The Natural Heritage Program advises conservation groups on important sites to protect and provides input to towns on their open space plans. 

For information on planning for rare species protection, call or write Lynn Harper, Habitat Protection Specialist at NHESP, at 508-389-6351 or Lynn.Harper@state.ma.us. 

For information for a town’s Open Space Plan, contact Pat Swain, Natural Community Ecologist for NHESP, at 508-389-6352, or Pat.Swain@state.ma.us.

For use with our town conservation maps, NHESP has also released reports detailing rare species and natural community Core Habitat areas. The reports are available on a town-by town basis. For more information, or to download a report, click here.