Help Us Protect Our Precious Home: Two, Three, Four Leg Friends Unite!
Land lovers from across the region are supporting this year’s Give Back to the Land Day of online giving this Earth Day. HLT is teaming up with other regional land trusts to raise money to support the needs of the community for climate change mitigation, carbon capture and storage, water quality, biodiversity of native species, and land access.
Hilltown Land Trust has an ambitious goal of raising at least $20,000. The first $8,000 in gifts will be matched by a generous gift from our current and past Board members. Will you join us?
Make your gift on our website before midnight on April 22nd to count to this year’s total!
If you prefer to make a gift via mail for Give Back to the Land day rather than online, please mail your check to: Hilltown Land Trust / 332 Bullitt Road / Ashfield, MA 01330.
Your Impact
Since 1986, Hilltown Land Trust has helped conserve over 5,000 acres of land in The Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts thanks to the support of our members. This land includes habitat for rare and endangered plants and animals, wetlands and waterways, forests, farms, and public trails in our 13-town service area in Hampshire, Franklin, Berkshire, and Hampden counties.
With your support this year for Give Back to the Land day, we plan to accelerate the pace of land conservation in the Hilltowns region in the coming years, in order to meet the needs of the community for climate change mitigation, carbon capture and storage, water quality, biodiversity of native species, and land access.
Wildlife Habitat
Our entire service area lies in an important region for the migration and movement of local wildlife, helping to provide a corridor of wilderness that connects the highlands of the Hudson River area in New York to the Green Mountains in Vermont. Conserving land that expands or connects parcels of critical habitat is one of the top priorities in determining which conservation projects to take on.
Wetlands and Waterways
In addition to providing important habitat for native flora and fauna, wetlands in our region play an important role in combating climate change. In times of heavy rain, wetlands help to minimize flooding by soaking up water, and during droughts, they are a critical source of drinking water for wildlife. Similarly, conserving land around rivers and streams protects essential riparian habitat and helps reduce pollution of waterways from storm runoff.
In the past year, our members have helped HLT complete conservation of 160 acres of woods, wetlands, and trails on the Ashfield-Goshen line, and 132 of connected wildlife habitat at Clary Hill in Goshen. We are currently working on multiple projects that will further care for these vital resources throughout the region.
Climate Change
Conserving climate resilient forests, as well as forests that capture and store carbon, is a key part of the natural solution to climate change, and a priority for HLT and our members. Unlike the more densely populated parts of the state, the rural Hilltowns region has large blocks of undeveloped forest land.
Land Access
Scientific studies show that time spent in nature is integral to our physical and mental health. HLT is committed to reducing historical and present-day barriers to access our natural world.
In the past few years, we permanently conserved the popular Locke’s Loop trail in Williamsburg, opened three miles of new public trails at the Conwell property in Worthington, and grew the Conwell property with the acquisition of 105 acres to with north where we expanded existing trails. Many of our current projects include trails and public access, and increasing the places where people can enjoy and appreciate the natural world is an important piece of the work we do.
Farms and Agriculture
Hilltown Land Trust was founded to conserve a historic sugarbush; maple sugaring remains an important industry for so many in The Hilltowns. In addition to sugarbushes, like Two Mamas Farm in Cummington, HLT has helped conserve land used for agriculture throughout the region, including pasture land, small-scale vegetable operations, and a berry farm.
Education & Engagement
We host engaging public events that deepen people’s connection to the natural world. We make our public events accessible to as many as possible and strive to clearly communicate event accessibility so participants can make informed decisions about their ability to participate.
Our sliding scale fee structure seeks to remove financial barriers to event participation. We host our public programs at a variety of days and times throughout the week to accommodate different schedules. We organize a variety of events types: the Gorge après Gorge 5k trail race and family fun walk, educational walks and webinars, programs for children, and partnerships with other local organizations, such as All Out Adventures and local libraries.
Member support is essential for all of this important work. We hope you will join us in creating a healthy future for The Hilltowns this year for Give Back to the Land day!
