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Land Protection Success Stories

We did it! We are now one big step closer to protecting South Lincoln Farms because we have raised the necessary $680,000 in private funds!

Now there is just one major hurdle left to seeing this land permanently protected - supportive votes at Lincoln Town Meeting (March 27th) and at the Lincoln polls (March 29th). In the meantime, any additional funds donated to the campaign will still help protect this land as they will be allocated to bringing down the proposed Town Bond of one million dollars, making the action more appealing to voters. Thank you to everyone who helped us reach our goal!

The Project
South Lincoln Farms is a beautiful example of the benefits of open space. The fields, directly across the street from Drumlin Farm, are currently used for sheep and cattle grazing and provide a corridor for wildlife and people from Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary to Weston conservation land. But today this land is under the threat of development.

In October of 2009, landowner Roy MacDowell notified the town of Lincoln of his plans to remove 21 acres of South Lincoln Farms from the state's Chapter 61A program, which offers tax discounts for owners of agricultural land, and expressed his intent to sell this property for the development of 3 houses.

The town, conservation organizations, and neighbors decided not to accept the loss of this scenic pastureland in their midst without a fight. Fortunately Mr. MacDowell's decision to sell triggered the Town of Lincoln's right to purchase the property within 120 days for its appraised value. The total cost to acquire and protect these acres is $3.1 million, including transaction expenses and the cost of the trail and boardwalk linking Drumlin Farm to the Weston Town Forest. Mass Audubon, in partnership with The Rural Land Foundation, is now working with the Town to permanently protect this land from development.

To raise funds for the purchase, the Town of Lincoln will ask the town voters to approve a $1 million bond as well as the appropriation of $400,000 in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. In addition, Mass Audubon has agreed to place a permanent Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) on the 56 acres of the sanctuary used intensively for farming, committing this land to agricultural use in perpetuity. Funds from selling this APR to the state will be contributed to the purchase.

This left $930,000 to be raised, towards which the three Lincoln conservation organizations - Rural Land Foundation, Mass Audubon, and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust committed $250,000.

The protection of this land will ensure that these 21 acres are preserved for the benefit of walkers, wildlife, farmers, and passersby for generations to come. Moreover, a total of 77 acres of land will be dedicated permanently to agricultural use, providing locally grown food and helping maintain our connection, and our children's connection, to the land that sustains us.

To support this extraordinary opportunity please donate through our secure website, download a pledge form (PDF 690K), or contact Liz Albert at 781-259-2104 or lalbert@massaudubon.org.