CHARLEMONT — The Deerfield River is a popular summertime destination for those looking to beat the heat, but can Charlemont’s services handle the crowds?
According to Town Administrator Sarah Reynolds, tubing has always taken place on the Deerfield River, but it has become even more popular in recent years. This increase in traffic along with other water-related activities has caused Charlemont to be filled on weekends in the summer.
“It is really taxing on our services and resources in town,” she said.
Still, while Police Chief Jason Pelletier agreed tourism is stretching the town’s resources thin, he said the problem has been less severe this summer than in other years, primarily in 2020.
“It is not as crazy as it has been in the past,” Pelletier said. He explained the COVID-19 pandemic closing down most businesses sent people to Charlemont in large numbers in 2020, but now that more is open, fewer families flock to the area for recreational activities.
In 2021, increased rainfall also led to fewer recreational visitors. With the hot, dry days this summer, more people are coming to town than last year.
At a Selectboard meeting in Rowe, board members discussed two incidents that they said are evidence of growing problems near the Deerfield River. One incident on July 17 involved a domestic abuse situation that resulted in a police chase and helicopter pursuit. Another incident involving a campfire on the same day at the Zoar Picnic Area led to a Charlemont resident sustaining second-degree burns.
Rowe Selectboard member Ed Silva, speaking as a concerned citizen, said “I challenge anyone on the Board of Selectmen in Charlemont and the power company to go to the parks by the river on a Saturday and walk around. They will not feel safe.
“I am concerned with how they are protecting any of the citizens in the surrounding towns,” Silva continued.
When asked if these incidents show a trend in the increased activity of the area, Pelletier said, “These two instances on the same day are outliers to what happens here. One indicator that things are not as bad is that we haven’t had any drownings in the past few years.”
Some companies in town that benefit from the natural resources of the Deerfield River pay the town for emergency services. Brookfield Renewable Power, a company that operates a dam on the river, pays for weekend police patrols, according to Reynolds. However, the position the company pays for does not always get filled due to lack of staffing for Charlemont Police.
Reynolds pointed to Brookfield Picnic Area and the Shunpike Rest Area as the areas suffering most destruction from outside visitors. She explained many people leave trash behind and illegally park their vehicles. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) had placed “no parking” signs in these areas.
Since 2021, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) has being hosting meetings with stakeholders of the Deerfield River, including outdoor recreation companies and town officials, discussing the problems ecotourism has caused.
“We are looking at what we can do to foster outdoor recreation and foster the environment,” said FRCOG’s Economic Development Program Manager Jessica Atwood said. She also noted that FRCOG tried to do a survey counting the number of people at the river in 2021, but their efforts were continually rained out.
Additionally, state Sen. Adams Hinds, D-Pittsfield, earmarked $100,000 through the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism for FRCOG to hire a consultant to perform a study on the conditions around the river. A company called Cambridge Econometrics is conducting the study, and will come to a stakeholder meeting with recommendations for the town in September. Once the date for the presentation is decided, it will be posted on FRCOG’s website.
Another grant was obtained to place portable toilets at the Shunpike Rest Area.
“It used to be way more disgusting than it is now, thanks to this grant,” Reynolds said.
Atwood hopes to find more permanent funding to provide restrooms in this location every year. For the past two years, the location received one-time grants from the state’s District Local Technical Assistance program and from the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism.
To expedite emergency responses, FRCOG also recently created a map outlining entrances to the river, supporting the fastest rescue routes.
Another proposal to deal with crowds involves changing the tubing regulations. However, Reynolds said this will not solve Charlemont’s problems because the laws only affect the tubing businesses, and not individuals who bring their own equipment.
“It is not the river businesses that are causing this problem,” she explained.
Reynolds hopes to put more signs out on the Deerfield River and on the road to quickly educate people where they should and should not be, and prevent people from crossing private property.
Other examples of Charlemont’s attempt to mitigate problems is increasing the parking tickets from $10 to $25. Pelletier thinks this will not decrease the number of parking violations, though, as he explained many are first-time offenders. He pointed to the fact that many private companies charge $20 to park by the river, so at least it will cost more for a parking ticket than to park legally.
“The Deerfield River is considered a navigable waterway, so we can’t keep people off of it,” Pelletier said. “We can attempt to regulate it, but we can’t keep people off of it.”
Bella Levavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.