Featured
FLT Conserves Over 60 Acres Across Three Communities
Franklin Land Trust (FLT) is proud to announce the successful closing of three conservation projects on December 19, 2025, permanently protecting more than 60 acres of forest, farmland, wetlands, and wildlife habitat in the Connecticut River Valley and surrounding hill towns. These projects—made possible through partnerships with private landowners and municipalities—reflect Franklin Land Trust’s ongoing…
Read MoreThe Homesteaders on Tunnel Road
Billy Hardison, an artist, and wife Leonda Hardison, a musician who has played with the likes of Muddy Waters, moved to their Tunnel Road homestead in 1968 in search of a rural, creative life immersed in nature. “We wanted a place where we could raise our children in the country and give them the kind…
Read MoreConserving A Little Piece of New England
This fall, the Franklin Land Trust completed the permanent conservation of 93 acres of forest and farmland along Adamsville Road in Colrain, MA, owned by the Judson M. DeCew, Jr. Trust. The land, spread across three parcels between Ed Clark Road and Hillman Road, includes about nine acres of hayfields and 84 acres of actively…
Read More88 Acres Conserved in Gill and Greenfield
Franklin Land Trust is thankful to the Stotz Family, whose land in Gill and Greenfield we have just permanently conserved with a Conservation Restriction (CR). The Stotz Family donated a CR over 88 acres of forestland, protecting over 6,000 feet of the bank of Fall River, a cold water fishery that originates in Guilford, VT…
Read MoreSupporting Local Farms, Strengthening Our Communities
To help you discover and support the many farms that make up our region, check out our interactive farm guide that profiles local farmers and provides directions to their farms and nearby farmers’ markets! In the Connecticut River Valley, once known as The Breadbasket of New England, agriculture is more than a tradition. It’s a…
Read MoreCiesluk Farm Conserved
The Ciesluk Farm, a 166-acre gem nestled along the Deerfield River, is one of a shrinking number of multigenerational farms in New England. Frank E. Ciesluk, who purchased nearly 200 acres of fertile farmland along the Deerfield River in the early 20th century, laid the foundation for this enduring legacy. His grandchildren, Jennifer Antonellis and…
Read More47 Acres Conserved in Deerfield North Meadows
We are delighted to announce the successful completion of a conservation restriction in collaboration with Historic Deerfield. The conservation restriction donated from Historic Deerfield to the Franklin Land Trust was recorded on May 10th, 2024. The project secures 47.9 acres of ecologically valuable land, encompassing more than 25 acres of Prime Farmland Soils, diverse wetlands,…
Read MoreEdge Hill Trail Race
We extend our gratitude to all the runners who participated in the inaugural Edge Hill Trail Run on June 29th 2024. This event was a collaboration between the Franklin Land Trust and Beast Coast Trail Running. The race started and ended at the Edge Hill Conservation Area—a property with a rich history as a farm…
Read MoreThe Old Dean Farm
The Franklin Land Trust (FLT) is pleased to announce that Catherine “Kiki” Smith, wife of the late Charlie Cohn, FLT’s former board President and Treasurer, has generously donated a conservation restriction (CR) on approximately 47 acres of land on the east side of Reynolds and Patten Roads in Shelburne. The land, which was part of…
Read MoreYou Can Never Make More Land
Kenburn Orchards Farm is a 151-acre property in Shelburne, Massachusetts, that has been in the same family for nearly 100 years. Thanks to Susan and Larry Flaccus, the current owners of the farm, it has now been conserved. Susan and Larry generously sold a conservation restriction on their land for a price lower than the…
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