Land Protection Success Stories

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Community Effort Helps Mass Audubon Protect 404 Acres In Groton

Make a gift in support of this project. View photo album of the property.

A patient and collaborative effort was key to conserving 404 acres of wild land in Groton for public enjoyment and wildlife. After two decade, this diverse land will now become Mass Audubon’s Rocky Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.

This special land features rugged topography, rocky outcroppings, and diverse habitats, including a black ash swamp, a wet meadow, vernal pools, and pond shores. It is also home to a host of species, both rare and common, including moose, porcupines, and turtles.

To date, 244 plant species and nearly 100 species of birds have been documented on the property. And Pulitzer-Prize winning biologist E.O. Wilson has ventured onto the property to examine an unusually large population of the Allegheny mound ant.

More than two decades ago, Mass Audubon identified this rough and rocky terrain—which lies within the Commonwealth’s Petapawag Area of Critical Environmental Concern—as a high priority for protection.

But without the assistance of the landowners, town planning and conservation officials, and residents; the Groton Conservation Trust and Nashua River Watershed Association; and others, creation of this new sanctuary would not have come to fruition. Local visionaries Bob Pine, Bob Collins, and Arthur Blackman helped to build community consensus and kept the faith through more than 10 years of permitting and approvals.

The collaborative process eventually led to a unanimous town meeting vote supporting a mixed-use development on a portion of the land along Route 119 in Groton while allowing the most critical land to be preserved and become a new wildlife sanctuary. Mass Audubon’s Director of Stewardship Kathy Sferra noted that this success story “was truly a long-term community effort” and expressed her gratitude to the many individuals and organizations that helped bring about the protection of this land.

As part of the process, landowners David Moulton and Bob Lacombe generously agreed to donate the 400 acres to Mass Audubon with a conservation restriction held by the Groton Conservation Commission. David Moulton is also donating an additional 125 acres of adjacent land on Snake Hill to the Ayer Conservation Commission. Combined with already protected land, there are now more than 750 acres of contiguous protected land at Rocky Hill, and the parcel is part of 2,500 acres of core habitat.

“Rocky Hill is a real world almost untouched by humans, with living creatures and land formations I could have never imagined,” said Blackman, who advocated for preserving the land for decades. “It’s a world that now awaits future generations.”

Mass Audubon is preparing the property for public visitation by developing a management plan, laying out trails and working to create access and parking. It is expected that the sanctuary will formally open to the public within the next two years. Until then, please enjoy this spectacular landscape by viewing our photo album.

For updates or more information about Rocky Hill, please contact Mass Audubon at rockyhill@massaudubon.org.

Posted on August 6, 2007.