The state Department of Conservation and Recreation recently acquired privately owned land in Orange, Wendell and Royalston for permanent conservation.
The three properties, consisting of a total 380 acres in the North Quabbin region, were acquired through DCR’s Land Protection Program, which is dedicated to conserving land that protects biodiversity, conserves natural and cultural resources, and provides the public with recreational opportunities.
The Orange parcel consists of approximately 105 acres on Chestnut Hill that protect a portion of the Quabbin Reservoir watershed supplying clean drinking water for 3 million people across the state, including much of the Greater Boston area.
Unlike the Orange and Royalston landowners, T.S. Mann Lumber Co. in Athol sold 113 acres in Wendell to DCR. That land, which includes a 19th-century stone quarry, consisting of leftover slabs of mined granite, will be added to the Wendell State Forest.
The Royalston land expands the Royalston State Forest by roughly 162 acres and is a natural habitat of the rose pogonia, one of 16 species of orchid that are native to Massachusetts.
“We are pleased to work with DCR to permanently conserve and protect our property as a state forest. It’s a really diverse area for all kinds of wildlife, and we’re happy to have done our part to keep it that way,” Bob Busby, president of Channel Z Seismometry, the Royalston land’s former owner, said in a statement.
The Orange acreage was owned by New Salem resident Michael Yohan and his daughter, Tessa. The elder Yohan noted recreation and forestry are still permitted on the land, and said DCR is very interested in protecting wildlife corridors.
“I’ve been a tree farmer for almost as long as I’ve owned the land, which is going on 50 years. I became a part of the tree farmer family and the values align with DCR values,” he said in an interview. “I am relieved because it’s a special property. It’s a ridgeline and it has aesthetic value and it just has a lot of conservation value.”
The land includes a memorial campsite for his son, Luke Yohan, who died in 1997.
According to DCR, the North Quabbin region is among the largest unfragmented blocks of forest in the state and home to a variety of native species. It is also one of the few areas in Massachusetts comfortably inhabited by larger mammals, including moose and bears.
“These newly protected lands mean cleaner air and more places to walk, bike, fish and explore with family and friends,” DCR Commissioner Nicole LaChapelle said in a statement. “By securing these parcels, we’re fighting climate challenges in a way people can see and feel — preserving open spaces, protecting wildlife, and making sure our kids and grandkids have access to nature close to home.”