HADLEY — A 31-acre span of Hadley grassland will be protected forever as public land after the Kestrel Land Trust acquired it last week from Eversource Energy.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to see the landscape protected, especially a piece of land that is so beloved by the community,” Kestrel Land Trust Executive Director Kristin DeBoer said. “This property, in particular, really struck a chord with the community and we got many calls about protecting the land.”
The land at the corner of South Maple Street and Moody Bridge Road in Hadley will be conserved as part of the Fort River Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.
The land contains wetlands and fields, abuts land already protected and is a “keystone parcel” of the farmlands, grasslands, wetlands, and floodplain forest between the Mount Holyoke Range and Fort River in Hadley. According to a press release, the property is essential to drinking water protection, wildlife diversity and recreational opportunities.
Andrew French, project leader at the Conte Refuge, said the new acquisition will expand the several hundred acres of land already protected in the surrounding area and will provide uninterrupted habitat for grassland nesting species and floodplain forest species.
“It’s kind of like putting together a puzzle,” French said. “In order to complete a puzzle, you need all the pieces and every piece is important.”
The sale of the land from Eversource will be covered by $680,000 from the Massachusetts Land and Water Conservation Fund, the press release stated.
The land is located in an agricultural area, but the wet soils were not eligible for the Massachusetts Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program, often used to protect active farms in the area, according to the release. Instead, as part of the refuge, the land will provide grassland bird nesting habitat and will be open to the public.
DeBoer said that when the property first went on the market in 2016, dozens of people called the land trust to support the conservation of the land and stop housing development on the property. It took two years to finalize the negotiation with Eversource and to secure public funds for the acquisition. She said the land trust appreciates Eversource’s willingness to sell for conservation purposes.
Eversource owns over 42,000 acres of land in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, according to its website, and has its own land trust which conserves four properties in Connecticut.
“Eversource believes the conservation of open space land is central to the [New England] region’s character and appeal,” the website states.
Kestrel has worked since 2008 to acquire several other pieces of land in Hadley along Moody Bridge Road for either the Conte Refuge or for agricultural protection, and has constructed a 1-mile long, accessible nature trail as part of the Conte Refuge that is open to the public year-round from sun up to sun down.
The trust works with a variety of public and private partners to conserve land in the Valley, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the town of Hadley, the Valley Land Fund which merged with Kestrel, The Trust for Public Land, Franklin Land Trust and The Conservation Fund.
“It’s a real sense of accomplishment,” French said about the recent acquisition. “And it’s something we get to be partners in for perpetuity as we protect land for wildlife and for people.”
M.J. Tidwell can be reached at mjtidwell@gazettenet.com.
