by Allie Martineau and Brianna McCormick
At the unofficial Northampton dog park on Burts Pit Road, tiny rocks trickle down the steep walking trail, followed by dogs of all sizes panting their way into the forest. As the trail levels out, the maple-colored canopy gives way to an open sky. Here, you’ll find a piece of Northampton history that unites every community member.
To your right, a field of orange jewelweed and purple loosestrife glows warm and dry; humming with insects and nesting birds. To your left, a sign reads: “This hillside is the final resting place of an estimated 181 former patients of the Northampton State Hospital … ‘Cemetery Hill,’ as this hay field was known, was used to bury the unclaimed bodies of patients who died at the hospital. The last burial took place in 1920. Please be respectful and walk around this field.”
by Lee Halasz and Kari Blood
Two centuries ago, the rhythmic creak of wooden waterwheels was likely a familiar sound along rivers and streams in the Connecticut River Valley. Mills powered by the energy of flowing water were hubs of early European colonial communities that provided the necessities of everyday life. There were sawmills for cutting wood, gristmills for grinding grain, and textile mills for making cloth, among other types of goods. These mills also had a significant influence on the environment because they required damming of the streams that provided their power.
by Joshua Rose
The cliff swallow is actually a relatively recent arrival to Massachusetts; the species was unknown here before approximately 1800. It increased rapidly from there, mostly due to agricultural changes to our landscape, and is thought to have peaked around 1870. Cliff swallows’ nests are hollow globes of dried mud which the birds stick to vertical surfaces; these globes adhered nicely to not only natural cliffs, but also to many widely used 19th-century building materials. As we entered the 20th century, however, we began using different materials, and coatings of paint, to which the swallows’ nests could not adhere.
By Christine Hatch
Swamps are great story villains. They are notoriously difficult to navigate due to their sinking sticky mud, spiked vines and dense vegetation; they are neither fully land nor water, negating boats and footwear as helpful vessels for traversing them; and black, smelly, organic-rich waters and sparse sunlight add to the impenetrable mystery. In short, they have the perfect protective outerwear to shield them from human predators — at least for a while. I used to think that in order to conserve nature, we had to wall it off and protect it from all outside influences, especially our meddling human selves. I thought that left to its own devices, the natural world would restore itself to balance…
By Tom Litwin
What weighs 1.5 tons, is 12 feet long, has enlarged canine teeth that can grow to over 36 inches and is featured in a Beatles song? If you guessed walrus, you’re correct. Here in Massachusetts, we tend not to think much about walrus, but there’s an opportunity for you to virtually travel to the Arctic in search of walrus. Here’s some background…
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Hitchcock Center for the Environment
at Hampshire College
845 West Street | Amherst MA 01002 | 413.256.6006 | 413.253.2809 fax