Winter Fun in Franklin County!
We hope everyone has been enjoying the first major snow of the season here in western Mass! Now seems like the perfect time to share one of our latest projects - an interactive map of fun activities you and your family can find in Franklin County this winter: https://bit.ly/37tpPCE Check back over the next few weeks as we add in more of your suggestions, and please let us know if we missed a cherished spot. If you use the map ... Read More
Local Wood: Grow, Build, Live webinar series
Massachusetts Woodlands Institute, a subsidiary of the Franklin Land Trust, partners with Northern Woodlands, and New England Forestry Foundation to present a Local Wood: Grow, Build, Live webinar series. Join us as we explore examples of how to grow, build, and live with beautiful and sustainable local wood products at different scales—from furniture to homes to institutional buildings. January 20th, 2pm-3:30: Tree to Table February 24th, 2pm-3:30: Woods to Home March 17th, 2pm-3:30:Forests to Cities Tree to Table: ... Read More
Franklin Land Trust Acquires 154 Acres in Heath on the West Branch of the North River
Franklin Land Trust (FLT) recently acquired for conservation 154 acres in Heath abutting its 96-acre Crowningshield Conservation Area (CCA). The 154-acre parcel purchase – which took place on June 25th, 2020 from the Gudell Family – was supported by funding from MA Fish and Game; local, state and national chapters of Trout Unlimited; the John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation; the William P. Wharton Trust; and Franklin Land Trust’s Heath Conservation Fund. Tom Curren, FLT Executive Director, is thrilled to see this project cross the finish line. “This... Read More
June News and Views
The spring of 2020 has been a lesson in adaptation. As our nation shut down due to COVID19, we saw individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, and service organizations develop safe systems to continue moving forward with grit, grace, and determination. Franklin Land Trust is no different. We too have continued to move forward throughout these challenging times, creatively and persistently finding ways ... Read More
FLT Covid-19 Safety Policy
Franklin Land Trust Safety Policy The staff of the Franklin Land Trust are continuing to meet with landowners about new conservation projects and have already begun the annual work of land stewardship monitoring that are attendant to our mission. This year, in the interest of the health and well-being of all concerned, we are taking the steps that are consistent with the Governor's public health guidelines. We hope that our friends in the community understand the rationale behind our efforts to stay healthy, productive, and comfortable in our work. ... Read More
The Whole Landscape Catalog
We find ourselves improbably, impossibly cooped up in our homes for an undetermined amount of time: grateful, stunned, apprehensive, uncertain, counting jars of applesauce. How did this happen? In some ways it is terrifying, in some ways, comforting; if we stay off the retail internet long enough, maybe the whole thing could even be therapeutic, in a bizarre kind of a way. Here we are: ships in a bottle, occupants of our own terrariums, enrolled in encounter groups with our spouses. Has anything like this ever happened before? ... Read More
Conserving land is part of the climate change solution!
Rowan Baker and Daniela Steiner love their 40-acre forest land on March Road in Ashfield. They inherited this land from Rowan’s mother, and wanted to ensure that the streams, wetlands and small pond would be protected forever. They worked with FLT to conserve this beautiful forest land and were also able to save a house lot within the parcel to accommodate their future dreams. The property abuts another large parcel of land conserved by FLT, creating a large corridor of protected land that will benefit wildlife that need space to survive... Read More
Keeping Forests as Forests - Forever
Richard French and Emily Samuels donated a conservation restriction (CR) on a 58-acre wood lot overlooking Barton’s Cove along the Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway or Route 2 as it is more commonly known. Dick French has owned and managed the lot for timber since purchasing it in 2011 and wished to conserve the land so it will always be available for long term forestry growth as well as supporting the diverse wildlife including songbirds that frequent the deep forest and shrubby habitat on the land. The tall white pines and hardwoods... Read More