Most folks think of the Green River as a nice place to picnic or swim. Some see it as a major trout stream with pristine waters coming from its forested watershed, one of the cleanest in southern New England. Others may know that the river at times provides 35% of the freshwater to the city of Greenfield. We drink this water!

Having lived along the river for 45 years, I have witnessed the transitions the Green River (and watershed) have gone through. I purchased a summer cabin along the river, down an old dirt road, deep in the woods, in the fall of 1980. Bugs and mosquitoes, here I come!

For several decades I witnessed incredible bird migrations lining the trees in the millions! The safety of the woods supported an abundance of wildlife. I could not mow my lawn as it was always full of frogs, salamanders and toads. In the spring, the peeper noise was astounding. On hot summer nights the porch light would be aflutter with thousands of bugs, moths (lunar), and beetles.

Sometime in early 2000, a cul-de-sac was given approval, disregarding the vernal pools and other habitat that existed. In one day, the woods were gone. Six months of dynamiting preceded the road. That has been my experience briefly. Now it is 2025. All of the treasures that I witnessed have all been compromised or nearly extinct. See many bugs these days?

Here is a list of issues that I am aware of related to the Green River and its watershed.

1. Massive, historic dump off Nelson Road in Colrain, draining into a creek that empties directly into the Green River above the Greenfield Water Intake. Fish & Wildlife property.

2. Ongoing illegal dumping on Green River Road.

3. Vandalism to trees, trashing of areas along the river like the land behind Leyden Woods Apartments.

4. Periodic use by the DPW to store winter road snow full of particulates, salt and toxic chemicals from the roads above the Green River Swimming and Recreation Area, causing erosion and draining directly into the swim area.

5. Use of embankments around public housing areas to dispose of trash. Maintenance crews that move litter and trash into the leaves, breaking it down into particles that eventually end up in the river.

6. Buried Maple Creek that runs under Greenfield and spills out off Colrain Street, at times smelling like sewer, chemicals and soap suds (80% of the pollution going into the Green River comes from Maple Brook).

7. 20-plus tons of discarded human trash along the (environmentally sensitive) bike trail, all in a flood plain that will wash into the Green River when the rains come, clogging and complicating the filtration plant.

8. Tire dump behind Franklin County House of Corrections.

9. Two dams that need to be removed.

10. Massive tire dump off Colorado Ave in Greenfield spilling into the Deerfield River. About 5,000 tires were removed during Green River cleanups, but 3,000 remained exposed?

11. Unknown amounts of human trash above the Green River in Green River Park.

12. Lack of public access to clean, swimmable water.

13. Kennemetal closing and concerns about 150 years of industrial waste on the property.

14. Road runoff that drains directly into the Green River.

15. Unchecked septic drainage.

I needed to compile this for my own inventory. Others may have information to add to this list. Please contact me at greenrdb@gmail.com for thoughts and information.

Protect what you love.

John David Boles lives in Greenfield.