Haydensville, MA – October 16, 2006 – Hattie Plehn knew she had a diamond in the rough when she first saw the old 250-acre orchard that would eventually become her Worthington home–though her excitement was also paired with a huge sense of responsibility. What had once been a working orchard, had been vandalized and burned as it lay abandoned for several years. Hattie envisioned a place where her family and local residents could pick blueberries from the bushes that dotted the hillsides and a landscape flush with wildlife could be enjoyed and managed with the help of neighboring hunters.  Conversely, she also worried about the future of her property and the surrounding land, seeing how the rural region where she grew up was being developed into hundreds of houses, seemingly overnight. Hattie made the decision to manage her property in a manner that would preserve her homestead while also helping to protect the rural character of the Highlands of western Massachusetts.

Forests are what give the Highlands region of western Massachusetts its unique beauty and rural character.  A startling 80 percent of the Highlands’ woodlands are owned by 14,700 private individuals and families.  The collective effects of the decisions each landowner makes about his or her property will determine the future of the Highland region’s quality of life, wildlife habitat, water quality and community character.

“Recognizing that people like Hattie Phen can make a big difference in preserving the character of a region like the Highlands was the inspiration for the Highland Communities Initiative (HCI) regional outreach campaign “My Place is the Highlands,” says HCI (title), (name).  “Our goal is to raise awareness about the precious landscapes and people that make the 38 Highland communities unique, while offering practical guidance to Highland residents so they can make informed decisions about the future management and preservation of their properties.

HCI’s regional outreach campaign kicks off with the availability of HCI’s newest publication, Your Land, Your Choices, which describes options for landowners facing two critical decisions: to harvest their trees and to conserve their land. The booklet provides detailed and straightforward advice on where to seek assistance in making these informed decisions, including the many people and organizations that are available resources.  The booklet also includes real-life examples of how and why local residents made decisions to harvest their timber and conserve their land.

Highland landowners shoulder the responsibility of caring for thousands of acres of a vast and healthy forest, and have an array of choices to make about the management and future of their land.  Hattie Plehn and her late husband, Worthington Selectman Stephen Plehn, recognized this fact years ago. In 2000, Stephen founded the Highland Communities Initiative, an effort to enhance the quality of life and rural character of the Highlands region.  At the same time, he and Hattie set out to achieve their vision for their own property. In addition to maintaining community ties to the old orchard, the Plehns developed a forest management plan and put their woods into Chapter 61, which reduced their taxes while preserving a working forest. The plan has led to several timber cuts, providing income to the family while increasing wildlife habitat. Hattie has also donated a conservation restriction on most of the property to the Hilltown Land Trust, which will ensure that the land surrounding her home will remain in its natural condition forever.
 
The “My Place is the Highlands” regional outreach campaign aims to generate awareness and pride in the exceptional rural character, working forests and farms, and people that work to ensure these resources will be available for future generations of Highlands residents. As a visible way to celebrate the land and the people of the region, every household in the Highlands will receive a “My Place is the Highlands” window sticker through a mailing in late October. The stickers are a way to show pride in the place we live and to recognize others who share an appreciation of the beauty, heritage, and rural quality of life in the Highlands.

A program of The Trustees of Reservations, the Highland Communities Initiative is a group of neighbors and volunteers working to enhance the quality of life and rural character of our communities.  HCI connects people and provides them with the information and support they need to preserve the special natural and cultural landscapes of the Highlands region.  To find out more, please visit us at www.highlandcommunities.org  

Copies of Your Land, Your Choices are free and available by returning the order form accompanying your new Highlands window sticker, by downloading from the HCI website www.highlandcommunities.org, or by calling HCI directly.  For further information, please contact: Mark Wamsley, Program and Outreach Assistant, at (413) 268-8219.