Big News! We Protected 34 Acres This Week!

JUNE 10 – This week, DNRT closed on the acquisition of 34 acres immediately adjacent to our Ridge Hill Reserve. This parcel is entirely mapped as “Priority Habitat for Rare Species” by MassWildlife and contains a range of habitat types from shrub wetland to towering pine stands. This land also connects to and extends the 14,000-acre Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve.

DNRT was able to move fast to protect this land thanks to contributors to our Pathways Land Acquisition Fund, which was established about ten years ago. Having these resources at our fingertips meant that we could acquire the property quickly without a lengthy fundraising campaign. In addition to your important contributions to this fund, we were awarded $65,000 from private foundations, ensuring that this habitat would be protected forever.

Although this new parcel abuts Ridge Hill Reserve, we don’t have any plan for additional trails at this time. In fact, in our recent DNRT Community Survey, the vast majority of respondents indicated a strong preference for protecting land for its ecological and agricultural significance, rather than protecting land to build new trails. We look forward to honoring that sentiment, especially where fragile habitat can be protected from human impacts.

Thank you for your generous support!