Featured
Lori Austin Teaches the Art of Noticing
On May 16th, Franklin Land Trust kicked off a new workshop series with the first of five classes in nature journaling. Fifteen eager journalers were in attendance, all pleased to be outdoors enjoying the temperate breezy weather and the beautiful landscape of Guyette Farm, one of Franklin Land Trust’s most iconic properties. The classes are…
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The Franklin Land Trust has exciting new events in store, including a Nature Journaling Course backed by grants from the cultural councils of Ashfield, Plainfield, and Cummington, which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council. In May, we will host a Spring Ephemerals Walk supported by the Local Cultural Council of Buckland and a poetry…
Read MoreThe Franklin Land Trust Receives Gift Of 151 Acres in Ashfield
The Franklin Land Trust is delighted to announce that it has received a generous gift on the part of the Norcross Wildlife Foundation, Inc., of 151 acres on Spruce Corner Road in Ashfield. In 2001, the Franklin Land Trust led a grassroots effort to prevent this quiet piece of land, owned for generations…
Read MoreFranklin Land Trust Welcomes New Executive Director
As the Franklin Land Trust (FLT) celebrates its 35th anniversary, we are welcoming a new Executive Director. On November 15th, the Franklin Land Trust’s Board of Directors unanimously voted in favor of appointing Mary Lynn Sabourin to the role of Executive Director. Sabourin had occupied the position of Interim Executive Director for six months, after…
Read More35 Years of Conservation and Community in Photographs and Memories!
Something Fishy Is Going On Here
In 2021, Bill and Jane Obear put a Conservation Restriction (CR) on 41 acres of Bear Path Farm, their land in Whately, MA. This autumn, it’s easy to appreciate the green fields of their farm, the tall trees turning gold, and the delicious peaches and apples from their orchard. But hiding in the winding streams…
Read MorePotential Ashfield housing development threatens local charm
Ashfield Massachusetts is home to a vibrant, warmhearted community that has made the village a cradle of creativity. Visitors admire Ashfield for its authenticity, classic New England architecture, and natural beauty. Anyone who lives there or visits often is familiar with Edge Hill Golf Course, once a working dairy farm and now a picturesque golfing…
Read More59 acres of Ashfield farmland conserved
CAL AND JOAN CLARK, ASHFIELD, 59.95 ACRES CONSERVATION RESTRICTION These newly conserved properties are south of the 367 +/- acres the Clarks conserved in 2007 and 2008 with FLT and abut both the Poland Brook WMA and TTOR’s Chapel Brook Reservation. The parcels abut other conserved land and are in a region of significantly large…
Read MoreHonor To The Hills: An Appreciation of Tony Borton’s Life
The life of Tony Borton, a trustee of Franklin Land Trust and an active community leader in Conway, was remembered at a service held at his home on July 24, 2021. His conservation advocacy-on-the-ground was legendary, and his life and soul inspired a harvest of remembrances, including the following: Tony Borton was an easy guy…
Read MoreConservation Projects Completed in Colrain, Leyden, Sunderland, and Ashfield
Colrain The scenic Arthur Smith covered bridge crossing the East branch of the North River in Colrain is now the site of a permanent trail along land owned by farmer and woodworker Jeremy Topitzer. This “Lyonsville Trail” runs from the eastern side of the bridge to the shade of an old sugar maple, with public…
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