Land Management for Climate Resilience in the Upper Mill River Watershed

The Upper Mill River Watershed Flood Resilience study looks at the impact that climate change is having on the watershed and engages residents in solutions to mitigate flooding and increase the climate resilience of their land and the watershed as a whole.

The Mill River Watershed is the area of land that drains into the Mill River in Williamsburg and Northampton. This area is a sub-watershed of the larger Connecticut River Watershed. The watershed includes portions of many towns: Northampton, Easthampton, Goshen, Conway, Chesterfield, Ashfield, Hatfield, Whately, and Williamsburg. The "Upper Mill River watershed" consists of Williamsburg, which has the largest land area within the watershed, and additional small portions of the watershed within the neighboring towns of Ashfield, Conway, Chesterfield, and Whately. Postcards were sent to property owners that own parcels of 5 acres or larger in the Upper Mill River watershed.


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* 1. Which town(s) do you own property in?

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* 2. What road(s) do you own property on?

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* 3. What Land Uses are present on your land? Select all that apply.

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* 4. Are any of the following present on your land?
Check all that apply.

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* 5. Have you noticed any of the following on your land or anywhere else in the Mill River Watershed? (Check all that apply)

  Yes on My Property Elsewhere in the Watershed Both on My Property and Elsewhere in the Watershed
Frequent wildlife sightings
Increasing biodiversity
Healthy soil
Healthy ecosystems
Natural flood storage
Drought-tolerant soil, crops, or ecosystems
Healthy forests

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* 6. Have you noticed any of the following on your land or anywhere else in the Mill River Watershed? (Check all that apply)

  Yes On My Property In Other Areas of the Watershed Both on My Property and Elsewhere in the Watershed
Flooding
Stream or river bank erosion
Wildlife in danger or roadkill
Increased water pollution
Biodiversity in decline
Impacts from pest and/or pathogens
Invasive species
Soil erosion or desertification
Ecosystem degradation
Drought impacts to soil, crops or ecosystems
Forest decline or forest loss

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* 7. Stormwater hazards, river flooding, water cycle regulation, groundwater recharge, soil erosion, and soil and water quality issues can be improved with land management practices and landscape-based solutions such as those listed below.

Please check any practices that you are already implementing on your land.

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* 8. Please provide more information on which land management practices have or have not worked well for you.

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* 9. Are you interested in implementing any of the following landscape practices on your land?
Please check all that apply.

  I am interested in implementing this on my property I would like to learn more about this I am not interested in implementing this on my property I don't know what this means
Reconnecting a stream to its floodplain
Restoring a river or stream bank
Restoring a wetland
Constructing a wetland
Improving riparian habitat buffers
Pro-active planting and improving forest health
Managing invasive species
Managing stormwater with Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Creating rain gardens or pollinator gardens
Managing farms, gardens, and lawns for soil health
Protecting soils at risk of degradation
Recovering from recent flood impacts only

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* 10. What, if anything is a barrier to implementing the above practices on your land? (check all that apply)

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* 11. Are you interested in grant funding, technical assistance, and/or peer-to-peer landowner networking to help you implement any of the above practices on your land?

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* 12. Are you interested in a land walk with a landscape and conservation professional to help assess your land? (The cost of the land walk is covered through a grant and there would be no cost to you)

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* 13. In your view which goals for land management are most important to you?:

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* 14. What else do we need to know in order to create a climate resilient future in Williamsburg and the Upper Mill River Watershed?

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