This summer, Hilltown Land Trust acquired a 105-acre forested property in Worthington adjacent to the Conwell property! In the coming year, we plan to extend the trails at Conwell onto this newly-conserved land to create a longer, approximately 3-mile loop trail over the top of Eagle Nest Ridge and down to the scenic Jackson Swamp.
In addition to new trails for people, conserving this property will have tremendous benefit for local wildlife. Animals like mink, bear, moose, fox, and others need corridors of wild lands to safely access their preferred habitat and find food and water.
With climate change bringing extreme weather patterns like droughts and floods, these corridors become increasingly vital to native fauna needing to move between habitats. These 105 acres connect to thousands of acres of woodlands, wetlands, and rivers, including many properties conserved by HLT, MassWildlife, and the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Land conservation projects like this one can only happen when individuals and organizations come together with a common purpose to advance a shared goal. The support of our donors helped make this project possible! This land acquisition was also supported by funding from MassWildlife, which now holds a Conservation Restriction over the entire Conwell property.
Stay tuned to our e-news, website, Facebook, and Instagram for opportunities to help create the new trails and for an announcement when the new trails officially open!
