The Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game and MassWildlife, in collaboration with Athol-based Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, has successfully protected nearly 40 acres of forest and fields in central Massachusetts along the New Hampshire border.
The newly conserved land adds to MassWildlife’s existing Ashby Wildlife Management Area (WMA), bringing it to a total of 1,176 acres. This connects the Ashby WMA with the 330-acre Mount Watatic Reservation, MassWildlife’s 228-acre Watatic Mountain Sanctuary, the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) 2,200-acre Ashburnham State Forest, and the 100-acre area conserved by Piscataquog Land Conservancy and Wapack Wilderness further north.
“This project exemplifies the kind of collaboration needed to reach the Commonwealth’s goal of protecting 30% of Massachusetts by 2030,” said Emma G. Ellsworth, Executive Director at Mount Grace. “By combining MassWildlife and DFG’s resources and expertise with Mount Grace’s local agility, we were able to move quickly to protect land that might otherwise have been lost to development.”
Mount Grace pre-purchased the property last month, with the intention of permanently conserving it with the state once funding became available. Recently, DFG purchased the 39.5-acre parcel from Mount Grace for $325,000. It will now be under the care of MassWildlife as the newest addition to the Ashby WMA, connecting the northern parcel in the headwaters of the Souhegan River with the diverse white pine, oak and maple forest of the southern parcel.
The property includes a mix of grey birch and fields, which will provide habitats for wildlife that rely on young forests and grasslands, such as New England cottontail, ruffed grouse, American woodcock and whip-poor-will. Additionally, the large landscape will support black bear, deer and moose. All WMAs, including the Ashby WMA, are free to visit and open to the public for hunting, fishing, trapping, birdwatching and other outdoor activities.
“Given its prime location for connecting surrounding protected lands, this special spot has been a high conservation priority for us for many years,” said MassWildlife Assistant Director of Land and Habitat Conservation Emily Myron. “We are grateful for the dedicated partnership of Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust to help us act quickly to conserve this important habitat for wildlife and outdoor recreation.”
This acquisition represents another piece in a larger plan, which when complete, will form a continuous corridor of biodiverse habitat stretching from southern Ashburnham to the New Hampshire border.
“We’re thrilled that MassWildlife and Mount Grace have completed this acquisition,” said Jeanie Lindquist, Ashby resident and member of the Ashby Land Trust. “We thank and appreciate the people that did the hard work to permanently protect another piece of a wildlife corridor in the northwest corner of Ashby.”