The Need

Last year, it looked as if Maple Hill Farm in Whately was destined to succumb to the wave of housing development encroaching upon the region’s farmland. A developer had offered the owners $1.5 million to sell their 236-acre property, a mix of rich farmland and woodlands that afforded some of the town’s most beautiful views. The plan was to convert the farm into house lots.

Luckily, the Franklin Land Trust (FLT) with the support of Whately Land Preservation (WLP)was able to step in. We negotiated a $1.2 million deal under which 213 acres are protected under a conservation restriction, and another 23 acres carry an agricultural preservation restriction. The owners keep the land, and have retained space to build a single house if they choose to.

 This success story was made possible by generous local donors who care about protecting the landscape they cherish. 

Every town in Franklin County boasts lush resources and spectacular natural beauty. There are forests, bogs, fields and rivers that support diverse wildlife; mountains that afford breathtaking views, and working farms that contribute not only to the region’s scenery but its economy as well.  

In the last year you have expressed interest in the Land Trust’s programs and work. Today we are inviting you to become a member of our organization, and help with this important, and urgent work. Private support is critical if FLT is to project the region’s farming, agricultural and scenic resources. 

Generous, individual giving has never before been so vital to the success of the Franklin Land Trust.  Entering our third decade of work protecting farmland and open space in western Massachusetts, the region faces intense economic pressure to develop land. This pressure, coupled with the financial realities of making a living from farming and the decision many landowners face about the future of their land, threaten to permanently change the landscape that forms the backdrop of our lives.  

To date, FLT has helped protect 15,000 acres of the region’s treasured open land, visible as you drive along the pastoral roadways that wind through our hills and valleys.  By 2011, FLT aims to bring that number to 30,000 acres or more. We need your help. 

Our telephone rings off the hook daily with requests from farmers and other landowners, as well as other local and national land protection organizations, seeking our expertise and assistance.  Word of our land protection success has created even more opportunities to do the important work we have been doing since 1987. 

Greater demand brings increased financial need.  Our challenge is to find the time and resources to: 

• increase our funding for land protection and our capacity to assist landowners in achieving their land protection goals;

• meet standards set by the Land Trust Alliance in such areas as stewardship and organizational capacity;

• bolster our endowment in support of the operational side of our budget. 

In an environment where state land protection funding can no longer be counted on to provide a reliable revenue stream, and where public awareness of land protection is ever-increasing, individual giving has become the most significant source of our support. 

As a member, you will receive several valuable benefits: 

1. Our semi-annual newsletter
2. Discounted tickets to our special events
3. Free member workshops and protected property hikes
4. Annual Report
5. Invitation to our Member’s Picnic
6. The satisfaction of helping to protect the region’s most important land resources assets.

Please consider how much the working landscape here in western Massachusetts means to your life, and please support our work as generously as you can. 

Annual Giving
For a growing number of people, a gift to the Land Trust is a way to affirm each year the importance of the landscape in our lives.  Membership Levels & Benefits

Monthly Giving
Contact the Land Trust to set-up a monthly giving program. Donations can be made via your credit card on a set date each month.

Planned Giving
Gifts that provide life income can provide substantial value to both the donor and the Land Trust.   More information

Additional Giving Opportunities
The Mary Robertson Torras Founders Fund provides long-term operating support for the Land Trust.  Established to honor the sustained dedication of founding Board member Mitzi Torras, gifts to this fund are a wonderful way to honor a commitment to land preservation. 

The Mark Zenick Land Preservation Fund was established to honor the Land Trust’s founding Executive Director at the time of his retirement.  Donations to this fund support our land protection efforts in Mark’s honor.

Capital Gifts toward our “Opportunities Fund” allow the Land Trust to operate with speed and flexibility.  This fund can be drawn upon to make a down payment, pay for an appraisal, make a loan to a farmer, or buy threatened land and hold it for resale.