Chickatawbut Woods, Framingham

Photo by Sherry Fendell
Photo by Sherry Fendell

Update: July 2, 2021: 
We have protected the property! On June 28th, SVT purchased Chickatawbut Woods from the Framingham Civic League, and on June 29th a permanent conservation restriction was put on the property, held by the City of Framingham. Thank you to everyone who supported this project. We couldn't have done it without you!

Chickatawbut Woods is a 19-acre property located off Edmands Road in the northern part of Framingham. The land was owned by Impact Framingham, a nonprofit organization formerly known as the Framingham Civic League. It was given to the Civic League in 1963 and has been vacant since that time.

SVT and the City of Framingham worked to protect Chickatawbut Woods to ensure that the land remains in its natural state and continues to be accessible by the public. We were in discussions to acquire and protect this property for more than a decade.

This forested property includes a diversity of healthy plant life as well as some wetland areas, and it is listed in BioMap2 as providing Core Habitat for a Species of Conservation Concern in Massachusetts.

Chickatawbut Woods Project Map. In upper-left corner of map, click >> to see the Map Legend; click + or - to zoom in or out. (Download a pdf of the project area.)

 

Chickatawbut Woods sits in the Greater Callahan Area, which spans about 20-square miles in the region where Framingham, Marlborough, Southborough, and Sudbury intersect. This area has long been known for its beautiful landscapes, many of which have been protected as conservation land.

SVT identified Chickatawbut Woods as a priority for protection because it represents an important link in well over 500 acres of directly conserved land, and thousands more protected acres in the immediate vicinity. 

This 19-acre parcel directly links two pieces of City-owned conservation land, which in turn connect to Wittenborg Woods, the Nobscot Scout Reservation (300 acres of which is protected by a CR held by the Town of Sudbury and SVT), Sudbury’s Nobscot Conservation Area, and Callahan State Park. The easiest way to reach it is through the City's conservation land at the end of Mohawk Drive. 

The wooded property also features healthy plant life, valuable wetlands, and important wildlife habitat.

SVT purchased the property to prevent it from being developed. The City of Framingham holds a conservation restriction over the land to ensure that its ecological features remain protected in perpetuity. 

The land is currently traversed by some informal trails, which are accessible from conservation lands to the north and south. SVT will keep them open to the public for passive recreation such as hiking and bird watching. 

SVT reached agreement to purchase the property from Impact Framingham (formerly known as the Framingham Civic League) for $175,000. Additional funds were needed to cover transaction costs such as a survey and appraisals, so the overall project fundraising goal was $217,000.  The City of Framingham was awarded $80,000 through a LAND (Local Areas for Natural Diversity) grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to offset part of the purchase price, and SVT received $50,000 in grant funding from the William P. Wharton Trust and an anonymous foundation, and many donations from generous individuals.