WINCHENDON – Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust and North County Land Trust (NCLT) joined forces with residents a year ago to protect 200-plus acres of forest at the southern reaches of Lake Monomonac, according to an announcement. With the support of individual donors and a grant from the Bafflin Foundation, the fundraising to secure this land for conservation is complete.

The new 194-acre Monomonac Hill Conservation Area will be open to the public for hiking, biking and other passive recreational activities in June. An additional 54 acres of wetlands south of the old White’s Mill Pond were added to Winchendon Springs Wildlife Management Area last year as part of this project. Conserving this land also helps secure the watershed of both Lake Monomonac and the Millers River, the announcement read.

“We’re all connected by water and the forested land that it flows through, and by working together we can protect both,” said Mount Grace Executive Director Emma Ellsworth. “Watershed boundaries are created by mountains, valleys or ridges and rarely fall neatly within city or state lines. This makes the partnerships among our different organizations essential for the conservation of these important regions.”

Mount Grace and NCLT worked in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, a local private conservation buyer, town administrators, the Winchendon Springs Lake and Monomonac Lake Property Owners associations, and Winchendon and New Hampshire residents.

“This is a multi-faceted project that required cooperation, understanding and effort from the whole community,” said NCLT Executive Director Anna Wilkins, “Of course, Winchendon is a great place for a project like that. NCLT is pleased to partner with Mount Grace to pool our expertise and resources to help lead this land conservation project with the greater Winchendon community.”

Conserving this land links the expanded Winchendon Springs Wildlife Management Area to hundreds of acres of forest conserved by Winchendon, the announcement read. Parts of this landscape are considered crucial habitat by Massachusetts’ Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program.

Now that the project is complete, Mount Grace and NCLT can ensure the land stays open for recreation and continues to provide critical wildlife habitat for the Millers River headwaters.

“We are so fortunate to have so many people and groups who recognize how important it is to protect the land around our waterways,” said Renee Tambling of the Winchendon Springs Lake Association. “To be able to save such a big piece of land, especially in conjunction with all the other work that’s been done in town lately, makes a huge difference. This already resonates today, but I think future generations are really going to understand how important it was to get this done.”