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Conservation Commission

Conservation and More

              by Bruce B. Beckley

Issue #127, October, 2002
Rural Character(s)

Barber:	What do you think of that man out your way? Would you call him an honest man or a liar?
Customer:	Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a liar, but I heard tell by them as knows that when he wants his cows to come in from pasture, he’s got to get somebody else to call ‘em.
Amherst Town Master Plan 1980
	1. Preserve and enhance the small-town character of Amherst and its unique village center.
	2. Preserve and protect the open, rural character of the land as well as its natural and scenic resources.

Two different rural characters. We had our share of the first where I grew up in the shadow of Mt. Riga. Folks from the mountain were nicknamed Raggies and spoke with a distinct local accent some of which I guess I carry to this day. But what is this rural character we’d like to preserve and protect for these 36 square miles called home by 12,500 residents? Is it possible to preserve a rural character anymore?

Looking back, as recorded by Pastor Davis for the 100th anniversary of the Congregational Church:

Time, mid-1700s: “A party under the lead of Deacon Hobbs fell in with Indians on a Sunday morning when a smart fight ensued. It is reported the Indians said that “Souhegan deacon no very good, -- he fight on Sabbaday.” This was at a time (1747) when there were 35 families in town with 58 men and 8 slaves.

Time, 1780s: “The years following the close of the revolution were marked by a general decline in the tone of religious feeling. Infidelity prevailed widely among men of wealth and culture. Amherst, being the shire town, in what had become a thickly settled portion of the state, became the resort of lawyers, politicians and patriots.

Chuck Bacon takes us from there with his book “Amherst New Hampshire, A sleeping town awakes”:

Time, Civil War: Sixteen from Amherst paid income taxes on incomes over $1,000.

Time, 1880 and on: The census lists 338 households with a population of 1,225 of whom 791 lived outside the village proper, 283 horses, 735 cows, 271 pigs, 117 sheep and 62 oxen. (If the 1,468 critters had the vote, we might still be rural.) Orchard products including much cider became more and more important with a cash value of $4,680 in 1880. By the early 1900s the orchards were falling victim to insects and blights until new tolerant species and sprays were developed in Durham. At that time, one 80-acre orchard sold for $3,000. Up until the end of World War II only one farm in six had a tractor. Chickens became the principal farm commodity in the mid-1900s until they too fell victim to more mechanized production.

Looking back may be amusing, even disconcerting in its simplicity, but we can’t go there again. Today an Amherst “farm” is home to two SUVs, some horses behind white PVC fences, certainly no pigs (smell), no roosters (noise), maybe a cow (but don’t spread the waste product on the land, pollution).

Each of us will have our own feelings about what defines rural for us. To me, “rural” is space – woods and views; water to drink, to swim in, to see a sunset reflected on; a place for hiking and skiing without a commute; absence of un-natural sounds – ATVs, truck tires and aircraft.

Every year the test for rural character gets harder to pass. Every year we are forced to reset our definition and goals. The old orchards and farms go up for sale and are bought instantly at higher prices than even the new assessment values would suggest.

What’s to do? We don’t give up our goal to preserve open space. We work with owners, developers, planners and taxpayers to preserve the best we can through purchases, gifts and easements. We love and care for what we have.

Chester Coombs’ Firstborn:
            My wife just gave birth to a baby boy. She says he’s some cunnin’. But you could get me a sharp knife and a soft piece of white pine, and I could whittle you a better-lookin’ baby than the one I got.      Marshall Dodge

Reminder: There are 73 days left in this tax year to help the conservation organizations of your choice.

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