ATHOL — Aaron Nelson, community conservation project manager for the Mt. Grace Land Conservation Trust, met with the Athol Selectboard on Tuesday to provide an overview of a proposed conservation restriction covering a sizable portion of land. The land being placed into restriction straddles the Athol-Royalston town line.
“Rosemary Magee has generously donated a conservation restriction on her property in Royalston and Athol,” Nelson began. “The property extends from Dickley Road in Royalston over the Athol line. The portion in Athol abuts the Millers River Wildlife Management Area in the northeast section of town and consists of forested and wetland backland. There’s no access to the portion in Athol, except through the road frontage in Royalston.”
He then detailed how the restriction would affect the use of the property.
“The conservation restriction will prohibit paving, mining, and the construction of houses on the roughly 72 acres,” Nelson explained. “It will continue to be privately owned, and forestry and agriculture are permitted. The property is currently in Chapter 61, so its conservation won’t affect its assessed value for taxes.
According to the Mass.gov website, Chapter 61 was designed to assist with the cost of maintaining “farms, natural areas, and working forests” and to “support long term forestland management.” Withdrawal from the program to convert the property to residential, commercial, or industrial use can result in the assessment of penalties.
“The conservation restriction,” Nelson continued, “will also grant permanent public access to the property. This is a particularly good resource for users of the Millers River Wildlife Management Area — sort of coming of the backland there — for hunting and fishing, as well as hiking.
“Mt. Grace is receiving the conservation restriction and we’re managing all the legal, financial, and technical aspects of the project. As you may know, conservation restrictions in Massachusetts require the approval of the selectboard of each town that they’re located in. In this case, that’s Royalston and Athol,” Nelson said. “Your signatures are needed on the final copy of the conservation restriction which, unfortunately, I don’t have. It’s in the final, final stages of the state’s CR review process, and I anticipate that I’ll have it for either your next meeting or the one after. But I wanted to come to the board to present the project and see if you had any questions, so that, hopefully, when I come to you for your signatures you can lend your support.”
Nelson did point out that the project has received the endorsement of Athol’s Conservation Commission “as being in the public’s benefit.” He also said he had met earlier in the day with Royalston’s Selectboard, which added its support for the conservation restriction.
Selectboard Chair Alan Dodge solicited questions from his fellow board members, but no questions were posed, and the board voted unanimously to endorse the proposal.
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.