Weatherbee's latest gift to the public: A new two-acre passive park along Green River

A new sign in the last month on Water Street, a little south of where it becomes Green River Road on state Route 43, announces the presence of Williamstown’s "River's Edge Park."  It’s an obscure, two-acre parcel of river bottomland which the owner --  botanist Pamela B. Weatherbee – has opened for individual public use during daylight.  Weatherbee – a South Williamstown resident well known for quiet, environmental philanthropy –- has developed the park over the last two years. Do you remember two derelict little houses which stood for 20 years or more on the site? After buying the parcels, she paid to have the houses razed, got town approval for a four-car gravel parking lot and has developed  wood-chip-lined walkways. Someday she envisions modest botanical exhibits. Abutting neighbor Michael Card – coincidentally the town’s building inspector – continues to mow the lovely meadow as he has voluntarily for years.  Weatherbee hopes the public will think of the property as a place to picnic, relax, wade in the Green River or observe the butternut, hickory, sugar maple and basswood trees and garlic mustard – “a weedy thing with white flowers and heart-shaped leaves that smells of garlic if you press it.” She asks that the public respect her desire not to have any large groups congregate and to leave the property at dusk each night. Eventually, she may donate it to the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation or some other group.

Comments

[Pat Dunlavey]

Rich people are just like you and me, except that they have a lot more money. And just like you and me, some feel a duty to improve the world they live in, and others feel a duty only to themselves.
On the one hand we have people like Pam Weatherbee working and putting their wealth on the line to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the northern Berkshires. And on the other, we have Bo Peabody's "trust of one" seeking to flip beautiful Berkshire landscape into profitable real estate development opportunities http://newshare.typepad.com/greylocknews/2005/07/two_major_housi.html target=_blank>(link).