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Views from Mount Grace MOUNT GRACE LAND CONSERVATION TRUST • CONSERVING THE LOCAL LANDSCAPE WINTER 2017 - 2018 VOLUME 28, NO. 3 INSIDE THIS ISSUE • Protecting the Land Because It’s Right • Hike the Trails with Mount Grace • Margaret Power-Biggs Society Profile • The Work of Trees • A Wildlands Legacy in New Salem • Stewardship: A Great Way to Give Back • Winter Events with Mount Grace • Mount Grace Updates Since 1986 serving: Ashburnham Athol Barre Bernardston Erving Gardner Tracks of wild and domestic animals crisscross the newly-protected Hakkila property, turning any walk on the land into an impromptu tracking hike. Gill Greenfield Hardwick Protecting the Land Because It’s Right Hubbardston Leyden BY DAVID KOTKER Montague New Salem Jason Hakkila’s grandmother always wanted him to have “a little chunk of land to build a house on,” Northfield ideally on the Phillipston land that has been in the family for three generations. Orange Petersham Jason took that wish to heart, building his own home, working mostly solo from 7am-noon and then Phillipston midnight-2am each day sandwiched around his second shift job with the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Royalston Department. “My best friend’s a plumber and my neighbor’s an electrician, so that really helped, but Templeton most of the rest I did myself,” he explains. Warwick Wendell Westminster Jason inherited the 177 acres the house sits on from his grandmother and he and his wife Angela Winchendon are now raising two children on their land. In 2013, the Hakkilas, along with more than 30 of their neighbors, became partners in Mount Grace’s Quabbin to Wachusett Forest Legacy Project. This year they completed a bargain sale of a conservation restriction on 177 acres to the Phillipston Conservation Commission. Jason and Angela then worked with Jay Rasku, Mount Grace Community Conservation Director, to apply for a Conservation Land Tax Credit—a Massachusetts program that makes it possible for landowners to permanently protect their land but not lose out on its value. > continued on page 3 Views from Mount Grace WINTER 2017 - 2018 VOLUME 28, No.3 Dear Friends, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust protects significant natural, agricultural and scenic areas and encourages land Celebrating the lives of two long-time stewardship in North Central and Western Massachusetts for the benefit of the environment, the economy and friends of Mount Grace reaches both future generations. ends of what can be seen as a spectrum of conservation: from farms to wild nature. We welcome your articles, photographs, comments and Having grown up on one, Mick Huppert suggestions. For information about becoming a member or to request a change of address, please contact: loved to see farms protected and worked by young farmers learning from earlier Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust generations. Elizabeth Farnsworth loved 1461 Old Keene Road the ecology of wild things, for decades Athol, MA 01331 978-248-2043 (tel) she passed on her passion as an author, 978-248-2053 (fax) illustrator, ecologist, and gifted teacher. [email protected] Visit our web site at mountgrace.org Mick and his wife Louise became Mount Grace members in 1994. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Two years later they protected part of their farm in Barre by donating MOUNT GRACE STAFF a conservation restriction to Mount Grace before moving to a farm Leigh Youngblood, Executive Director in the next town that was also conserved. Mick served on our Board David Graham Wolf, Deputy Director & of Directors from 1999 – 2008 as Treasurer and then President until TerraCorps Spin-off Director Jay Rasku, Community Conservation Director & term limits ended his formal role here. Our Huppert Conservation Land Stewardship Director Area on Narrow Lane in Petersham was established in 2011. Sarah Wells, Director of Land Protection Jamie Pottern, Land Conservation Specialist Mick was in of that group of landowners the rest of us owe so much Sean Pollock, TerraCorps Program Director to, our friends and neighbors who love haying every year, even though, Lisa Cormier, Administrative Director Carol Mayer, Administrative Assistant or maybe because, it is hard work. Mick’s deep concern, insights, and David Kotker, Major Gifts and Grants Manager active involvement will continue to be an inspiration as we remember John Dooley, Finance Director and miss him. Ben Carver, TerraCorps Impact Manager Hanna Mogensen, TerraCorps Operations and In 2002, Elizabeth and her former husband and collaborator, Aaron Communication Manager Ellison, purchased a home and land in Royalston conserved by MOUNT GRACE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mount Grace in the Tully Initiative. Within months they joined Steve Rawson, President Winchendon as members. She and Aaron facilitated the Friends of Tully Lake Nancy Allen, Vice President Petersham Pam Hanold, Treasurer Montague group who watchdogged and stopped an ill-conceived plan to build Max Feldman, Clerk Petersham a subdivision on one of the steep slopes around this beloved and David Christianson Ashburnham wild-feeling place. Elizabeth worked at Mount Grace briefly and Warren Facey Leyden Lenny Johnson Carlisle later authored our booklet on Forest Stewardship. Mimi Hellen Jones Petersham/Washington DC Bryan Long Orange In her 54 years, Elizabeth accomplished a lot. To give you an inkling, Joanne McGee Northfield Lis McLoughlin Northfield she co-authored a field guide to the Connecticut River. This included Gail Oswald Royalston her building a kayak by hand, paddling from Canada to Long Island Joel Shaughnessy Athol Sound, writing parts of the book, illustrating it, composing songs along Al Siano Greenfield the way; and then singing accompanying herself on guitar at book Jerry Wagener Northfield signings. It is an honor that Mount Grace is mentioned in her will. MOUNT GRACE MASSLIFT TERRACORPS TEAM Camille Duquette, Regional Conservation Coordinator Thank you for caring for the land, too, Tinsley Galyean, Youth Education Coordinator Fletcher Harrington, Community Engagement & Land Stewardship Coordinator Kat Kowalski, Regional Conservation Coordinator KimLynn Nguyen, Land Stewardship Coordinator Leigh Youngblood mountgrace.org EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR @MountGraceLCT 2 • Views from Mount Grace • WINTER 2017 - 2018 Join Us on the Land with Mount Grace Trail Maps BY DAVID KOTKER Mount Grace encourages all our members and neighbors to enjoy the thousands of acres we have worked together to protect. The conservation areas Mount Grace owns comprise 1,700+ acres of diverse landscapes, including miles of trails that are open to the public. To make it easier for people to enjoy places like these, Mount Grace’s stewardship team is updating a set of maps for our public trails, and has been upgrading the signage at our public conservation areas. Right now, you can download maps for these conservation areas for free at mountgrace.org: I would like to become a member of • Arthur Iversen Conservation Area, Warwick: moderate 1.5-mile trail to MountDevil’s Grace LandWashbowl Conservation Trust! and easy .2-mile trail to Rum Brook □ $30 Member Trail Difficulty: Easy □ $60 Friend Discover Mount Grace □ $100 Steward • Fern Glenn, Winchendon: easy/moderateApproximate 1 mile Trail loop Length: heading 1/2 Mile up a steep □talus $300 Protector slope at the start □ $600 Benefactor Approximate Slope Gain: 20 Feet □ $1,000 Margaret Power-Biggs Society Gifford Family and then following stone walls sloping gradually back to the trailhead □ Other $_________________________ Memorial Forest Trail Marking: and Senator Robert D. Wetmore Account/CC # ___________________________ • Fox Valley, Phillipston: easy/moderate 1.2-mile loop crossing Popple Camp EXP.Brook, Date _______/________ prime songbird Memorial Fishing Hole Directions: From Main Street in Athol, travel north Credit/Debit Card Security # (3 digit)__________ Tully Road on Exchange Street. Take a left onto Pinedale Ave. Today’s Date_______/_______/_______ habitat in the 6-acre clearing near the trail kiosk Orange, MA Pinedale Ave becomes Tully Road. Just past Noel’s Name___________________________________ Telephone ( ) ________________________ Nursery, park near the Gifford property sign on left. Address_________________________________ • Gifford Family Memorial Forest, Orange: easy .5-mile trail to the Senator_______________________________________ Robert D. Wetmore Email___________________________________ In 2002, the Gifford family Memorial Fishing Hole and along the WestAbout the Branch Property: of the Tully River All contributions are tax deductible worked with Mount Grace and MassWildlife to protect 1461 Old Keene Road Athol, MA 01331 the land with a conservation (978) 248-2043 • Hidden Valley, Wendell: moderate 1.5-mile loop reachable via a 1-mile hike on the Newmountgrace.org England restriction as part of the Share Your Highlights from the National Scenic Trail, includes Jerusalem9,000 Hill-acre Tully overlook, Initiative. and Lynne’s Falls Gifford Family Memorial Forest! In 2013, as a tribute to facebook.com/MountGrace • Paul C. Dunn Woodland Preserve, Ashburnham:George and Laura easyGifford, 1-mile loop along a glacial esker and through the family donated the land @MountGraceLCT a managed woodlot to Mount Grace to establish the Gifford Family Since 1986, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust Memorial Forest. has protected more than 32,000 acres of farms, fields, • Red Fire Farm, Montague: two easy loop trails, a 1.1-mile tour of the farmforests, and and awaterways 1-mile in the 23 trip towns we across serve. the Sawmill
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