I am part of a volunteer town committee looking into the feasibility of connecting our two village centers with a multi-modal non vehicular transportation corridor, or a green way. Some members of the committee and I recently went to Great Barrington to see what they did and to talk with a member of their committee.
It was helpful to hear how Great Barrington approached establishing the path and what steps they took to meet the regulations – conservation, zoning, etc. Being there was inspiring as well – especially seeing how they created the path itself, and how different parts of the community are represented along it through their contributions – flow forms from the local Waldorf School for example. Details like the flow forms, the creative fencing at certain edges, interpretive signs and plant material donated from local nurseries combine to create an image of the community and its commitment to the health of the river, and everyone within its watershed. For all my visits to Great Barrington over the years, I’ve not gotten as succinct vision of who/what the town is about until I walked along that path.
There’s something startling and beautiful about seeing something wild and eternal like a river or a “wild area” in an urbanized place. It’s unexpected, unruly, somewhat dangerous – especially these days with climate change – and more than anything else humanizing. The sounds of that river blunted the noise that comes with day-to-day living. For that time I was there, I lost myself in the shadows of overhanging trees playing on the surface of the changing river, the smell of churning muddy water and the graceful drift of leaves floating from tree to water.
