Recent Projects

Connecticut River Valley

Birds thrive in the Connecticut River Valley’s meadows. But rapid development is shrinking this wild haven, leaving upland sandpipers, grasshopper sparrows and other rare birds with fewer places to build nests. With key support from Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, we helped protect nesting and breeding habitat for dozens of species with the purchase of a 450-acre former tobacco farm straddling the border between the two states. The states will jointly restore and manage the property as a new wildlife management area.

Photo: Dominic Sherony/Flickr

Past Projects

Connecticut River Valley Farmland

Working with local land trusts, we are safeguarding the agricultural legacy of Massachusetts' working farms and protecting its rivers and forests.

With support from the Peter J. Sharp Foundation, we provide conservation financing for local land trusts to preserve the rural character and agricultural traditions of the Connecticut River Valley. Since 1998, we have helped the Franklin Land Trust in western Massachusetts obtain easements and purchase outright more than 1,700 acres of fertile farmland in one of Franklin County’s most rapidly developing areas. In addition, we have worked with the Deerfield Land Trust to protect more than 100 acres of farmland by providing bridge financing for the purchase of easements.