CONWAY — Increased protection of forests, the South River and farmland were the top requests from residents who answered the Open Space and Recreational Resources survey offered by the town.
The survey asked residents to answer questions about which open spaces they would invest $1 million into, which places are their favorite and what projects the town should prioritize in the future. More than 90 residents took the survey.
Open Space Committee Chair Janet Chayes said the committee was “struck” by how much interest there was in Conway’s natural areas.
“(We were surprised by the) interest in our current natural resources, protecting them and encouraging greater use,” Chayes said. “It shows that people are out there, they know their favorite walking, hiking places, swimming spots, and they want to make sure they’re fixed, improved and protected.”
Chayes said the survey is the first step in creating another seven-year open space and recreation plan, which provides a “roadmap” for what the town wants to work on.
“These open space and recreation plans are strongly encouraged by the state,” Chayes said. “It makes us eligible for more state grants, so that’s a good incentive.”
Forests and wildlife habitat was the highest-ranked choice for investment if the town were to receive $1 million. The forests were the residents’ top pick again when asked which open space and recreation projects they think the town should prioritize. Chayes said previous surveys showed farmland was the biggest concern for protection, but the shift to protecting forests is a trend she’s noticed.
“I was a little struck by how one of the top priorities for people in terms of conservation/protection has shifted from farmland to forests,” she said. “That is definitely in keeping with the messaging we’re all hearing about how critical forests are in climate protection and resiliency.”
Residents were asked to identify the threats to the things they love the most about Conway. Common answers included climate change, new housing or solar developments, invasive Japanese knotweed and deforestation.
Chayes said it will take everyone in Conway to protect its natural resources because the town can only do so much when it doesn’t own the land.
“We have a lot of private land,” Chayes said. “Everybody has to do their bit.”
In terms of recreation, many residents requested a variety of guided hikes or nature walks for different interests.
When asked how often residents use recreational resources, the public-access trails and Conway Community Swimming Pool were used the most. On the underutilized side, more than 40 residents chose “I don’t know about this resource” when asked about the Flagg Mountain and Mount Esther Wildlife Management Areas. Flagg Mountain is mostly located in Shelburne Falls and Mount Esther mostly in Whately, but both areas’ boundaries creep into Conway.
Many residents identified lack of knowledge and information as the greatest “inhibitor” to using recreational resources. Chayes said disseminating this information is one of the Open Space Committee’s goals.
“There’s a bunch of newer people in Conway,” Chayes said, “and they want more information because they don’t necessarily know about all these wonderful spots.”
Chayes said the Open Space Committee has held events in the past like guided hikes or programs on managing invasive species. She added that while committee members would like to host more in the future, organizing them can be a challenge.
“The Open Space Committee, one of our missions and activities is to try and share this information with townspeople,” Chayes said. “We need more people to actually do the organizing.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.