Pascommuck Conservation Trust Inc

The Pascommuck Conservation Trust (PCT) protects important land and other natural resources in Easthampton for the public benefit. This spring we are celebrating our fortieth anniversary of service to the land in Western Mass! 

“Pascommuck,” a Native American word of uncertain origin, was Easthampton’s earliest known settlement in the late 1600s, near the oxbow of the Connecticut River.  It means “where it bends,” referring to the shape of the river there.

Founded in 1982, PCT has no paid staff and relies on volunteers, donations, and the support of the community to carry out our mission. Early priorities of the Trust included establishing a river greenbelt along Easthampton’s Manhan River.  The Manhan River continues to be a focus area for the organization, as it is the major tributary from Easthampton flowing into the Connecticut River.

Today, the Trust protects a total of 16 properties in Easthampton, comprising about 190 acres.  Thirteen are conservation areas, one is a public park, and two are conservation areas with Agricultural Preservation Restrictions (APR).  We welcome and encourage you to explore these special places.

CURRENT PROJECTS

This spring we have both urgent and on-going needs. A walking bridge at our Pomeroy Meadows trail collapsed, and we need to replace it as soon as possible--ideally with a longer-lasting aluminum bridge. We're also involved with a volunteer tree inventory project for Easthampton, to secure state grant funding to revitalize the City's shade tree planting and maintenance.

The Trust also makes two annual awards: a scholarship for Native American youth for activities related to land conservation and nature, and an award to recognize a person who has made a significant contribution to connecting people of color with nature, including efforts to promote awareness of barriers and improve access. We create and maintain trails that are free and open to everyone, but that alone does not address the barriers for people of color to feel at home in nature. These initiatives are small but meaningful steps toward creating social change. We are working with the Ohketeau Cultural Center to guide us in this work.

On a more general scale, the Trust works to protect the slopes of Mount Tom from damaging development and to expand and connect the greenbelt along the Manhan River. And, of course, we continue to work with the community to protect existing lands and to bring additional properties under long-term protection by the Trust.