The state has awarded five Hampshire County municipalities and nonprofits a total of $1.93 million to expand their repertoire of locally conserved forestland and recreational facilities.
Belchertown came out on top this grant cycle, receiving nearly $500,000 for a multipurpose sports space at Chestnut Hill Recreation Center and a conservation restriction on land between Mount Holyoke Range and Quabbin Reservoir.
The remaining funds paved the way for Southampton to preserve critical forest and wetlands in town, while also giving the Kestrel Land Trust and Hilltown Land Trust money to purchase the missing piece in their puzzle of protected lands.
The Healey-Driscoll administration awarded a total of $13 million to 45 projects throughout the commonwealth. Funds were allocated through Park Acquisition and Renovation for Communities (PARC) grants, Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) grants and the Conservation Partnership Grant Program under the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
On the conservation side, Belchertown received $425,000 to purchase 48 acres of forestland between the Holyoke Mountain Range and Pelham Hill. This property, called Metacommet Hills, scores high in biodiversity, keystone species habitat and carbon sequestration on the state’s BioMap. It also has the potential to become a popular hiking spot with space for parking, existing hiking paths and a connection to the New England Scenic Trail.
“The outdoor recreation is a huge part of our economy,” Town Planner Doug Albertson said. “We want to make sure we are maximizing our opportunities for hiking, hunting or just to have a natural area.”
Belchertown has been engaged in an ongoing process to purchase Metacommet Hills for a few years, Albertson said. The LAND grant will cover two-thirds of the property price, while Mass Audubon and Kestrel Land Trust contributed the remaining funds.
With its $128,645 grant, Kestrel will add a separate chunk of conserved land in Belchertown. The 33 acres of Hop Brook Crossing will connect to the 1,050 conserved acres of Hop Brook Forest, which Kestrel previously purchased from W.D. Cowls.
“Once we were able to conserve the Cowls land, it opened up interest in conserving adjacent parcels, and this is one of those,” Kestrel Land Trust Executive Director Kristin DeBoer said.
Kestrel prioritized the large forest protection, specifically between the Mount Holyoke Range and the tip of the Quabbin Reservoir in Belchertown. This particular project expands the landscape of preserved forest, DeBoer said, and promotes the “three Ws:” water, walking and wildlife.
In Williamsburg, the Hilltown Land Trust will purchase 122 acres along the Joe Wright Brook connecting two large blocks of conservation land. The $230,300 grant funds half of the conservation restriction. Mass Audubon contributed another 25% of the cost, and the rest is funded through a bargain sale.
The organization previously bought the land on the east side of the brook and has already held a public educational event there. The area also links to Potash Brook Conservation Area, High Ridge Farm, Graves Wildlife Sanctuary and Whatley Wildlife Management Area.
“If you look at the project on the ground or in different mapping programs, it’s clear that it’s a great conservation project,” Hilltown Land Trust Executive Director Sally Loomis said.
The entire property is considered critical landscape on the state BioMap. Loomis added that the land has some of the healthiest oak regeneration in the region. The public can access the stream and fishing spots for daily recreation, and the trust can host educational programming on forested habitat.
In Southampton, a $361,548 grant will help the town buy 82 acres surrounding Tripple Broom Farm, a property growing and selling native plantings. Southampton Open Space Committee Member Mark Kassis said the town will not only protect forest and wetlands in the area, but also water quality in Barnes Aquifer. Public access trails created by the Southampton Trailblazers will allow people to explore the land at no additional cost to the town.
The land will enter into conservation in 2027, Kassis said. Community Preservation Act money and additional grant funding will cover the rest of the purchase. Tripple Brook Farm itself will remain outside of the conservation restriction to allow business to continue.
The only project unrelated to natural land is the addition of a 120 feet by 120 feet asphalt slab to Chestnut Hills Recreational Area. Unlike the basketball and pickleball courts, the space is adaptable for various activities, from street hockey and shuffleboard to ice skating. Belchertown Recreation Department Director Kyle Thibeault said the slab will fit into the grass space next to the basketball courts for a final addition to the sports park.
“It would really finish off the space and add more programs to take place through the entire day and most of the year,” he said.
The $47,600 grant covers 68% of the project. The remaining funds will come from the department’s budget, as approved by residents early this year at the May annual Town Meeting. Thibeault has two years to install the court, but he expects the project to move faster since the ground was already leveled during early construction of the park.
“This project is pretty straightforward because it’s just pouring asphalt and resurfacing it,” he said.
Four additional awards went to Mass Audubon, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust and Franklin Land Trust for conservation projects in Franklin County.
