News

As one of the original partners in the foundation of the Tully Trail, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust is now seeking groups of volunteers to adopt short sections of the trail.

Mount Grace has been granted funding from the US Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Service to improve wildlife habitat at Fox Valley Conservation Area in Phillipston.

Twelve Scouts from Phillipston, two troop leaders, two volunteers, and I met at Fox Valley. It was a cold morning and it had snowed during the week (By Kate Marquis)

“Working in Thousand Acre Swamp was a rich experience in observing wildlife sign. After surveying the area, there was no doubt as to its importance as a wetlands resource to wildlife.” Paul Rezendes

"This is quite possibly a once in a lifetime chance to secure some of the best vegetable farm land in the world."--Red Fire Farm's Ryan Voiland

Mount Grace Project Manager Paul Daniello first met Aleza Beauvais and Soren Rono in April, 2009, at a North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership landowner outreach meeting in Phillipston

MassLIFT is based on the Common Ground program originally created by Mount Grace and Commonwealth Corps. The partner trusts recruit AmeriCorps volunteers for four positions, each with its own goals:

Common Ground: Sampling the Falls River

Phil Hagar has volunteered as land steward at the Tuck Conservation Area since 2000. Now, he has worked with Mount Grace to protect his land as part of the Metacomet-Monadnock Forest Legacy Project.

“We chose to go ‘Forever Wild’ because we just wanted to get some old forest.”—Bill Copeland

"We all believe in a better future; and for anyone who has ever worked the land, one thing is for sure: growing a farm is the ultimate act of faith in a better future.”--Jay Lord

"We want to share our land with hikers, snowshoers, and cross country skiers. For us it is the perfect legacy."--Sam and Barbara Richardson

Mount Grace Twenty-Fifth Annual Meeting: Bob Durand Speaks about the Tully Initiative

30 years ago today, Mount Grace purchased the 365-acre Lawton Tree Farm - our first project! Here's the story from the December 30, 1986 Greenfield Recorder.

“Northfield Mount Hermon is very pleased to have worked closely to support the excellent work and land stewardship of our neighbors at Mount Grace.” --NMH Head of School Charles A. Tierney III.

Learn more about Mount Grace's innovative work with Red Fire Farm in Montague and the Campaign for Affordable Farms model of shared farm ownership.

Neighbors, hikers, and casual visitors to Mount Grace's Paul C. Dunn Woodland Preserve in Ashburnham are all asking the same question...What are those things?

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar named the Connecticut River the nation's first Blueway, a designation meant to recognize and support local conservation, recreation, and restoration efforts.

Phillipston Scout Thomas Rose has remodeled the hiking trail at the Fox Valley Conservation Area for his Eagle Scout Project.

The Winchendon Springs Working Landscape Project, funded by Massachusetts’ new Landscape Partnership Grant, will permanently conserve 650 acres of land in Winchendon.

Watch video of the most recent year of MassLIFT-AmeriCorps service and find out more about Sarah Wells, Mount Grace's newest staff member.

Free downloads of Mount Grace's Twenty Years, Twenty Hikes guide to hikes on protected land are now available through the website (Photo David Brothers).

“Thousand Acre Brook and its surrounding woods are such a beautiful part of a much larger landscape...we hope to demonstrate the goal of conservation, man and nature living in harmony.” Rose Frizzell

Red Apple Farm’s working forests, protected with a conservation restriction held by Mount Grace, provided a quintessential New England landscape for the international forestry conference.

“I’ve been concerned about protecting this land since moving here, and the tax credit helped cover some of the costs of conservation to make it possible to protect the land this year.” - Diane Lincoln

Mount Grace protected 1,816 acres in 2012, including two farms; a conservation area on the Tully River; Phillipston’s town forest; and five properties qualifying for the state conservation tax credit.

Thanks to everyone who has supported our capital campaign to purchase Red Fire Farm in partnership with farmers Ryan and Sarah Voiland.