Last Piece Acquired in 470-Acre Stone Mountain Project

Mass Audubon recently acquired the final piece needed in an endeavor to protect 470 acres at Stone Mountain, located in Colrain and Heath.

These contiguous forestlands lay close to Mass Audubon’s West Branch Wildlife Sanctuary. Permanent conservation of the lands will buffer the unique resources there as well as protect vernal pools, cold-water tributaries to the West Branch of the North River, and other seepy wetlands that elevate amphibian diversity in the area. It also keeps the ecological landscape of Stone Mountain intact with its steep rock ledges, rich mesic forest, and undisturbed ravines.

Thanks to this project and the acquisition of a 300-acre property along the Vermont border this past summer, we have helped protect nearly 800 acres in the Towns of Colrain and Heath this year. The work has inspired other neighbors and nearby landowners to reach out to be part of this ambitious conservation effort.

Leveraging Catalyst Funds 

Mass Audubon tapped its 30x30 Catalyst Fund to quickly purchase these lands, removing any threat of timbering and development. We are holding the land temporarily with plans to transfer it to the state for holistic wildlife management once they have secured permanent funding.

With Thanks

Mass Audubon is thankful to all the families who worked in partnership with us—the Hillmans, DeLisles, Puringtons, and Hurteaus—and their willingness to conserve their ecologically valuable lands. We are also grateful for our partners on this project—Franklin Land Trust, New England Forestry Foundation, and Mass Wildlife.

The project could not have come to fruition without the dedication of Mass Audubon’s land protection team, especially Dave Rothstein, whose legacy will live on in the land he helped protect.