Land Protection Success Stories

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New Sanctuary in Attleboro!

Mass Audubon’s newest sanctuary became a reality on June 24, as 117 acres of forest, wetlands and field at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro were permanently dedicated to conservation, thanks to the generosity of the La Salette community and a strong collaboration among local officials and conservation leaders.

A partnership involving Mass Audubon, the City of Attleboro, and the Attleboro Land Trust began working with La Salette in 2006 to protect the property and provide for its future. As a result of these efforts, the land is now permanently protected by a conservation restriction held by the City of Attleboro and the Attleboro Land Trust. Mass Audubon will manage this diverse landscape as a publicly accessible wildlife sanctuary to be known as Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary at La Salette. A formal opening of the property is planned in 2010 once construction of trails, a parking area and other improvements are completed.

The La Salette community, part of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, a Catholic order, was moved to protect this land as an extension of their faith and as a tangible expression of their commitment “to conserve the planet’s resources and protect the integrity of creation.” In recognition of the occasion, Father Roger Plante of La Salette noted that "the Shrine Community is especially proud to have been part of the collaboration that resulted in the Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary. Thanks to that community effort the public will now enjoy in perpetuity the benefits of this beautiful wildlife sanctuary."

The property contains upland oak woods, red maple swamps, streams, vernal pools, a field, and a pond. The quality of its wildlife habitat led the Commonwealth to designate the property several years ago as among the most important for preservation of the state’s biodiversity. Notable wildlife include spotted turtles, several species of dragonflies and damselflies, a variety of amphibians, and forest-interior birds such as the wood thrush and ovenbird. Several trails wind through the property and allow exploration of the property's diverse natural and historical features.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to protect an important natural area just a mile from the center of Attleboro,” said Mass Audubon President Laura Johnson. “We are incredibly grateful to the La Salette community for their generosity and vision, and to the City of Attleboro and the Attleboro Land Trust for their partnership in making this happen. This is a great example of how organizations with a common vision can work together to create something of lasting public and environmental benefit.”

The City of Attleboro played a vital role by providing access to a critical state grant program. The Commonwealth’s LAND (Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity) program, which provides assistance to municipalities for purchase of land and conservation restrictions, awarded the city a $495,000 grant, which was matched by $290,000 in private fundraising by Mass Audubon and the Attleboro Land Trust. These funds were used by the city and the land trust to purchase a conservation restriction on the property from La Salette.

La Salette, in turn, then gave Mass Audubon perpetual rights to manage the property as a wildlife sanctuary open to the public. La Salette also donated to Mass Audubon the entire proceeds of the sale of the conservation restriction to pay the expenses of creating the new sanctuary, and to provide a permanent endowment that will generate an ongoing source of income for the property’s management and interpretation.

Over the next year Mass Audubon will complete planning for the sanctuary and will construct trails, boardwalks, and a parking area to make the property more accessible for the public’s enjoyment. The formal opening of Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary at La Salette is planned for 2010 and the site will be managed in conjunction with Mass Audubon’s Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary, also in Attleboro.

The property has a long and rich history. It was purchased by La Salette in 1942 for use as a seminary. For many years prior to that it was operated as a sanitarium, envisioned and built by Dr. James Solomon, who used spring waters and medicinal herbs on the property for their healing purposes. Evidence of prior uses can be found amidst the forest that has reclaimed the land, offering a rich environment for interpretation of its natural and human history.

In addition to the state grant, private support came from a number of foundations and individuals, including the Attleboro Foundation, Bafflin Foundation, Bristol County Charitable Foundation, Ernest H. Augat Charitable Foundation, Fields Pond Foundation, Fred M. Roddy Foundation, George H. and Jane A. Mifflin Memorial Trust, the Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation, Ottmar Foundation, and the Roddy-Holden Foundation. No city funds were used, a condition that the partners agreed to early on.

The partners were introduced to each other in 2006 by the Religious Lands Conservancy, a joint program of the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition and the Crystal Spring Center for Earth Living (a project of the Dominican Sisters of Kentucky). The Conservancy works to bring together religious communities and land conservationists to preserve properties that both groups value for their natural, scenic and ecological value. Kathy McGrath and Sister Chris Loughlin were instrumental in bringing the parties together and incubating the idea that led to the new sanctuary.

Mass Audubon is working elsewhere with religious communities on conservation projects of mutual interest. These include a major partnership with the Sacred Hearts Retreat Center, the Wareham Land Trust and the Town of Wareham to protect 115 acres of the Center’s property on Great Neck in Wareham, including extensive frontage on Buzzards Bay.