Metacomet Land Trust marks busy 2018
FRANKLIN – Metacomet Land Trust raised over $30,000 in donations and grants to reach its 30th anniversary fundraising goal in 2018.
“We are pleased to be celebrating our 30-year milestone as a regional land trust serving 15 communities,” said the organization’s president, Lisa Mosczynski, “We started out 30 years ago with three towns and as more communities saw the need to partner with a land trust to preserve and protect their valuable open space we have expanded to help them. Today we own 473 acres of conservation land and hold conservation restrictions that restrict development on an additional 343 acres. Among other partners, the trust works with individual owners, municipalities and the Commonwealth to preserve critical open space in the region.
In 2018, the trust finalized the acquisition of another 32 acres through landowner donations including:
• Mendon: 17 acres were donated by George and Joan Ford to preserve and protect beautiful uplands and rich wetlands off of Hartford Avenue West. “The Fords patiently worked with us through title searches going back to the original farmland in the 1800’s,” Mendon board representative Patrice Murphy recalled. “This section of “sprouts and saplings” will now be permanently conserved.”
• Sutton: 11 acres were donated by Sutton Development Trust. This parcel abuts the 38 acres donated to the land trust in 2017. Both parcels preserve and protect the shoreline of Stevens Pond in the village of Manchaug. The land trust is currently working with the Sutton Conservation Commission to place a conservation restriction on the parcels to further protect the property in perpetuity.
• Upton: 3 acres donated by the Naze family. “The generosity of the Naze family created the Blue Conservation Area on Crockett Road with frontage on the Mill River,” Upton board representative Mike Penko explained. “The Town of Upton also holds a conservation restriction on the property and Metacomet is currently working with the town to place a conservation restriction on Upton’s Heritage Park.”
Metacomet Land Trust is an all-volunteer, membership-based organization and is always ready to welcome new members It is currently looking for an assistant treasurer, help with coordinating social media outreach, volunteers to help with outreach and fundraising, and outdoor enthusiasts to aid new stewardship projects like the creation and maintenance of trails. We also have an open positon on our 15 member Board of Directors.
Learn more about the trust at MetacometLandTrust.org, at 508-271-7131, or email info@metacometlandtrust.org.
Metacomet Land Trust is a 501(c)3 profit organization working on land conservation in 15 communities across southern Worcester County and Norfolk County, including Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Franklin, Hopedale, Mendon, Millbury, Millville, Norfolk, Northbridge, Sutton, Upton, Uxbridge, Webster, and Wrentham.