Conservation Commission Orders Enforcement Action at Manhan Memorial Forest Over Illegal Digging

EASTHAMPTON — October 28, 2024 — Easthampton Conservation Commission issues enforcement order over illegal digging at memorial forest. The commission voted unanimously Monday to issue an enforcement order against the New England Forestry Foundation over ongoing unpermitted excavation at the Carnat Manhan Memorial Forest, where amateur mineral and crystal hunters have dug a network of deep holes across a quarter-mile stretch of the Manhan River's inner riverfront area. Conservation Agent Ava told members the digging has never been permitted under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and that websites continue to advertise the site as open to collectors, drawing visitors from New York and Pennsylvania. The order will require the foundation to submit a restoration plan, install erosion controls, remove signs that continue to indicate digging is allowed, and post prominent no-digging notices. In other action, the commission voted unanimously to issue a certificate of compliance on a 1983 riprap order at 27 Drury Lane — discovered in a title search by a buyer's attorney days before a scheduled closing — and to extend the order of conditions for Easthampton Park Solar 1 LLC at 232 Park Street to November 27, 2025.