PETERSHAM— Following two years of work, the Doe Valley Farm will now be forever protected from development and remain scenic working land.
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust finalized a conservation restriction the last week of December, according to the trust. Rocio Lalanda, project manager at the Athol-based organization, worked with Don Flye, who has lived at the farm for the last 60 years. Lalanda said the process can take years, and begins when the landowner wants to take advantage of state and federal funding. In this case, Mount Grace helped Flye to apply for a Massachusetts Conservation Land Tax Credit.
”It’s a very good program, but it’s just very backed up,” Lalanda said.
Following the initial conversation, the 20-acre property was mapped to identify natural or agricultural resources, as well as any features or open space surrounding the property. A tour is conducted to ensure there isn’t any dumping or abandoned buildings on the site snd a conservation document is created to outline what uses will and won’t be allowed. Lalanda said Mount Grace is pursuing Conversation Restrictions with other sites, including a 72-acre property at the Royalston/Athol border near a wildlife management area.
”We’ve donated hundreds of conversation restrictions in our 23-town area,” she said.
In many of these projects Mount Grace ultimately holds the restriction. In these cases, they are the ones responsible for stewarding these lands forever (visiting them at least once a year and making sure the terms are being followed), according to Lalanda. But the biggest bulk of land protected with Conservation Restrictions is the result of collaborative projects, in which Mount Grace played a role in facilitating the project, but ultimately the restrictions are held by one of the conservation partners, such as other land trusts or government agencies, or in some cases, the land is ultimately owned by them. The amount of land Mount Grace has protected adds up to over 36,000 acres, and most of that was done through the establishment of restrictions.
Flye has been a Mount Grace volunteer for over a decade and was the 2021 Volunteer of the Year. Doe Valley Farm is a working landscape with a well-managed forest, five acres of pasture, and several historic farm buildings dating to the 18th century. According to Flye, the property was first owned by Thomas Jackson, who served in the Revolutionary War. It was later acquired by Horace Mann and then by Sarah Wheeler, who passed away in 1957. Flye, a resident of New Salem, had been searching for a historic home with his wife, but found that many had been “butchered,” or updated over the years. After looking at another site, Flye said their realtor showed them Doe Valley.
”I loved the specifics of it being original,” he said. “The interior is mostly from 1840.”
Flye has spent the last 60 years working on the site. Much of the land was forest, and was cleared to make fields used for equestrian programs and an annual antique Land Rover event. The site has been used by photographers over the years for holiday cards. The land borders Petersham’s Davenport Pond
”A lot of people love it,” Flye said.
At 87, Flye is always working on a project. He’s also done work to the house, updated a barn and built a smaller barn in the back for his lawnmower and tractor. Inside the garage is a restored 1929 Ford Model A, an attractive backdrop for photographers.
Local residents and the nearby equestrian center have used the trails around the property that connect to Davenport Pond for years. Flye welcomes people to board horses on the farm and has partnered with Mount Grace to host a series of pasture management workshops for farmers and soil scientists to share information about caring for the land.
