Protected: Picone Farm, Middleborough

Picone Farm in Middleborough. Video by Reel Quest Films. (Click the center arrow to play.)

By Scott MacFaden, Director of Land Protection

In a series of closings in late August, the effort to permanently protect the 190-acre Picone Farm in Middleborough finally reached its long-sought conclusion. The project involved the Town of Middleborough, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), Wildlands Trust, and the Hanover-based Greensmith Farm. 

Success wouldn’t have been possible without this diverse partnership that mobilized to secure the farm’s preservation. In December 2020, a 378-unit manufactured home development was proposed for the farm. Because the farm was enrolled in Chapter 61A, the Town had a Right of First Refusal on the property. This Right of First Refusal enabled the Town and its partners to devise the optimal preservation strategy, which proved to be dividing the farm into two halves: a “Town” component and a “farm” component. The Town of Middleborough acquired the Town component, and Greensmith Farm acquired the farm component. Wildlands will hold a Conservation Restriction (CR) on the Town component, and MDAR and the Town will hold an Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) on the farm component to ensure its permanent protection. 

As one of Middleborough’s largest and most significant remaining farmland tracts, Picone Farm had been a long-standing preservation priority for the Town and several of its open space partners. In addition to its extensive areas of prime farmland, the property includes approximately 6,000 feet of frontage on the Nemasket River. Juxtaposed with that river frontage are scenic rolling fields, a pond, several pockets of mature woodland, and a small stream that drains into the Nemasket. 

In the larger landscape context, Picone Farm was the largest remaining unprotected assemblage along the lower Nemasket River corridor north of Route 44 and one of the largest unprotected assemblages anywhere along the Nemasket’s 11.2-mile extent.  

The Town’s portion of the property will include community gardens and walking trails extending into the adjacent Town-owned Oliver Estate. The farm component will be privately owned and operated by Greensmith Farm, which plans to establish a farmstand offering agricultural products grown on site. 

Help us protect more of the special places of Southeastern Massachusetts: donate to Wildlands today.

Town of Avon Earns Grant to Expand D.W. Field Park

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Local, regional, and state partners convened at D.W. Field Park to celebrate an award to expand the park.

Since its inception, Wildlands Trust’s D.W. Field Park Initiative has striven to revitalize the beloved open space in Brockton and Avon through education, outreach, planning, and restoration. Physical expansion was hardly on our radar; comprising 700 acres in the heart of our region’s most populous city, D.W. Field Park seemingly had little room to grow.

Yet less than two years into the Initiative, D.W. Field Park is set to receive a modest yet meaningful boost to its open space portfolio. On August 27, government officials and nonprofit partners convened at D.W. Field Park to celebrate the award of $1.5 million from the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant program to the Town of Avon for the purchase of 32 acres adjacent to the urban park. 

Wildlands President Karen Grey (left) speaks to the group.

Wildlands raised $450,000 in private funding to support the grant proposal, which will also expand our revitalization efforts of D.W. Field Park north and west of our current project area. The award will also fund another semester of partnership with the Conway School, from which two graduate students provided crucial design input last spring. 

“There are only two significant undeveloped open space assemblages contiguous with the park, and we were fortunate that one was owned by an individual who wanted to see his land become part of the park,” Wildlands President Karen Grey said. “The Town of Avon was a lead partner in putting together this exciting project.”  

The project awaits final approval from a town meeting later this fall. 

From left: Wildlands Communications Coordinator Thomas Patti, State Senator Michael Brady, Wildlands President Karen Grey, and Wildlands Director of Special Projects Rachel Bruce.

Thank you to Secretary Rebecca Tepper of the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, City of Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan, State Senator Michael D. Brady, State Representative Michelle DuBois, Town of Avon Selectman Eric Beckerman, and many others for voicing your support of this exciting new project! 

To learn more about our D.W. Field Park Initiative, visit wildlandstrust.org/dwfieldpark. 

Stay tuned for updates as this project and the larger D.W. Field Park Initiative march on.

Pat Loring and Lorrie Hall Honored

Lorrie Hall and Pat Loring.

On September 28, the Town of Duxbury honored Pat Loring and Lorrie Hall for their exceptional contributions to local and regional conservation.

About 30 municipal and nonprofit partners gathered at the Duxbury Senior Center to express their gratitude for Pat and Lorrie’s decades-long commitment to open space preservation. In Pat and Lorrie’s honor, commemorative benches will be installed at Historic O’Neil Farm.

Wildlands Trust has benefited greatly from the devotion of these two conservation champions. Pat, a Wildlands board member, has led Duxbury’s open space efforts for 30 years through roles with various local committees. Lorrie’s foresight and generosity facilitated the permanent protection of Hoyt-Hall Preserve in Marshfield, Historic O’Neil Farm in Duxbury, and other irreplaceable natural areas.

Never one to take credit for her many successes, Pat expressed gratitude for her conservation partners. “It takes all of us, and I’m so happy to be part of all of your teams,” she said. “It’s very nice to be honored, but we do it together, and it’s a fabulous town to be doing it in. So thank you.”

At the ceremony, Director of Field Operations Erik Boyer relayed comments from President Karen Grey and Director of Land Protection Scott MacFaden about Pat and Lorrie’s collective impact on the Wildlands mission. Read on to see what Karen and Scott had to say.

Karen Grey on Pat Loring

Wildlands Trust serves 55 towns in a vast 1,700-square-mile area of Southeastern Massachusetts that nearly one-third of the state’s residents call home. We advance our mission by working hand-in-glove with local conservation leaders who understand the open space objectives of their towns, grasp the political landscape, and are familiar with important landowners, who are often their friends and neighbors.

Pat Loring epitomizes the local leadership we rely upon to do our work. She is a true hero of land conservation in our region.

The conservation ethic in the town of Duxbury runs deep. As one of the first towns in Massachusetts to designate conservation land, Duxbury is stunning, with healthy forests, unspoiled barrier beaches, and bountiful salt marshes. Its natural beauty is the result of visionary leadership that worked to protect all that makes the town special. Over the past 30 years, Pat Loring has led that charge. She is responsible for the protection of cranberry bogs, forests, religious lands, coastal properties, and the town’s historic dairy farm. Her land preservation instincts and skills are second to none.

Click here to hear from Pat Loring herself as part of our “50 Years, 50 people” video series.

Pat Loring and Erik Boyer.

Scott MacFaden on Lorrie Hall

As a nonprofit organization, Wildlands Trust’s success in pursuing our land conservation mission is heavily dependent upon the generosity of those who financially support our work. Duxbury resident Lorrie Hall is one of those donors who have made an indelible contribution to our work and to her community of Duxbury.

Lorrie’s philanthropy is a continuation of a cherished family tradition. Among other interests, her parents were ardent supporters of the Duxbury Bay Maritime School, a Duxbury institution that thrives to this day. Lorrie learned early on that all philanthropy is valuable, but local philanthropy can often witness the most tangible results.

Lorrie’s profound commitment to the betterment of her community through open space preservation is manifested across the Duxbury landscape. Most particularly, Lorrie was an early and enthusiastic supporter of the Historic O’Neil Farm preservation project, which culminated in the permanent preservation of Duxbury’s last dairy farm, and one of the town’s most significant open space assemblages. Lorrie’s substantial commitment provided the nascent project with a vital fundraising base, and just as importantly, credibility. Without Lorrie’s initial leadership, it is very unlikely that O’Neil Farm would today benefit from permanent conservation protection.

In a time when Americans seem more rootless than ever and nurturing community connections is yet more challenging, Lorrie stands out for her unwavering belief in and support for her community of Duxbury. She has provided a bright shining example for others to emulate in the years ahead.

Erik Boyer addresses ceremony attendees.

Thank you, Pat and Lorrie, for your selfless dedication to land conservation in Duxbury and beyond! We are grateful to have you on our team, and excited to continue working with you both!

Crystal Spring Preserve is Open!

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Crystal Spring Preserve in Plainville.

Crystal Spring Preserve, our first property in Plainville, is officially OPEN! 

Wildlands Trust’s acquisition of this special place came in late 2022 after a 20-year partnership with the land’s previous caretakers, the Crystal Spring Center for Ecology, Spirituality, and Earth Education. Learn more about the preserve’s rich human and natural history at our property webpage here. 

TRAIL MAP AND PROPERTY DESCRIPTION: CLICK HERE 

Crystal Spring Preserve.

Preparing the property for public access took the sustained effort of our extended stewardship team, including staff and faithful volunteers. Between February and May, three volunteer workdays moved the preserve incrementally closer to its current accessible state. Thank you to all the volunteers who came out to help us take this huge step in expanding our regional land conservation portfolio! 

As is the case for many of our properties, “stewardship” at Crystal Spring Preserve goes far beyond clearing trails and removing debris. In addition, we are entrusted with less tangible, though equally critical, resources—a story we hope to carry on, and a vision we strive to sustain. Sister Barbara Harrington, Sister Chris Loughlin, and the entire Crystal Spring Center team saw the property as a place for both children and adults to get in touch with their spiritual connection to nature. Evidence of this philosophy can be found throughout the preserve, as well as in the passionate words of all who engaged with the Crystal Spring Center. Preserving these stories is paramount to our effective stewardship of the land. 

Volunteers at our April workday explore the Meditation Circle, a former education site of the Crystal Spring Center for Ecology, Spirituality, and Earth Education.

“[The Crystal Spring Center] invited Wildlands Trust into a dream,” said Sister Barbara. “It became a mutually enhancing relationship. We then became part of your dream, too. And something new and really quite wonderful has ensued.” (Watch Sister Barbara and Kathy McGrath speak about Crystal Spring Preserve for our 50 Years, 50 People series here.) 

During our April volunteer day, the stewardship team came across several trail signs from the property’s Crystal Spring Center era. After sitting on the forest floor for years, these painted wooden planks and stumps had seen better days. But the care and devotion that had been spent on their production were instantly clear. “Insects have searched for sacred spaces on Earth for 395 million years,” reads one sign adorned with ants, bees, and butterflies. The Wildlands team brought these signs back to our Plymouth headquarters to restore them to their former glory before returning them to the Crystal Spring trails. 

Sister Barbara Harrington (fourth from right) and the Wildlands stewardship team display well-worn trail signs at Crystal Spring Preserve.

This project and others will help us uphold our obligation to holistically preserve the land—trees, ponds, stories, and signs alike. Stay tuned for updates. 

See you on the trails! 

Spring 2023 Land Acquisitions Update

By Scott MacFaden, Director of Land Protection

The Lake Street CR includes frontage on Jones River Brook, a tributary of the Jones River (pictured). Photo by Jimmy Powell of Jones River Landing.

Thus far in 2023, we’ve completed several projects that protect a diverse array of habitats and conservation values, and in one case further strengthen a long-standing collaboration with one of our municipal partners. 

Lake Street CR, Plympton 

In January, we completed a 31-acre Conservation Restriction in northeast Plympton near the Kingston line. The CR area is part of a larger privately owned property that will include a solar energy installation. Because the proposed project site is within mapped habitat for the Eastern Box Turtle, a species of “Special Concern” as identified by the Commonwealth’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP), the project proponents were required to grant the CR. 

The CR protects land identified by NHESP as containing significant wildlife habitat, including “Priority Habitat of Rare Species” and “Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife.”  The CR land includes frontage on Jones River Brook, a tributary of the Jones River.   

As solar projects continue to proliferate across Southeastern Massachusetts, those that are proposed within areas subject to NHESP’s regulatory purview typically require the granting of a CR. We are actively evaluating several other solar project-associated CR’s across the region, and expect we will be offered more projects of this type in the future.   

McCarthy Farm Conservation Area CR, Rockland 

In March, we secured a Conservation Restriction (CR) on 36 acres in southwest Rockland. The Town of Rockland acquired the parcel in late 2021 using Community Preservation Act and other state funds. To learn more about the history and natural profile of the property, click here. 

Sleeper Conservation Area CR, Hanson 

The Bay Circuit Trail, a 200-mile hiking path that lies near the Sleeper Conservation Area in Hanson. By John Phelan, CC BY 3.0

In April, we completed a 12-acre Community Preservation Act (CPA) CR on the Town of Hanson’s Sleeper Conservation Area. Acquired by the Town in 2022 with a combination of CPA funds and a Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Sleeper Conservation Area primarily comprises forested upland, punctuated by several isolated pockets of wooded deciduous wetland. 

The Sleeper Conservation Area’s position within the broader landscape bolsters its conservation impact. It directly abuts the Town of Hanson’s Camp Kiwanee, a long-cherished community asset on Maquan Pond, as well as the Town’s Alton J. Smith Preserve and the neighboring Town of Pembroke’s Town Forest. The preservation of the Sleeper Conservation Area thus strengthens the landscape connectivity between these two municipally owned open space assemblages. 

A section of the Bay Circuit Trail, the premier long-distance hiking trail in Eastern Massachusetts, runs just to the west of the conservation area. Preserving this parcel helps protect the scenic integrity of the trail’s corridor and maintain the recreational value of this regionally and historically significant footpath, a chronological contemporary of the Appalachian Trail.   

In addition to its favorable landscape context, significance for wildlife corridor connectivity, and proximity to the Bay Circuit Trail, the Sleeper Conservation Area also contributes to water resources protection. The parcel lies within multiple areas identified by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection as significant for drinking water and aquifer protection, and sits near Great Sandy Bottom Pond, which provides drinking water for the neighboring towns of Rockland and Abington.   

The LAND grant award was critical to obtaining the support of Hanson Town Meeting voters for the project. The award provided almost two-thirds of the project’s funding, with CPA funds providing the balance. As part of our ongoing partnership with the Town of Hanson, Wildlands staff helped prepare the LAND grant application and provided additional assistance as needed. Many thanks to Hanson Conservation Commission Chair Phil Clemons, whose indefatigable efforts ensured the project’s success. Phil has served as our primary contact person in Hanson for decades, and is a true champion of all things conservation. 

Upcoming Projects 

We’re working to close more acquisitions over the next several months, including projects in Middleboro, Bridgewater, and Rehoboth. Stay tuned! 

Get Involved

Hoping to protect your property’s natural and cultural heritage for generations to come? Learn about Conservation Restrictions, Deed Restrictions, land donations, and more on our Conserve Your Land page.