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Mass Audubon and State/Federal Agencies Preserve 104 Acres of Vital Wildlife Habitat on Allens Pond

DARTMOUTH, MASS.—The Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service today announced the acquisition of an ecologically significant 104-acre property in Dartmouth, which will protect one of the few pristine coastal salt ponds remaining in southern New England.

The land provides 1,500 feet of frontage on Allens Pond, and will become part of Mass Audubon’s Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, home to a number of rare plants and hundreds of species of birds, such as ospreys, peregrine falcons, least terns, bald eagles, short-eared owls and piping plovers. Acquisition of this property by Mass Audubon will create a contiguous block of 1,000 acres of protected habitats along the shore of Buzzards Bay, including salt marsh, coastal oak woodlands, heath and grasslands.

This extraordinary opportunity to conserve this land would not have been possible without the strong commitment of landowner Gil Fernandez. Fernandez’s interest in bird conservation goes back decades, and he and his late wife Josephine were instrumental in the re-establishment of ospreys on the Buzzards Bay coast, putting in countless hours building and maintaining nesting platforms.

Mass Audubon has embarked on a fundraising campaign, the goal of which is to fund the land acquisition as well as the significant long-term stewardship costs of managing the property. Mass Audubon will incorporate this land into the ecological management for the entire Allens Pond system and will be involved in planning and ecological monitoring on the property with a future vision of developing a trail system for public access and environmental programs. If you would like more information about this important project, please contact Mass Audubon’s Sally Sharp Lehman, regional director, at 781-259-2164, or at sslehman@massaudubon.org.

Key funding for the project came from the conveyance of a conservation restriction on the property to DCR for $850,000, which is considerably less than the market value of the restriction. By agreement with the state, $700,000 will be allocated towards Mass Audubon’s acquisition costs, $100,000 towards stewardship needs, and $50,000 for additional land acquisition in southeastern Massachusetts. The state’s purchase in turn was made possible by a $600,000 grant to DCR from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, under the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program.

To qualify for the grant, Mass Audubon and the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust donated conservation restrictions to DCR on other lands they own in the vicinity. In addition, the Conservation Partnership Program of the state’s Executive Office of Environmental Affairs is providing a matching $25,000 grant.

"The state of Massachusetts and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been absolutely critical to the project’s success. We would not be celebrating today without their encouragement and financial support," said Laura Johnson, president of Mass Audubon. "We're also very appreciative of the critical role the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust played in helping obtain the Fish and Wildlife grant, and the support of our other nonprofit partners. This was truly a collaborative effort."

“Through the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants Program, tax dollars collected on recreational fishing equipment and small motor boat fuels are returned to states to support on-the-ground partnerships to conserve wetlands. I find it gratifying that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in this way can help protect wildlife habitat in Buzzards Bay and other important areas along our nation’s coasts,” said Marvin Moriarty, northeast regional director for the Service.

Newly appointed Secretary of Environmental Affairs Stephen Pritchard stated, “This project exemplifies the power of public-private partnerships. Federal and state agencies cooperated with nonprofit land trusts to protect this vital property, and I am pleased that EOEA and DCR could play a role in this important conservation project.”

The Massachusetts Audubon Society is the largest conservation organization in New England, concentrating its efforts on protecting the nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife. Mass Audubon protects more than 30,000 acres of conservation land, conducts educational programs for 250,000 children and adults annually, and advocates for sound environmental policies at the local, state, and federal levels. Established in 1896 and supported by 65,000 member households, Mass Audubon maintains 42 wildlife sanctuaries that are open to the public and serve as the base for its conservation, education, and advocacy work across the state. For more information or to become a member, call 800-AUDUBON (283-8266) or visit our website at www.massaudubon.org.

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is charged with conserving and protecting the natural, cultural, and recreational resources for all citizens of the Commonwealth. DCR oversees approximately 460,000 acres of state and urban parks and public watershed lands. For more information on DCR, go online to the Department’s website at www.mass.gov/dcr or call 617-626-1250.

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