SVT Protects Ashland Property

Today, SVT accepted a conservation restriction (CR) on a 52-acre wooded property on Winter Street owned by the Town of Ashland. The permanent conservation of this land extends the Ashland Town Forest/Cowassock Woods conservation area to create more than 700 contiguous acres of protected land.

The land, which we refer to as the Town Forest Expansion, is part of one of the most intact areas in Ashland and is rich with healthy wildlife habitats. Deer, red and gray fox, coyote, fisher, and a variety of birds including woodcock, warbler, red-tailed hawk, owl, eastern towhee, wood thrush, and pileated woodpecker find habitat here. 

In addition, the property is traversed by several trails that expand access to the 6+ miles of trails in the Town Forest/Cowassock Woods network that in turn connects to the 200+-mile Bay Circuit Trail that encircles eastern Massachusetts. The CR will permanently guarantee public access to these trails for passive recreation. 

We are delighted to have closed on the CR so soon after the Town completed its purchase.

Thank you to the Highland Street Foundation for contributing $50,000 to this project, to the Family of George and Doris Meyers for contributing $85,000, and to an anonymous funder for its $120,000 contribution.

This is a busy time for land protection at SVT! This is our second new CR of the week, following the completion of the Assabet River Bluff CR in Concord on June 2.