Open Space and Recreation Plan 2009 (Draft)

Excerpts from the Plan

The town of Upton offers a remarkably diverse landscape, a landscape shaped by the forces of nature and human culture over thousands of years. Its basic form is rooted in the geology of the region, shaped by the glaciers of the last ice age, and molded since by the action of wind, water, and communities of plants and animals. From the wooded hills in the north end of town, Warren and Center Brooks drain a series of narrow valleys, and merge to form the West River as it flows south to the Blackstone. Overlaid with this natural landscape is a cultural landscape that evolved in an intimate relationship with the land in three centuries since European settlement and previous millennia of use by Native Americans.

Open spaces provide scenic vistas, habitat for wildlife, active and passive recreational opportunities, protection from flooding, groundwater resources essential for town water supplies, and forests which store carbon in biomass and soils. Community action and vigilance is essential to protect these features and benefits.

The purpose of this document is to serve as a guide for the preservation, management and development of Upton’s recreation and open space assets. Over the next several decades the town will likely face continued development pressure. The decisions by town boards and residents regarding open space preservation will define Upton’s character for centuries to come. The challenge is to identify critical resources and special places that must be preserved and to bring all available tools to bear on the preservation effort.

The draft Open Space and Recreation Plan was prepared following guidelines established by the Massachusetts Division of Conservation Services. Background information was gathered and an inventory of resources completed to provide a basis from which to analyze the town’s open space and recreation needs. The formation of goals, objectives, and appropriate actions followed. These goals are the substance of a five-year plan for implementation:

• Preserve Upton’s rural, small-town character

• Preserve open space
• Preserve cultural and historical resources and landscapes
• Expand and improve active and passive recreational facilities
• Protect Upton’s water resources
• Promote the stewardship of town-owned open space and conservation lands for natural resource protection and open space recreation
• Improve Upton’s trail system
• Promote and encourage environmental education and awareness