Land Protection

Why Haven’t You Called, Steven Spielberg?

Charlie Wyman, Senior Land Protection Specialist

When this blogger last reported on the Sibley project in Spencer (Crunch Time in Spencer, November 2011), we had a plan for protection of the magnificent 350-acre Sibley and Warner Farms property, but no funding yet and a $2.91 million goal. 

Well, a lot has happened since then!  December was a banner month, resulting in more than $2.25 million in town and state commitments. What remains is the $650,000 to be raised from the public by May 1 when we have to make a decision whether to exercise our option, which expires in June. As of today we’ve received commitments totaling $315,000, with a month to go!  Talk about crunch time…

But, oh, the prize!  Three hundred and fifty glorious acres of field, forest, and wetlands. Scenic views.  Productive soils. Trails. And if that’s not enough, our state grant will provide funding to add 225 acres to Spencer State Forest next year IF we can protect the Sibley property this year. 

So we’re pulling out all the stops and being as creative as we can in spreading the word. An appeal went out last week to more than 4,000 households in Spencer and surrounding towns.  Posters and brochure dispensers are sprouting around town like the new shoots of spring we see everywhere. “Save Sibley Farm” buttons are the fashion accessory du jour.

Our newest venture is a fundraising video, capturing people’s memories and enthusiasm for the property.  Meryl Streep doesn’t need to worry about competition from the likes of us, but we hope it moves a few people to join us in trying to protect this wonderful landscape.  Have a look at the YouTube video, and then check out the project website at www.sibleyfarm.org.

You can help. Come see the property—walks are being held every weekend this month (see the website for details).  Invite a friend.  Post the project to your Facebook page, or if you’re like me, ask your son or daughter to post it to theirs. Tweet. Wear a button (we’ll send you one). Play a role in securing another piece of the open space legacy we’re trying to create across the state, acre by acre, for our children and our wildlife.

Otters (r e johnson)

Hilltop meadow (Nathan Goshgarian)

Crunch Time in Spencer

Charlie Wyman, Senior Land Protection Specialist

The first two weeks of December are a critical time for our efforts to protect the 352-acre Sibley and Warner Farms.  Any day now, we are expecting word on the state grants that are a needed ingredient in the project’s success.  On December 5th, the state’s Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) Program meets to decide on our application for sale of an APR on the Sibley fields.  Three days later, Spencer Town Meeting will consider a request for a $700,000 appropriation to protect the property, an appropriation that will then go to voters the following Tuesday for approval of the debt exclusion needed under Proposition 2½.  We’ll be nervous wrecks by then!

To learn more about the Sibley and Warner Farms project, visit the partnership’s website at www.sibleyfarm.org and check the blog for the latest news.  Come explore the property without leaving the comfort of your living room: a recent blog entry has You Tube links to an introduction to the natural history of the property with Mass Audubon’s Chris Leahy, or you can join a recent walking tour led by yours truly.  Watch your step crossing the stream!

 

 

Two Chili Dogs with Fried Dough and Land Protection on the Side, Please

Charlie Wyman, Senior Land Protection Specialist

Labor Day weekend saw the 123^rd annual edition of the Spencer Fair, billed as the largest fair in central Massachusetts. Those of us who are part of the conservation partnership trying to save the 350-acre Sibley and Warner farms in Spencer (see previous post, An Exciting Opportunity in Spencer) manned a booth to raise awareness and support for the project. It provided a weekend of great conversations and a fascinating perspective on the world.

We were tucked between the toddler’s play-tent and the tent where the dancing girls prepared for the main stage. The stage itself was just a few feet away, not a bad place to be when the entertainment was good, though the children’s karaoke, while cute, was a little painful. Across from us were trailers serving up Lemon Slush, Fried Dough, and Chili Cheese Fries. (Dr. Oz wouldn’t have approved, but thankfully I don’t park my weak resolve near such places year-round or my wife would be collecting my life insurance by now.) A tractor pull, demolition derby, and heart-stopping amusement rides provided the background soundtrack. Our thanks to Jimmy, who let us stash our literature and posters each night at the back of his Singing Vegetables trailer two doors down.

Over the course of four days we talked to hundreds of people, from all walks of life. What was gratifying was that not a single one told us they’d rather see the property developed. While people differed in their preferences for how the land should be used and managed (hunting? farming? wildlife sanctuary? horses? snowmobiles?), they all preferred open space uses to private development. Many related experiences of the property growing up: how they hunted the land, or visited the farm with a school group, or still cherish a Sibley milk bottle they have on the shelf, a remnant of the farm’s dairy past.

This slice of public sentiment augurs well for our prospects. We will need an appropriation from Spencer Town Meeting and a strong grass-roots fundraising campaign to succeed. The partnership is hard at work exploring options and trying to fit the pieces together in a way that does well by the land, its wildlife, and the people who care for it.  We continue to work building awareness and support. Walks of the property are scheduled for the fall (e-mail me at cwyman@massaudubon.org if you’d like details). With enough good will, creative thinking and hard work, we hope the pieces will fall into place. Like rings falling on a milk bottle in a booth on the midway, but the prize we hope for is too big to carry home tucked under one arm.

 
Land Protection Specialist Charlie Wyman with project poster and cheeseburger. 

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!