1,000 signatures reached
To: The Chesterfield Select Board
Save the Chesterfield Gorge!
The auction has taken place, and one of the three parcels of land was successfully conserved!
We ask that the Chesterfield Select Board cancel the auction of land parcels 40-4 East Street, 24-7 River Road, and 27-28 Main Road and engage in talks with the Hilltown Land Trust and other conservation groups in order to give these parcels of land permanent, protected status. Furthermore, we insist that, in the future, the Select Board involve relevant conservation groups including the Westfield River Wild and Scenic Advisory Committee early on in any discussions pertaining to what ought to be done with undeveloped town lands.
Why is this important?
The land around the Westfield River provides the town of Chesterfield with scenic beauty, hiking trails for health and wellness, and irreplaceable contiguous habitat for precious wildlife. Protecting these lands, in perpetuity, is vitally important in our efforts to bolster biodiversity and safeguard ecosystems. The character of the town of Chesterfield and wellbeing of its residents is dependent upon contiguous, wild spaces, as large tracts of wilderness free from human development serve to protect us against, and maintaining our resiliency in the wake of climate change. It is the Select Board’s own goal is to garner more revenue for the town, and the undeveloped land along the Westfield River is the town's key attribute attracting locals and tourists to Chesterfield in the thousands. We believe it would be in the Select Board’s own best interest to place this land under conservation.