Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $3 Million for Landscape Conservation Projects

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced over $3 million in grants to conserve large acreages of essential land across Massachusetts. Through the Landscape Partnership Program, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) awarded three grants to expand public recreational opportunities, improve water supply protection, support agriculture, and promote healthy ecosystems. The grants from the program will also support the Forests as Climate Solutions Initiative to protect high-quality forested land.  

“Investments in land conservation are critical to strengthening climate resilience in our communities. Thoughtfully conserving our natural landscapes is also essential for reducing emissions and safeguarding the diversity of our ecosystems,” said EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “Successful partnerships between agencies and organizations such as these can have a profound impact on enabling residents to enjoy the outdoors.”

The Landscape Partnership Grant Program was established in 2011 to facilitate large-scale projects that foster healthy ecosystems, protect the viability of farm and forest economies, and expand public outdoor recreational opportunities via state, municipal, and non-profit partnerships. This year’s awards will conserve over 1,300 acres in Berkshire and Plymouth County. The implementation of these grants will support the administration’s efforts toward building climate resilience and safeguarding critical natural landscapes.   

"I want to thank Secretary Tepper and the Healey-Driscoll Administration for making this important investment into crucial land conservation efforts in Southeastern Massachusetts,” said Senator Marc R. Pacheco (D-Third Bristol and Plymouth). In addition to ensuring healthy ecosystems, protecting water supply, and creating recreational opportunities, these grants protect areas that, through carbon sequestration, play a part in the Commonwealth's efforts to meet their requirement of being Net-Zero by 2050."

Landscape Partnership Grant Program awardees are: 

Buzzards Bay Coalition, Town of Carver and Town of Wareham – Weweantic River Headlands Conservation Project: $1.25 million to protect 280 acres of forested uplands, cranberry bogs, and riparian wetlands along the mainstem of the Weweantic River in Carver and Wareham. The Weweantic is the largest freshwater tributary river flowing into Buzzards Bay and supports a diverse assemblage of fish and other wildlife. The less productive bogs on the property will be retired and restored to natural wetlands, while more productive bogs will remain in cultivation. 

Buzzards Bay Coalition and MA Department of Fish & Game (DFG) Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MassWildlife) – Sippican Headwaters Landscape Project: $1.25 million to protect 499 acres of forested uplands and wetlands at the headwaters of the Sippican River in Rochester and Middleborough. The property is part of a 2,500-acre Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) designated Core Habitat and will serve to connect the Sippican Headwaters Wildlife Management Area and the Sippican Woods Wildlife Conservation Easement held by MA DFG, as well as the Buzzards Bay Coalitions 500+ acre Headwaters Reserve. 

The Trustees of Reservations, Sheffield Land Trust, and MA Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) – Cooper Hill Farm Project: $1.25 million to protect 538 acres that are part of a broader, regional effort to conserve 1,130 acres of critical ecological habitat, forestland, and active agricultural landscapes in Sheffield, MA and Salisbury, CT. The Project will purchase an Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) from Pine Island Farm, one of the largest dairy farms in Massachusetts, ensuring the farm remains in agricultural use in perpetuity. The project will also extend protection to 40 acres of NHESP designated Priority Habitat for Rare Species and expand public enjoyment of Bartholomew’s Cobble which is managed for passive recreation and habitat values by The Trustees of Reservations.  

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