Mount Grace’s newest completed project is small, but represents a big step forward for conservation in the region.
This December, the 7-acre Tall Turtle parcel in New Salem was protected with a Mount Grace conservation restriction. The land is held by the Native Land Conservancy, an Indigenous land trust focused on land return. “The conservation of this unique landscape, made possible by a caring donor, represents the heart of our work to preserve land and culture,” said Native Land Conservancy Executive Director, Diana Ruiz.
Situated within the Quabbin watershed, Tall Turtle nestles alongside Mass Audubon’s 2,500-acre Whetstone Wood Wildlife Sanctuary. Tall Turtle takes its name from a set of large stones that look like a turtle’s open mouth, which line up to appear to swallow the sun during summer solstice sunsets.
After accepting a donation of the land, the Native Land Conservancy worked with the Nipmuc Tribe to develop both a conservation restriction and a separate cultural respect easement to ensure that the Nipmuc people will always be able to engage with this sacred place. The site is currently closed to the public. Native Land Conservancy then invited Mount Grace to hold the conservation restriction.
Mount Grace has previously worked with Nipmuc partners to draft agreements guaranteeing Indigenous rights and incorporating Nipmuc land management practices on our conservation areas. Tall Turtle is the first project Mount Grace has helped complete which actually returns land title to Indigenous people. “This is an exciting new opportunity,” says Mount Grace Executive Director Emma Ellsworth. “For us it’s a logical next step to support the Indigenous community in securing land access. Projects like this help build new partnerships that can protect land and restore it to Indigenous stewardship.”