Bruce Mohl’s opinion piece “Is Open Space in Danger?” misses the mark on the challenge to preserve land in Massachusetts.

Thanks to the collaborative work of state environmental agencies and conservation organizations, it is true that we now protect 43 acres a day from development and consume 22 acres. In other words, for every acre developed, two are protected. The good news is that no longer is the Commonwealth’s open space gobbled up at the rate of 40 acres a day. But we do lose 8,000 acres of open space a year in spite of the progress that has been made.

But that isn’t the whole story. We continue to consume land by building larger houses farther from metropolitan centers. This action results in increased consumption of fossil fuels related to driving cars and for the energy used to power, heat, and cool bigger homes, with more carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution released into the atmosphere contributing to climate change.

Mass Audubon’s Losing Ground: Beyond the Footprint, using data provided by the Commonwealth’s environmental agencies, found the following:

  • Less than 50 percent of  land  important for the protection of biodiversity  is preserved.
  • Only 18 percent of agricultural land is permanently protected.
  • Municipalities in southeastern, central, and parts of western Massachusetts – communities that contain the greatest  amount of unprotected open space – have  the fewest planning resources and are under the greatest threat of development.

Mohl’s column implies that successes in land protection and the need to continue to save natural habitats for the benefit of people and wildlife are at odds.  However, the real Back Story is that the 8,000 acres that Massachusetts continues to lose to development each year contain special places which provide habitat for plants and animals, havens for people to walk and relax, farm land to grow food, urban parks, and sources of clean water for all to drink. 

Without continued support from the state, and, yes, private citizens such as those who generously support Mass Audubon and other land conservation organizations, this land will be lost forever. That is why the land conservation community across the Commonwealth is working harder than ever to protect this land now and for future generations.

Laura Johnson is president of Mass Audubon.