Stewardship is, simply put, a critical investment in the future of our land.
At North County Land Trust, stewardship is the active care and management of our environment through dedicated, year-round work across north central Massachusetts.
When you give to the Stewardship Fund, you are investing in the health and resiliency of local forests, wetlands, meadows, and other natural lands.
Four years ago, NCLT embarked on an opportunity to improve habitat for imperiled pollinators at Dwelly Farm Conservation Area. Work began by targeting the removal of invasive plants like glossy buckthorn and Japanese knotweed, relieving pressures on native species on the site. Our stewardship plan re-opened prime agricultural land that we planted with native flowers and grasses that would support an increase in diversity of insect and bird species while creating a beautiful meadow.
Through the immense work of our staff and volunteers, NCLT is meeting the stewardship goals at Dwelly Farm ahead of schedule. Invasive plants have been greatly reduced, and the meadow can increasingly support local pollinators and birds. These measures to increase biodiversity at Dwelly Farm will continue to positively impact our ecosystem’s health for decades.
At first glance, Keyes appears to be an unusual sort of conservation area. Much of the land looks like an abandoned sand pit, because it is. What remains, however, has the potential to become a globally rare habitat known as an inland sandplain grassland, and could support a variety of unique bird, insect, and plant species. Inland sandplain grasslands are in sharp decline around the world, threatening the plants and animals that rely upon it due to natural wildfire suppression and development.
Our goal is to undertake a massive habitat restoration project that will restore more natural contours and control unwanted invasive plan species, thereby accelerating nature’s ability to transform Keyes into this vital habitat. Fundraising is underway to make this resource-intensive project possible.
Bringing People and Nature Together – Monomonac Hill Conservation Area, Winchendon
Stewardship is an investment in the natural world, but it is also an investment in the world we want to live in. At NCLT, we fiercely believe in increasing access to nature and the extraordinary benefit it has for our communities, and that drives us to ensure trails are open and accessible for as many people in north central Massachusetts as possible.
Keeping trails open and accessible requires year-round care by our dedicated team, working across our region in the heat, rain, and snow to ensure trails are safe and accessible. This year, that includes opening new trails at Monomonac Hill Conservation Area in Winchendon. By July 2024, locals will have access to beautiful hiking trails at the southern reaches of Lake Monomonac.
