What is the North Quabbin Bioreserve? It was definitely something in 2002, and now it seems to be nothing but a memory shared by a very few people.
Those three words — North Quabbin Bioreserve — however, are engraved on a huge boulder not far from my home, and I visit it often.
The boulder is located just off Tully Road, several hundred yards south of its intersection with Butterworth Road in North Orange, on the northwestern edge of the 1,200-acre Tully Mountain Wildlife Management Area. If the North Quabbin Trails Association is successful in rerouting the Tully Trail, a spur trail to the boulder will be included.
The placement of the boulder took place on a cold December day in 2002, with participation of state officials, local landowners and environmentalists (including me) and staff of the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust.
Bob Durand, secretary of environmental affairs, declared the creation of the bioreserve, and the boulder includes his name, that of Gov. Jane Swift and a dedication to the landowners of the Tully River watershed. The west branch of the Tully flows southward there through a large scenic wetland called the Tully Meadow.
At the time of the dedication, Durand had just completed the “Tully Initiative,” directing more than $1 million in state funds to conserve 9,000 acres in the region via more than 100 transactions — with the help of the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust.
Speaking at that time, Durand said, “Today, we are forever preserving one of the most pristine areas of Massachusetts, home to a wealth of plant and animal species, The North Quabbin Bioreserve will be a place where natural communities will continue to thrive and will serve as a place where people can enjoy nature, unspoiled.”
The total area included 55,000 acres of protected land within an area of about 120,000 acres in 11 towns, plus another nearby 80,000 acres of Quabbin Reservation land.
This was the second area to receive the bioreserve dedication under Durand’s leadership, the other being the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve with 14,000 acres in Fall River, Freetown and Dartmouth.
Durand said he first saw a bioreserve forest, with millions of preserved acres, in Russia and that inspired him. He explained the concept was first developed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a way to protect large functioning, unfragmented ecosystems, where natural communities can exist unhindered by development.
Actually, the United Nations terminology is somewhat different, labeling such areas as “biosphere reserves.” Created in 1971, UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program “developed the basis for the sustainable use and conservation of biological diversity, and for the improvement of the relationship between people and their environment globally. The program encourages interdisciplinary research, demonstration and training in natural resource management.”
I went on the internet to catch up on the status of the two bioreserves. I found nothing on any state website. A map showing the bioreserve outline, produced by the state long ago, is not available online. There were some outdated mentions of the bioreserves on websites maintained by private environmental groups, but that’s it.
When informed of my concern, Leigh Youngblood of Mount Grace commented, “At a minimum, the designation serves as a placeholder for an area worthy of further special investment. It would be nice to have a document of its specific history and conservation values, but someone or some entity would have to have a reason for prioritizing it.”
The press liaison of the current Executive Office of Environmental Affairs had no updated information, explaining only that “one-time funding was allocated for land protection projects in these reserves. No funding has been allocated to protect land specifically in these bioreserves since that point, but land conservation is a priority for the Baker-Polito administration.”
Clearly, it’s time to reinvigorate the North Quabbin Bioreserve. Let’s all be proud that we live in a unique place acknowledged by the Commonwealth under a UN concept.
Our region’s environment organizations — town conservation commissions plus Mount Grace, the North Quabbin Trails Association, the Athol Bird & Nature Club, the Millers River Watershed Alliance — should all use the term “North Quabbin Bioreserve,” and thus, promote its goals.
I urge legislators state Rep. Susannah Whipps and state Sen. Anne Gobi to reach out to their colleagues who serve the towns of the Southeastern Bioreserve, so that they can all work together to increase awareness and funding for the two bioreserves.
Local businesses, from banks to real estate firms to restaurants and retail stores, can help promote and honor the North Quabbin Bioreserve.
I’ll end with the words of the man who created it. Durand was guest speaker at the annual meeting of Mount Grace in 2011 and spoke enthusiastically as he celebrated the 10th anniversary of the bioreserve. He told members, “You are protecting our valuable watersheds and wildlife habitat. It is important work, because you enhance the working forests and farmlands of the North Quabbin. And, it is important because you are leaving a lasting legacy for your children and their children.”