reflect its geological, biological and local history.

One portion of the newly protected area is accessible to the public through the existing Old Pascommuck Conservation Area. Both areas can be reached from the Manhan Rail Trail and the trust’s parking area along East Street.

Signs are expected to be installed soon to explain those aspects of the property and highlight the combined conservation lands. As this is a “sensitive area,” Stover says the trust doesn’t intend to build any new trails.

The donation brings the number of Easthampton properties that the trust stewards to 17, encompassing roughly 200 acres.

“We do hope the Ramseys’ generosity will inspire other Easthampton landowners to consider working with us to save the land they love, for the birds and animals, and perhaps for the public to enjoy,” Stover said. “Land conservation is a conversation between land trusts and landowners; we are good at listening and responding to the hopes and needs they have in respect to their property.”

Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.]]>