Franklin Land Trust

Rich Hubbard’s phone rings often. As director of the Franklin Land Trust in western Massachusetts, Hubbard fields multiple calls a week from landowners asking for help. “Currently, we have 60 active projects and a total of over 100 in the pipeline,” he says.

The challenge is bringing all these projects to life. Working diligently since a modest beginning in 1987, the land trust has protected more than 20,000 acres—farmhouses, fields and the historic beauty that is the Connecticut River Valley. This mission grows ever more critical as the pressure to develop remaining rural land intensifies. “This is some of the best farmland in the world—incredibly productive and rich,” says Hubbard. “It’s worth saving.”

The Conservation Fund is a steady partner in this effort, providing dozens of loans to protect this iconic part of the country. We’re joined in this important endeavor by landowners eager to protect their properties for future generations, government leaders who value rural land and dedicated land trust staff. Together, we’re protecting a favorite place before it becomes just a memory.

Photos: View of the Connecticut River Valley from Mount Sugarloaf (above); Rich Hubbard, Executive Director of Franklin Land Trust, shows a map of completed projects to a group of field trip participants (main page)  /  Reggie Hall, The Conservation Fund