Land Projects
Local Farms, Local Food
We are nestled within one of the country’s great agricultural hubs. Once called The Breadbasket of New England, the Connecticut River Valley is home to some of the most productive farmland in the nation. In western Massachusetts, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties account for 28 percent of farms in the entire state. Built on a…
Read MoreKey Land Conserved in Westfield
Westfield landowners Bob and Karen Baker worked with Franklin Land Trust and the Town of Westfield to conserve 42 acres of land on Montgomery Road. In 2004 the Bakers sold a 27-acre Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) to Winding River Land Conservancy — now retired, they wanted to conserve the adjacent wetlands and hayfields not included…
Read MoreWorking with Partners to Conserve More Land
Thanks to your support, Franklin Land Trust assisted the MA Department of Fish and Game (DFG) to acquire two key parcels for public access and conservation in Plainfield and Rowe. State conservation organizations like the MA Department of Fish and Game often depend on non-profit land trusts to help bring local projects across the finish…
Read More24 Acres in Ashfield/Conway Donated to Franklin Land Trust
Franklin Land Trust received a gift of 24 acres of forested land in Ashfield and Conway, donated by landowners Ed Etheredge of Northampton, and Larry Hott of Florence. This land sits at the intersection of Ashfield and Conway, with views of Mt. Monadnock, Mt. Wachusett, and Mt. Greylock in the fall and winter months. This…
Read MoreFranklin 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 the MA Dept of Fish and Game; local, State, and National Chapters of Trout…
Read MoreConserving 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…
Read MoreKeeping 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…
Read MorePumpkin Hollow Protected!
This spring the Franklin Land Trust accepted two conservation restrictions from Bill Sheehan and Katherine Robertson of Conway that protect the two small fields in Conway’s historic Pumpkin Hollow. More recently known as the epicenter of the February 2017 tornado touchdown, Pumpkin Hollow was historically the center of town with a church, school, store, inn,…
Read MoreHelp us Rebuild the Barn!
We’re re-building the ell of the Guyette barn and we need your help! Although the main Guyette barn found a new home elsewhere on our New England landscape, the original Guyette ell was dismantled and stored for us in hope of a future raising. Now’s the time to make the dream of raising the barn…
Read MoreDean Farm Conserved
Greenfield Recorder – Richie Davis SHELBURNE – Before his death nearly a year ago, longtime Franklin Land Trust contributor and board president Charles Cohn purchased 21 acres of the former Dean farm on Little Mohawk Road in Shelburne’s Patten District. Cohn, a former Wall Street broker who moved to Shelburne in 1978 to become…
Read More