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You are here: Home / Announcements / Ecologist Accelerates Conservation of 130 Magical Acres in Chesterfield

Ecologist Accelerates Conservation of 130 Magical Acres in Chesterfield

October 10, 2024

A brown trail sign reading "Fairy Seat: Wood fairies sit here at night" in front of light-soaked fall foliage.

Retired Siena College ecology professor Doug Fraser changed his mind about willing his 130 Chesterfield acres to Hilltown Land Trust. Now, he wants to donate the land to HLT within his lifetime.

Neighbors and friends already enjoy the miles of trails, interpretive signage, and varied habitats that make this place so special. It’s Doug’s dream for the land to educate and inspire future generations of environmental stewards through visits from local colleges and public access.

A group of warmly dressed college students seated along a rock wall with forest in the background.
Elms College students on an ecology study field trip to Doug’s land.

One group of 28 students from Elms College in Chicopee recently visited Doug’s woods to collect data on red-backed salamanders, a species he’s studied and published work on for years. He reflected, “I always feel it’s important to get kids engaged in doing something rather than me just lecturing to them. What came out of that day astonished me, because I realized some of the students had never been in the woods before.”

College students aren’t the only young people visiting the trails, which are also a popular spot for local seniors to walk with their grandchildren. Special touches, like a seat for wood fairies in the crook of a tree, are designed to capture young imaginations and build an early sense of connection with the forest.

A close up of a hand lifting up a plank from the leaf litter and pointing to a salamander beneath it.

A red-backed salamander was hiding under one of the wood planks, or cover boards, that Doug uses to study the species.

Educational signs dot the trails, connecting visitors with the forest’s real magic: its ecological richness. Doug has spotted bobcat, bear, coyote, and fox activity, but he’s attuned to life underground as well. His continued study of red-backed salamanders will help science and the public understand the impacts of changes like beech leaf disease and invasive jumping worms, both of which affect the soil-based food web that salamanders and other forest life depend on.

Hilltown Land Trust hopes to close on the project by 2026, and to open access to the public soon after. The new timeline means that Doug’s wealth of stewardship knowledge will serve as a resource both before and after the project closes. “I’d like to know that it’s in good hands and that everything went through smoothly,” Doug said of his decision.

A group of hikers walking through a leafy green forest, with a sign that reads "Grapevine Trail to Pynchon" in the foreground.

The HLT staff explored Doug’s trails with him this past August.

Doug hopes to see the land continue to support education, and for it to keep regenerating after experiencing the impacts of more recent logging plus clear-cutting for sheep farming over a century ago.

“This land was completely cut over, totally exploited” he said. “I feel good about giving it to the land trust, so the exploitation can end. The ecosystem is putting itself back together again.”

Silhouettes of the HLT logo bear and cub.

Filed Under: Announcements, Conservation Stories, Featured, Newsletter, Planned Giving

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1:00 PM - Clary Hill Trail Opening Hike
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1:00 PM - Learning Land Stewardship: Meet a Forester Woods Walk
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Clary Hill Trail Opening Hike
Clary Hill Trail Opening Hike
Apr 27th, 2025    
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Clary Hill
  • Family Fun
  • Hike
**RESCHEDULED TO SUN. APRIL 27TH DUE TO WEATHER** Celebrate the opening of HLT’s newest trails at Clary Hill with a 2-mile hike! Explore the meadow, [...]
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Learning Land Stewardship: Meet a Forester Woods Walk
Learning Land Stewardship: Meet a Forester Woods Walk
May 8th, 2025    
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
  • Hands-On
  • Hike
  • Workshop
“Forest resilience” is a big buzzword right now, especially in the face of climate change. But what does a resilient forest – or farm or [...]
More Info
Accessible Trails Public Forum (Webinar)
Accessible Trails Public Forum (Webinar)
May 8th, 2025    
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Partnership Event
  • Webinar
Do you have a disability, have a loved one with a disability, or advocate for accessible outdoor spaces? Our state partners invite you to join [...]
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Collaborative Forestry in the Village: Meet a Forester Woods Walk
Collaborative Forestry in the Village: Meet a Forester Woods Walk
May 27th, 2025    
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
  • Hands-On
  • Hike
  • Workshop
“Forest resilience” is a big buzzword right now, especially in the face of climate change. But what does a resilient forest – or farm or [...]
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Chesterfield Gorge Ultra & 25k
Chesterfield Gorge Ultra & 25k
May 31st, 2025 - Jun 1st, 2025    
All Day
  • Partnership Event
  • Race
Join Hilltown Land Trust and Beast Coast Trail Running for the sixth-annual Chesterfield Gorge Ultra and 25k Race, including the only 100 mile race in [...]
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Events on Apr 27th, 2025
Clary Hill Trail Opening Hike
Clary Hill Trail Opening Hike
27 Apr 25
Goshen
Events on May 8th, 2025
Learning Land Stewardship: Meet a Forester Woods Walk
Learning Land Stewardship: Meet a Forester Woods Walk
8 May 25
Accessible Trails Public Forum (Webinar)
Accessible Trails Public Forum (Webinar)
8 May 25
Events on May 27th, 2025
Collaborative Forestry in the Village: Meet a Forester Woods Walk
Collaborative Forestry in the Village: Meet a Forester Woods Walk
27 May 25
Events on May 31st, 2025
Chesterfield Gorge Ultra & 25k
Chesterfield Gorge Ultra & 25k
31 May 25
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