CommonWealth magazine’s Back Story may create the erroneous impression that the Commonwealth can now declare final victory in the effort to protect the natural resources and landscapes of Massachusetts.  The land conservation success cited in the Back Story is indeed cause for celebration, but it is not the whole story.

State agencies and non-profit land trusts such as Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) and The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees), whose missions direct them to conserve the land and resources of the Commonwealth, are today operating in an environment which requires them to focus their efforts carefully and strategically. 

Today, land conservation success is measured by multiple criteria, such as: creation of migration corridors for species that may be displaced by climate change; prime farmland protected and working farms preserved or established; coastal wetlands protected to mitigate the effects of sea level rise; working forests and forest reserves protected for multiple benefits including carbon sequestration; parks established and restored in struggling communities. 

For organizations like The Trustees, Mass Audubon, and the Trust for Public Land, success is also measured by ensuring that many more people, no matter where they live, have access to the open space, parks, and greenways that contribute to quality of life in their communities.  A mere summary of acres preserved compared to the current depressed rate of development, does not capture the most important reasons for land conservation in our beautiful Commonwealth.

The Trustees, in collaboration with the City of Fitchburg and the state’s innovative Gateway Cities Program, recently completed a project preserving a five acre parcel on the Nashua River in the center of the City for development of a park.  By making open space accessible to urban dwellers, this kind of project has an impact far greater than the number of acres would suggest.

In 2009, The Trustees accepted the generous and unusual gift of 25 acres of Connecticut River agricultural land in Holyoke from the Sisters of Providence, with the specific understanding that the land would continue to be farmed by Nuestras Raices, a community development organization focusing on agricultural training for new-entry farmers.  Although small in acreage, this acquisition protected valuable agricultural soils and secured a permanent source of fresh foods for urban Holyoke dwellers.

These two projects represent the kind of strategic deployment of conservation resources whose impact cannot be measured simply by the number of acres protected.   

The Trustees, Mass Audubon, the Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy, and the more than 120 non-profit regional and local land trusts across Massachusetts are committed to continuing to work closely and strategically with state agencies and local communities to protect the essential resources and green infrastructure of Massachusetts.   As the challenges shift with climate change, sea level rise, future development pressures, and efforts to restore and enliven the smaller cities across our state, we must continue to support strong leadership in land conservation to respond to these continuing and emerging challenges. Ongoing and consistent commitment by the Commonwealth is essential to these efforts, even during these difficult times.

At a recent ceremony marking the successful protection of 250 acres of prime farmland in Ipswich, Selectman Patrick McNally urged the audience to: “Look around at the open space in your town and in Massachusetts.  What you see is the most that you will EVER see.”  When land is lost to development, it is lost forever.  This is not a time to rest on our laurels.

Wesley Ward is vice president for land and community conservation at The Trustees of Reservations.