Land Protection

Tying up loose ends

Dinah Rowbotham, Land Protection Program Assistant

Three land protection projects featured on this blog, our project in Norfolk, the Valencia project, and the Almy project, have closed and are now permanently protected! To refresh your memory on which land parcels I’m referring to, here’s a quick run-down on how these three projects enhance Mass Audubon’s sanctuary system:

Our project in Norfolk has brought 7 additional acres to Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary. The land was given to us by the developer of an adjacent parcel, who was motivated by the Planning Board and their new Open Space Subdivision rules. The newly protected land is upland pine-oak woods which partly surround Bristol Pond.

The Valencia project was a gift of 0.70 acres of wetlands mostly surrounded by Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary. The parcel was created when a house was built on an adjacent lot, and this piece was left over as a remnant. The little parcel of land fits beautifully into our sanctuary, and we’re very grateful that it’s former owner donated it to become permanently protected habitat.

Lastly, the Almy project is a new 5.7-acre conservation restriction adjacent to Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary. The protected land consists of upland pasture that was identified as a priority for protection by Mass Audubon in our sanctuary protection plan and consists of both high quality habitat and a scenic landscape.

An Exciting Opportunity in Spencer!

Charlie Wyman, Senior Land Protection Specialist

Last week Mass Audubon announced an exciting conservation opportunity: protection of the 350-acre former Sibley and Warner farms on Route 9 in Spencer, just five miles west of the Worcester city limits.

This large property consists of farm fields, woodlands, ponds, streams and wet meadows and abuts Mass Audubon’s Burncoat Pond Wildlife Sanctuary.  It had been purchased in 2002-2005 by a developer who obtained permits for 304 condominium units and a 240,000-square-foot retail shopping center. But potential buyers evaporated with the economic downturn, and the bank holding the mortgage foreclosed last year, opening a window of opportunity for conservation.

We have now taken the first critical step towards seizing this opportunity.  In late June Mass Audubon reached agreement in principle with DCU (Digital Federal Credit Union), the new owner, on a one-year option to purchase the property for $2.3 million. 

This is wonderful land, with scenic views across hayfields from Route 9, a large central wetlands complex (with beaver meadows, wooded swamps, ponds and streams) that feeds into Burncoat Pond, and a drumlin with old pasture and hayfields offering distant vistas and good bird habitat.  The MidState Trail passes through the property, and part of it was recently designated by the state as among the most important for preservation of the state’s biodiversity.

Unfortunately, we can’t just write a check to purchase the property, as much as we wish we could.  To be successful will require a coalition of conservation partners, including the town, state agencies, other non-profit land trusts, and individuals.  Both public funds and private donations will be needed.

The town’s SelectBoard and Conservation Commission have expressed support and agreed to submit an application to the state LAND grant program that could provide up to $500,000 towards the purchase.  Two local land trusts, the Greater Worcester Land Trust and the Common Ground Land Trust, a young trust working to protect the open spaces of Spencer and Leicester, have also voiced their support.  Help will be sought from the state’s Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) Program and Conservation Partnership Program. 

But even with lots of help, the majority of funds will need to come from the town of Spencer and private fundraising.  Over the next few weeks, Mass Audubon will engage town boards and other interested parties in an open public discussion to assess the breadth and depth of support for the project, and to map out the details of a protection plan. 

We are not seeking funds at this stage – we are still evaluating the feasibility of the project and discussing with potential conservation partners how best to proceed.  Stay tuned!  If you have questions or suggestions, or would like to get on our mailing list for updates, please contact Senior Land Protection Specialist Charlie Wyman at cwyman@massaudubon.org or 781-259-2174.  Thank you!

 
 

 

 

Conservation begets conservation

Bob Ford, Land Protection Specialist

As an old Greek proverb says, kindness begets kindness. Similarly, conservation often begets conservation. 

Such is the case with our recent efforts to purchase and preserve 75 ecologically sensitive acres in the Rowley Great Marsh owned by the Oak Knoll Realty Trust. Our activity on this conservation initiative in Rowley has begotten more conservation activity! (See our webpage for information on the progress we’ve made and the challenge we face during the home stretch of this critically important conservation project.)  

A landowner that abuts the Oak Knoll Realty Trust land is now working with Mass Audubon to donate their 10 acres to the cause, which will increase the total amount of salt marsh to be protected through our efforts to 85 acres! The enlarged scope of what was already a significant salt marsh conservation project will provide an enormous protective benefit to the salt marsh ecosystem of the Rowley Great Marsh, now and forever. We hope to receive this gift around the same time as we hope to close on the Oak Knoll land, which we currently anticipate to take place in September 2011.

On Habitat Reserves and the benefits of public/private conservation partnerships

Bob Wilber, Director of Land Protection

We have previously discussed the importance of the close working relationship that public and private conservation interests enjoy here in Massachusetts, with the unique abilities of each brought forth in a coordinated, complimentary, manner to get many properties successfully conserved.  And we've also talked about the very favorable current setting for land conservation—historically low market values, little competition from developers, and many willing sellers.

Working in close partnership, private conservation organizations like Mass Audubon, and state environmental agency partners are making the most of this unprecedented opportunity to conserve land.  Four years ago, the Patrick-Murray administration designated the ten most intact forested landscapes remaining in Massachusetts as “Habitat Reserves.”  These areas include wilderness areas, forest reserves, mountain tops, wild rivers, and sustainably managed forests.  The purpose of the designation was a simple concept:  identify these areas using a sound foundation of science, and encourage public and private conservation interests to collaborate over time to acquire/protect properties within these important landscapes.   In many ways, the Habitat Reserves identify the “best of the best” remaining unprotected land in the commonwealth.

The Habitat Reserves concept is working, and we’re proud to have played a part in that success.  We are indebted to all who have supported our efforts thus far, and remain optimistic that such forward thinking will continue, as we all strive to make the most of this amazing conservation opportunity that has been placed before us.

120 acres neighboring Waseeka and Broad Hill Wildlife Sanctuaries to be protected

Dinah Rowbotham, Land Protection Program Assistant

The Town of Ashland has signed an official Purchase and Sale agreement with Northeastern University to buy the Warren Woods property, 120 acres very close to Mass Audubon’s Waseeka and Broad Hill Wildlife Sanctuaries (check out our previous blog post on this project).  The agreement was signed just before Town Meeting last month.  The agreement includes a provision to delay closing the sale until this year's Local Acquisition for Natural Diversity (LAND) grant winners are announced. If the town is awarded the grant, it could bring in up to $500,000 toward the land’s total purchase price of $5 million. The project is now within a 60-day exploratory period that provides the town with the needed opportunity for environmental studies, title and deed searches, and surveys.  Mass Audubon has been assisting the town with various aspects of the purchase including appraisals and technical assistance and has pledged to contribute $150,000 toward the project.  It is anticipated that over 100 acres will be covered by a conservation restriction that will permanently protect the land's natural conservation values.    

An abutting 23 acre portion of Northeastern University’s land in the neighboring town of Holliston is also being considered for protection by Mass Audubon and other conservation partners.

 
Land protected by Mass Audubon CR, near soon-to-be-protected Warren Woods land. 

Slater Woods in Dudley Now Protected

Charlie Wyman, Senior Land Protection Specialist

Our friends at the Dudley Conservation Land Trust are close to completing a wonderful 75-acre acquisition in the heart of a 500+ acre natural area abutting Mass Audubon’s Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary.  The property consists of open oak woods, rock outcroppings, and interspersed wetlands, and creates a corridor linking Mass Audubon’s sanctuary to the Trust’s recent Highland Park purchase.  

Working with the Slater family, which has owned the land for more than 150 years, and with the assistance of Mass Audubon, the Trust negotiated the acquisition and launched a fundraising drive that is closing in on its goal.  With deadlines looming, the Trust purchased the property earlier this year and is now conveying a conservation restriction to the Mass. Department of Fish and Game, a condition of a state grant that is providing 1/3 of the funds needed.  Mass Audubon assisted at several junctures: developing strategy during the negotiations, reaching out to local supporters to help fund the purchase, and providing a bridge loan until the state grant funds arrive.  Our hats are off to the Trust and their dynamic leaders, Sandy Peterson and Keith Kirkland, for a terrific job!

We look forward to working with the Trust and the Department of Fish and Game to protect more of this extensive natural area.  A parking lot and trail are planned.

 
Slater Woods resident (wood frog) prepares to jump for joy at news of his habitat being permanently protected.

 
Slater Woods

Rowley Town Meeting Unanimously Supports Great Marsh Acquisition

Bob Ford, Land Protection Specialist

On May 16 Rowley Town Meeting unanimously approved Mass Audubon’s request to allocate $250,000 from the town's Community Preservation Act open space account toward the conservation of over 75 acres in the Great Marsh (the Great Marsh Conservation Initiative). The approval of town funds is a critical part of the financial package needed to acquire the property, which also includes various forms of other government support, such as the Federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), and private support. Once purchased (hopefully in September 2011), the land will become part of Mass Audubon’s Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in Rowley. This project represents the last opportunity to acquire a critical missing link in the Great Marsh which conservation advocates have been trying to secure for over 30 years. This land protection effort provides numerous benefits for the Great Marsh and Rowley including preserving Rowley’s saltmarsh and water resources, shellfish beds, tidal creeks, and estuaries, completing a Heritage Landscape and historic Main Street scenic vista prioritized by the Essex National Heritage Commission, providing for increased public safety by absorbing storm-related floodwaters, protecting farmland from future development, and continuing saltmarsh agricultural activity.

 

Adventure to Elizabeth Island

Lindsey Sarquilla, Land Information Systems Assistant

Recently on a beautifully clear and sunny day, two intrepid stewardship staff members (John Coolidge, CR Stewardship Specialist, and I) crossed the waters of Spy Pond in Arlington to reach the shore of one of Mass Audubon’s newest CRs, Elizabeth Island.  The 1 ¾ acre island is owned by Arlington Land Trust, and Mass Audubon co-holds the CR with the Town of Arlington (check out our previous blog post on this project).

With the sun at our backs we ventured out to the island with the help of a canoe borrowed from a local friend of Mass Audubon and the Arlington Land Trust.  We gathered baseline documentation (photos, GPS locations of trails and landing areas, etc.) by water and land to help inform future monitoring of the island.  We were delighted to see that the island is undoubtedly well-loved by the public, with no recent evidence of trash or other abuses found.  It really is no surprise that this lovely oasis of natural habit is a beloved landmark in Arlington—and we’re very proud to help protect it!

 
John Coolidge, CR Stewardship Specialist, taking in the property conditions (and the sunshine).

 
Swan sunning on northwestern point of Elizabeth Island, now dubbed “Swan Point.”

 
Taken from the canoe; the same view of the island as you see from Concord Turnpike.

Cross your fingers!

Dinah Rowbotham, Land Protection Program Assistant

Imagine yourself standing in a meadow, surrounded in every direction by grassland as far as the eye can see. This is a place where Kestrels and Northern Harrier soar overhead—in abundance. Standing still in this expanse of openness is a breathtaking experience. It’s almost hard to believe you’re in Massachusetts, but you are. You’re in the middle of the 1600-acre Cumberland Farms property in Middleborough and Halifax.

Mass Audubon, the Department of Fish and Game, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts, The Nature Conservancy, and The Trustees of Reservations have teamed up to explore the idea of permanently protecting this spectacular regional landmark. 

We are very appreciative that landowner Cumberland Farms (yes, the same folks that own the popular chain of convenience stores and gasoline retailer) has been willing to open a dialogue with our group of conservation organizations.

To help begin the discussion with Cumberland Farms, Mass Audubon and the other conservation partners are buying an appraisal of the property together—currently in the works. This project is still in the exploratory stage, and so we’ve not too much to report as of yet. But stay tuned, and keep your fingers crossed!

 
Northern Harrier by Brendan Dwyer

 
Kestrel by Jerry Liguori

Making progress on several fronts

Charlie Wyman, Senior Land Protection Specialist

We’ve made good progress lately on several projects reported on in recent months:

Western Mass Electric Company.  On Monday evening the Agawam City Council voted unanimously to approve these two conservation restrictions, totaling 65 acres at two sites, following Conservation Commission approval in late March. Western Mass. Electric is working to wrap up a few final permitting issues with the Corps of Engineers and the state’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, with hopes of completing the process and conveying the conservation restrictions this summer and initiating construction in the fall. Our crew heads out next Wednesday to gather baseline documentation (pictures, GPS locations of boundary points, etc.) that will help our stewardship staff monitor the property going forward.

Almy Property.  This 5.7-acre conservation restriction nestled against Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary in Dartmouth and other protected land will be placed on record any day now. The CR has been approved by the Dartmouth Select Board and by the state’s Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and is awaiting the blessing of the Dartmouth Planning Board as part of the Board’s approval of the family’s 3-lot Open Space Residential Design subdivision.

Valencia Property.  The gift of this 2/3-acre bit of wetland surrounded on three sides by our Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Worcester is a couple of steps closer to completion. Earlier this month I walked the property with Deb Cary and Martha Gach from the sanctuary staff as part of our routine evaluation of any contamination risk from oil or hazardous waste. The property passed with flying colors and we had a nice conversation with one of our prospective neighbors to boot.  A draft purchase-and-sale agreement is circulating.

 
Above: Mass Audubon staff Deb Cary and Martha Gach on the proposed Valencia gift.