161-Acre Mountain No Longer a Potential Housing Development 

The Franklin Land Trust (FLT) has just completed the conservation of 160-acre Flagg Mountain, saving it from development into 25 building lots. Instead, the land will be conserved forever as wildlife habitat and remain open to the community for public recreation.   

At 1,402 feet in elevation, Flagg Mountain is situated in Conway’s northwestern corner on the Ashfield and Buckland town lines and is one of the highest points in Franklin County. According to FLT’s Executive Director, Rich Hubbard, the development proposed there would have forever changed the forested mountain view for many living in the surrounding area. The mountainside is highly visible and can be seen from Conway, Ashfield, and Shelburne, including the Mohawk Trail and the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls. more

---

New Community Garden at Guyette Farm 

The Franklin Land Trust is happy to host the Raspberry Hill Community Garden at Guyette Farm in Plainfield.  The organizers of Raspberry Hill are a group of volunteers that seek to create a beautiful and functional agricultural space for community members to use and enjoy, as a continuation of the long farming history of the land by the Guyette family. The group prepared the ground in 2011 and established community garden plots in the spring of 2012. They currently have 15 plots and are expanding the garden space for the 2014 season. 

Guyette Farm was gifted to FLT by Evelyn Guyette in memory of her husband, Harry, and is permanently protected from development. Guyette Farm is one of a number of properties owned and managed by FLT for wildlife management and education. FLT has established a natural history interpretative trail system on the land for the public to enjoy, and offers community events and educational programs there. We plan to continue adding to the trail system and hope to restore the historic barn on the property. FLT also partners with organizations such as the Student Conservation Association to help with training their members, and with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service on wildlife management projects.