Prospect Hill Community Orchard, Harvard

Prospect Hill Community Orchard—a stunning orchard that is part of an extensive corridor of conserved land in Harvard and Devens—is protected! 

On June 29, 2023, the Town of Harvard and Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) finalized their purchase of an agricultural preservation restriction (APR) on 70 acres of this orchard owned by Community Harvest Project (CHP).

CHP, which has owned the land since 2014, is a nonprofit organization that engages volunteers in the mission to raise produce for donation to hunger-relief organizations. By selling the APR, CHP has endowed its nonprofit mission and ensured the land will always be used for agriculture. 

SVT, CHP, the Town of Harvard, Harvard Conservation Trust (HCT), the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, and MDAR collaborated on this project and helped to raise funds for the purchase. Through the generosity of numerous foundations and individuals, SVT reached our fundraising goal in Summer 2022.

The Town and MDAR will hold the CR, and HCT will maintain a trail easement along the southern edge of the property.

Thank you to everyone who supported this project.

SVT especially wants to thank the many foundations and individuals who donated to our fundraising effort, with a special nod to the pool of donors who together offered a $30,000 challenge match for our crowdfunding campaign. 

Watch a Video About the Project

 

 

Project Maps

Prospect Hill Community Orchard Project Map

Why Protect This Land?

By protecting Prospect Hill Community Orchard, the project partners 

  • Protected critical farmland: PHCO boasts excellent farmland soils, and has long been a priority for protection at the local, regional, and state level. 
  • Connected already conserved lands: PHCO is part of an extensive corridor of already protected land that includes Dean’s Hill, Fruitlands, and the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge. A trail through the property will be available most of the year for public access for passive recreation such as hiking and bird watching.
  • Endowed an organization that fights hunger: Each year, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, CHP raises tens of thousands of pounds of apples for donation to hunger-relief organizations

Project Funding

Costs
  • Project Cost: $2,500,000
Revenue
  • MDAR Funds: $1,239,000
  • Harvard CPA Funds: $400,000
  • SVT Fundraising (private foundations and individuals): $336,000
  • HCT Fundraising (private foundations and individuals): $300,000
  • CHP Fundraising (private foundations and individuals): $216,000