Sale of Land or Conservation Restrictions

For many their property is their largest single asset. Conservation of the property can be a major goal, but sometimes ones personal financial reality makes a gift of the land or conservation restriction impossible. The East Quabbin Land Trust works with landowners to evaluate the opportunities for purchase of lands or conservation restrictions. In some cases, the land or conservation restriction is purchased at full fair market value and in other cases a landowner sells at a reduced amount, or a bargain sale.

• Gould Woodlot, Petersham
  The East Quabbin Land Trust facilitated the conservation of the 87-acre Gould Woodlot to protect the important natural resources and establish a trail link in northern Petersham. The East Quabbin Land Trust acted as an intermediary, by first purchasing the land, then selling a conservation restriction to the Town of Petersham and the fee interest to the Harvard Forest. Conservation of the Gould Woodlot is a critical link in buffering the research sites and establishment of the Gould Woodland Center for Conservation at Harvard Forest. The Center is intended to provide education on conservation and ecology with an emphasis on sustainably harvested woodlands and wildland reserves.
  
  
• Raccoon Hill Wildlife Management Area expansion, Barre
  In 2004, the East Quabbin Land Trust facilitated the addition of 240 acres to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Raccoon Hill Wildlife Management Area. The heirs needed to sell the family property in order to settle the estate of the remaining parent. The land was next to existing Commonwealth lands and included significant wetlands, several fields and contiguous woods. The East Quabbin Land Trust purchased the property and subsequently sold the land to the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife when state funding became available.
  
  
• Bartozek Farm, Hardwick
  With the support of the East Quabbin Land Trust, the negotiations between the Commonwealth and the Bartozeks were well underway for an Agricultural Preservation Restriction when Mr. Bartozek died. His widow was anxious to leave the area before winter set in so the East Quabbin Land Trust acted as an intermediary by purchasing the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) until the Commonwealth’s funding was in place to purchase the APR. The Bartozek Farm is a highly visible farm situated on both sides of a main road into Hardwick with the Newton Brook meandering through the center. The rolling fields and adjacent woodlot were actively managed since the 1930’s. The Bartozek Farm is an excellent example of a twentieth century farmstead.
  
  
• Smokey Field Farm, 255 acres on Spring Hill Road, Barre / Hardwick (co-held CR with TTOR)
  The East Quabbin Land Trust purchased a conservation restriction on the Smokey Field Farm in cooperation with the Trustees of Reservations in 2000. Conservation of Smokey Field Farm was a priority because of the farming tradition, scenic vistas and natural resources on the land. The CR purchase provided the financial resources necessary to keep the farm in the family and maintain active agriculture.