Land Protection Success Stories

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Town of Carver and Mass Audubon Collaborate to Protect High Priority Land

The Town of Carver recently crossed a milestone by making its first land conservation purchase, which will permanently preserve 221 acres of ecologically significant land in the Taunton River watershed water supply. The town's acquisition ensures public access to the land and protection of important wildlife habitat.

This property lies in North Carver and has more than 2,000 linear feet of frontage on the Winnetuxet River. The entire parcel is Mass Audubon Priority Habitat and Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program records identify as many as 15 state-listed species in the vicinity of the property. The property also includes a diversity of habitat types including upland woods, cranberry bogs, ponds, riverine wetlands, and vernal pools, along with a network of walking trails and paths.

Mass Audubon Land Protection Specialist Kathy Sferra worked closely with the Town on this project. "Town Planner Jack Hunter and Conservation Agent Sarah Hewins deserve credit for working to achieve a nearly unanimous town meeting vote in favor of acquiring the property," she says. "They kept the momentum going to bring this project to a successful closing." As part of our Partnership with the Town, Mass Audubon will hold a permanent conservation restriction on the entire property.

When this land was threatened with inappropriate large-scale housing development, Mass Audubon worked closely with officials in the Town of Carver to put together a plan to acquire the property, taking advantage of the Town's right of first refusal under Chapter 61A. We helped the Town adopt the Community Preservation Act, and seek state funds from the Self-Help and Drinking Water Supply Grant program in order to help raise the $2.88 million needed to acquire the property.