The rolling green hills of the Berkshire Taconic Landscape form a forested backbone that connects northern forests with Appalachia, providing safe passage for roaming animals like black bear, fisher and bobcat and treetop habitat for migratory birds.

Trickling down from these vast tracks of mountainous forests, rainfall creates a world of unique wetlands in the valley below. Rich with “sweet water” (calcium-rich, high alkaline water), these globally rare wetlands support the greatest concentration of rare species in southern New England and provide clean water and flood protection for thousands of citizens.

A Landscape Shaped by History

Despite their location in the highly urbanized Northeast, the Berkshires’ forests and wetlands have remained relatively undisturbed. But development pressure, invasive species, changes in hydrology and the effects of global climate change pose an ever-increasing challenge to the region’s high quality ecosystems.

Guided by the best conservation science, three Conservancy chapters have come together to protect one of New England’s last wild frontiers and maintain the backdrop of rugged beauty that all who live and spend time here enjoy.

Our vision for the Berkshires is to create a model for living gently on the land — balancing human impact with the needs of ecosystems, sustaining the ability of our lands and waters to provide for communities and supporting a wilderness in which many plants and animals can thrive.

How We Work

Protecting Land
The Conservancy’s data, analysis and mapping expertise helped the state of Massachusetts designate forest reserves on about 100,000 acres of state-owned forestland, several of which are in the Berkshires. We are now working to involve landowners in the protection or sustainable management of surrounding lands to ensure that these reserves do not become isolated islands in a fragmented forest.

Weed-It-Now
The invasion of aggressive, non-native plants is one of the most significant challenges to the Berkshires’ forests and wetlands. But the Conservancy has pioneered an effort called Weed-It-Now to remove invasive plants from 9,000 acres of critical forest habitat across Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. Weed-It-Now has become a national model, and strategies developed in the Berkshires have been used across the world.

Restoring Floodplain Forests
When a river floods its banks, it nurtures the soil with nutrients and silt, allowing wetland plants to germinate and grow. The trees and plants return the favor, filtering sediment, fertilizers and pesticides before they wash into the river. The Conservancy is working to reconnect floodplain forests along the Housatonic River and its tributaries by protecting land, removing invasive plants and planting native trees.

Restoring Rare Wetlands
The Berkshires’ remarkable collection of calcium-rich wetlands sustains a vibrant array of native plants and animals and provides valuable services for people. The Conservancy deploys teams of interns each summer to map, monitor and remove invasive species in these wetlands. And our science staff continue to study the region’s unique hydrology and species like the bog turtle that make their homes here.

Collaborating for Conservation
With resources that are important to the world and vital to local communities, collaboration at all levels is essential. The Berkshires program works with state agencies, other conservation organizations, local communities and individuals to develop strategies to address ecological threats specific to this unique landscape
 

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Allison Lassoe/TNC (A view from the Berkshire Taconic Landscape mountains down); Photo © George C. Gress/TNC (Bog Turtle).