
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.