Many landowners have no idea of the different programs that the State of Massachusetts has in place to conserve forested acreage, protect our natural resources and landscapes, while preserving wildlife habitats and ecosystems of Western Massachusetts.
If you have land that you want to use for conservation, forestry or agriculture, your Massachusetts State Forester can show you ways to save on land taxes and is able to show you; conservation, forest management and recreation programs designed to help landowners.
Our forestry management plan calls for aggressive invasive plant removal, replanting with native plants, shrubs and trees. This in turn will help to keep the forest healthy, while enhancing wildlife habitats and restoring the landscape.
The Williams River slowly flows through the property, the riparian areas and the wetlands are thick with invasive grasses & shrubs. The habitats of turtles, frogs, ducks, kingfishers and a variety of fish & water fowl are being overgrown and threatened. Our mission is to protect the natural resources, enhance & restore native plants and improve the habitats of all species that call this property their home.
Our conservation plan was written by Kate Parsons and Nick Pitel, both of the USDA- NRCS located in Pittsfield. Our forest management plan was written by State Foresters, Tom Ryan and Scott Shove, both of the Department of Conservation Recreation.
With the help of these State Conservation Programs, and incentives for landowners and other nonprofits, the delicate, varied ecosystems that make up our unique Western Massachusetts forests, will be protected. By creating an educational and informational center, directed towards education, research and hands on learning opportunities, so that the next generation will be able to understand and prevent environmental ignorance, for generations to come.
We are an educational nonprofit. As we go into our second phase of the project, we will be organizing a membership drive to those interested in becoming a "Friend of the Quarry"! So please stay tuned to this website!!
