mount grace annual report 2014 - Mount Grace Land Conservation

MOUNT GRACE ANNUAL REPORT
2014
C O N S E R VAT I O N R E P O R T F O R T H E Y E A R
September 2013 – August 2014
Dear Friends,
This year we accomplished a remarkable
range of projects with your support. The
Leyden project is the best collaborative
landscape scale project I know of. The
landowners, town boards and voters, and
partner conservation organizations all
pitched in considerably toward its all-around
success. A surprise opportunity to purchase a
commercial building at 12 North Main Street
in Orange for the Quabbin Harvest food
co-op is helping local farms while expanding
our community connections.
The stewardship aspect of our mission is
now under threat from an interstate shale
gas pipeline proposed to cross the most
rural and ecologically intact expanses of the
Commonwealth. Mount Grace is adamantly
defending “protected” natural resources
from an unnecessary, rashly planned, and
destructive fossil fuel fiasco.
On the other hand, let yourself be encouraged
by the fourth graduating class of statewide
MassLIFT AmeriCorps members. They are
the future of conservation.
Nancy Allen
Leigh Youngblood
President
Executive Director
Angel’s Rest Retreat Center, Leyden • 13 Acres
Owner Jen Paris placed a conservation restriction (CR)
on land surrounding the retreat to safeguard the pristine
natural environment that brings people to Angel’s Rest.
The Town of Leyden will hold the CR. Mount Grace
will assist the Town by monitoring this CR, as well as
the Facey, Hall, O’Neil and Spirit Fire CRs as part of
the Leyden Landscape Partnership, which protected
more than 700 acres in this bucolic town.
hardwood forest. The land abuts Westminster’s
Muddy Pond Conservation Area.
Facey, Leyden • 17 Acres
Part of the Leyden Landscape Partnership, Edith
Facey’s land nestles on a hilltop with amazing views
of the surrounding landscape. Some of the land is
pasture for Bree-Z-Knoll Farm, founded by Edith’s
son Warren. Much of the land is in the watershed of
the Leyden Glen Reservoir, which supplies 30% of
Greenfield’s drinking water. This CR is an outright
Bree-Z-Knoll Farm, Leyden • 242 Acres
Farmers Warren, Angie, and Randy Facey joined with donation to the Town of Leyden.
their neighbors to protect their dairy farm as part of
the Leyden Landscape Partnership. In addition to a George & Jeff Hall, Leyden • 45 Acres
221-acre agricultural preservation restriction (APR) The Hall brothers joined the Leyden Landscape
on the farmland, Warren donated a 21-acre CR to the Partnership to protect the woodlands around their
Town of Leyden. Further donations and bargain sales by homes, which are next to each other on the Vermont
project partners helped encourage the Commonwealth line. Both properties are enrolled in Chapter 61
to provide a $1,157,125 grant to protect the Leyden and actively managed for timber and cord wood.
The brothers conveyed CRs on their land to the
properties listed here.
Town of Leyden.
Cooper-Englender, Royalston • 49 Acres
Tony Cooper and Carol Englender own substantial
road frontage (~ 2,500 feet) on both sides of North
Fitzwilliam Road. The property is primarily forested
with some open early successional areas, wetlands, and
intermittent streams. The couple conveyed 49 acres to
the Department of Fish and Game (DFG).
Harris/Nielsen-Giarusso/Reid/
Timmerman, Leyden • 258 Acres
These four Leyden Landscape Partnership projects
all resulted in CRs held by the Town of Leyden.
Franklin Land Trust worked with the Harris,
Reid, and Timmerman families to protect land
that includes Sweet Morning Farm. New England
Forestry Foundation worked with Jim Nielsen and
Engman, Westminster • 70 Acres
Len and Amy Engman offered the Town a bargain Michelle Giarusso to complete a bargain sale of a
sale CR on their land, including 1,200’ of frontage on CR on their 91-acre woodland.
Muddy Pond, a remote, undeveloped glacial pond. The
pond provides high ecological diversity including open LaBrie, Winchendon • 70 Acres
water, floating bog mats, shallow marsh, flooded beaver Audrey LaBrie began working with Mount Grace in
meadow, hemlock-swamp, red-maple swamp, and upland 2008 to conserve the family land. Audrey and her
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CONSERVATION REPORT FOR THE YEAR September 2013 – August 2014
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sisters Wendy Fournier and Victoria Burchfield own
and operate Hydeaway Farms, offering chemical-free
vegetables, flowers, and free-range eggs. The family
conveyed some of the woods abutting the farmland
to DFG in 2013, adding to the Birch Hill Wildlife
Management Area.
O’Neil, Leyden • 147 Acres
Paul and Karen O’Neil bought land around their
Leyden home for years in the hopes of protecting
it. They completed a bargain sale of a CR on their
land to the Town as part of the Leyden Landscape
Partnership. “It’s great to be able to help Warren and
the Farm and to be a part of conserving so much land,”
explains Paul, who retired recently from the US Fish
and Wildlife Service.
but by providing a home for Quabbin Harvest—the
new flagship store of the North Quabbin Community
Co-op, this project will provide a larger local market
for existing and future farmers, helping to keep our
local farms viable.
Rowe, Orange • 19 Acres
Mount Grace now holds a CR on this parcel, our
fourth collaborative project with The Farm School.
Five houses sharing driveways, leach fields, utilities,
and a common play area will also be built on a 4-acre
parcel nearby. This compact development will allow
school staff to walk to work and raise families in an
agriculturally-focused community.
Spirit Fire Retreat Center, Leyden • 60 Acres
Leyden’s landscapes are an important part of the experience
Quabbin Harvest, Orange
at Spirit Fire. Small, off-the-grid meditation structures
Farm Conservation Program
dot the property, which has now been protected through
Purchasing the former Worker’s Credit Union building a CR bargain sale to the Town as part of the Leyden
may not add to the region’s total protected acreage, Landscape Partnership.
Unaitis, Greenfield • 13 Acres
Charles Unaitis grew up on this farm near the Green
River. For six decades he raised mixed vegetables sold
at his farm stand. Charles now leases land to Bree-ZKnoll Farm for silage corn, and permanently protected
his property with an APR this year.
Voiland, Montague
Farm Conservation Program
A two-year public campaign helped Mount Grace raise
more than $400,000 to purchase 122 acres of land
at Red Fire Farm’s Montague location. Mount Grace
will lease the farmland to farmers Ryan and Sarah
Voiland. This new model for farm affordability will
help Red Fire Farm and can also be adapted to serve
other farms in the region.
Mount Grace Land Conservation Projects 1986 to 2014
ERVING
LEYDEN
ROYALSTON
WARWICK
BERNARDSTON
ASHBURNHAM
NORTHFIELD
WINCHENDON
GILL
GREENFIELD
n
ORANGE
ATHOL
WENDELL
PHILLIPSTON
TEMPLETON
GARDNER
MONTAGUE
HUBBARDSTON
.
.
PETERSHAM
NEW SALEM
21 Conservation Areas...............................1,543 acres
61 Conservation Restrictions....................4,457 acres
7 Stewardship Assists.................................1,793 acres
All Property Managed and Monitored
by Mount Grace......7,793 acres
214 Facilitated Projects.............................21,113 acres
16 Project Assists.........................................1,526 acres
All Land Protected by Mount Grace...........28,639 acres
Other Protected Land..........................173,617 acres
Total Protected Land............................202,256 acres
Total Land in Mount Grace Region.....510,640 acres
n North Quabbin Community Co-Op: Quabbin Harvest
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MOUNT GRACE LAND CONSERVATION TRUST Annual Report 2014
BARRE
HARDWICK
WESTMINSTER
COMMUNITY CONSERVATION AND COLLABORATION
ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH
The map below indicates the state-wide impact of projects
originating with Mount Grace, including the service area and
collaborative projects of North Quabbin Regional Landscape
Partnership (NQRLP), towns outside of Massachusetts where
our Farm Conservation Program currently works, and towns
served by AmeriCorps members at the thirteen partners of our
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps program in 2014 – 2015.
Mount Grace welcomes our new partners Appalachian Mountain
Club Bay Circuit Trail, Groundwork Somerville, and Wareham
Land Trust to the Massachusetts Land Initiative for Tomorrow
(MassLIFT) program!
2014 – 15 MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Partners
AMC Bay Circuit Trail
AMC Berkshires/Greenagers
Buzzards Bay Coalition
East Quabbin Land Trust
Essex County Greenbelt Association
Groundwork Somerville
Hilltown Land Trust
Kestrel Land Trust
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
North County Land Trust
North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership
Sudbury Valley Trustees
Wareham Land Trust
Wildlands Trust
From the Berkshires to Massachusetts Bay and beyond, the impact
of Mount Grace’s collaborative conservation programs and projects
benefits over 200 communities across Massachusetts.
VERMONT
NEW HAMPSHIRE
.
2014-15 Service Regions
Mount Grace Core Area
MassLIFT AmeriCorps
NQRLP Expanded Area
NQRLP Landscape-Scale Collaborative Project Towns
Metacomet-Monadnock Forest
Quabbin-to-Wachusett (Q2W)
Southern Monadnock Plateau
MassLIFT AmeriCorps Cohorts
_
^
_
^
_
^
_
^
Regional Conservation Coordinators (5)
Land Stewardship Coordinators (7)
Service Learning Coordinators (4)
Community Engagement Coordinators (5)
Interstate Farm Conservation Project Towns
Winchester and Hinsdale, New Hampshire
MOUNT GRACE LAND CONSERVATION TRUST Annual Report 2014
3
ABOUT MOUNT GRACE PROGRAMS
LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION
Farmers Warren Facey (pictured) and Angie and Randy Facey
worked together with their neighbors to protect hundreds of
acres of productive Leyden land.
Our Landscape Conservation Program focuses on joining
with community partners to save large, connected natural areas
for the benefit of nature and people. These areas sustain the
variety of living things and natural systems found in our diverse
500,000-acre service area.
FARM CONSERVATION
Our
Farm Conservation Program undertakes innovative
projects that help sustain our local economy, increase community
access to healthy, local food, and build Massachusetts’ food selfreliance by protecting farmland for future generations. We work
to develop and employ new conservation models to ensure that
whole farms remain affordable and will transfer to the next
generation of farmers.
This summer, we completed the two-year long Leyden Working
Farms and Forest Conservation Partnership Initiative in
collaboration with eleven local families, the Town of Leyden,
Franklin Land Trust, and New England Forestry Foundation.
This $2.2 million initiative was funded by a mix of substantial
landowner donations and bargain sales, a $1.1M grant from the
Massachusetts Landscape Partnership Program, an Open Space
Institute award, and private foundation support.
This 780-acre initiative began with a gathering of neighbors
who wanted to protect Bree-Z-Knoll Farm and the surrounding
lands. Their dedication conserved more than the last working
dairy farm in a town with just over 700 residents; it safeguarded
rural livelihoods and supported 28 local jobs, protected clean
drinking water for the city of Greenfield, conserved a large swath
of intact habitat deemed to be resilient in the face of climate
change, and helped a community craft a strong conservation
legacy.
Through successfully implementing projects like these, we
are maintaining the ecological integrity of the landscape and
supporting the rural heritage of our region.
This year, we completed our fourth conservation project with our
long-time partner, The Farm School. The project conserves forest
and prime agricultural fields, while adding a new cluster housing
community for staff on four acres. We have also partnered with
Land for Good to support the efforts of The Farm School alumni
to gain access to farmland in the region and other entering
farmers to gain access to farmland in the region.
This past year we brought together local and regional partners to
launch the Greater Quabbin Food Alliance—a network focused
on sharing ideas and resources, and building connections between
farmers, local food businesses and organizations, institutions,
regional planners, and conservation groups.
In May 2014, Mount Grace purchased the former Worker’s
Credit Union building in downtown Orange to lease to the
North Quabbin Community Co-op. This exciting collaboration
enables the Co-op to expand, increasing the volume of local
food purchased from area farmers and increasing community
access to healthy food. “Quabbin Harvest”—the new retail
store—opened in October 2014.
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MOUNT GRACE LAND CONSERVATION TRUST Annual Report 2014
Quabbin Harvest will help local farms, including many
protected by Mount Grace, market their products locally.
28 years – 29,000 acres
COMMUNITY CONSERVATION
Protecting the shores of Muddy Pond also safeguards the idyllic
views from the Midstate Trail.
T
he Community Conservation Program works hand in hand
with local leaders to identify and protect land highly valued by
the community. This might include a well-loved swimming hole, a
scenic view enjoyed by local residents and visitors, or a natural area
well-used by hikers, hunters and anglers. We also help conserve
critical town resources like watershed lands that provide clean
drinking water. And we help municipalities create new parks for
families to enjoy as well as new town forests which provide revenue
from timber harvesting, places for residents to explore nature, and
spaces for environmental education programs.
Among the year’s highlights was the conservation of the last 70
acres necessary to protect Muddy Pond, an idyllic 21-acre lake in
Westminster. Situated on the Midstate trail, which winds 95 miles
from Rhode Island to New Hampshire, Muddy Pond provides
an accessible refuge for those seeking the natural world. Thanks
to the Engman Family, who placed a conservation restriction on
their land through a significant donation of value, the entire pond
is now permanently protected—Mount Grace’s first project in
Westminster. With a new trail planned, scout troops, hikers and
others who visit the pond will forever be able to enjoy this remarkable
natural wonder - a rare jewel in the increasingly developed central
Massachusetts area.
“The Engman property is the keystone to
preserving Muddy Pond in its natural
state” Dan Bartkus, Chair, Westminster
Conservation Commission.
STEWARDSHIP
This year the Stewardship Program completed its first timber
harvest on a portion of the Arthur Iversen Conservation Area
in Warwick where forest management is permitted. Using a
selection silvicultural system implemented by consulting forester
Mike Mauri we harvested 74 cords of firewood and 96,000
board-feet of timber, most of which was white pine. This harvest
was the first step towards the long term goal of diversifying
the age and species mix of the woodlot. We conducted wellattended pre- and post-harvest tours.
The Stewardship Program also developed a protocol for
inventorying invasive plant species on our conservation areas
and we have already completed inventories on five properties.
This information is used to prioritize management actions based
on impact threats and to formulate management practices that
best fit the situation.
We also recruited and trained our first group of volunteer
stewards, who have helped with stewardship tasks including
maintaining trails and monitoring conservation restrictions
(CRs). We are looking to expand this program over the next
few years.
Outreach events entailed collaboration with a number of
organizations including an owl prowl with the Northfield
Forest management at our Arthur Iversen Conservation Area
will diversify the mix of tree species and ages on the land.
Library and Northfield Mount Hermon School, invasive weed
pulls with the Winchendon Cub Scouts, and CR monitoring
training with the US Forest Service.
MOUNT GRACE LAND CONSERVATION TRUST Annual Report 2014
5
OUR MISSION
~ To benefit the environment, the economy, and future gen
NORTH QUABBIN REGIONAL
LANDSCAPE PARTNERSHIP
The North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership, established in
1997, is a voluntary collaborative of land conservation organizations
and agencies, town board members, landowners, academic institutions,
and regional planning organizations. Our mission is to identify,
conserve, and enhance strategic farms, woodlands, and natural
areas within the rural landscape of the 26 municipalities of the
greater North Quabbin region. Mount Grace is a co-founder of
the Partnership and its fiscal sponsor.
The Partnership is coordinating the Quabbin Reservoir to Wachusett
Mountain (Q2W) project, a major landscape-scale initiative.
This past year the US Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program
awarded Q2W another $1.85 million – bringing the total award
to $7 million, the maximum grant allowed under the program.
Thanks to substantial donations of value by landowners totaling
$3 million, this $10 million initiative will protect over 4,000 acres
in Barre, Hubbardston, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, and
Westminster. Q2W is a team effort coordinated by the Partnership
and involving Nashua River Watershed Association, North County
Land Trust, East Quabbin Land Trust, and the Massachusetts
Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the US
Forest Service and seven municipalities including the City of
Fitchburg. It exemplifies what can be accomplished when the
land conservation community joins forces to conserve the rural
landscape we all love and value.
Future collaborations may be helped by an innovative biodiversity
strategic plan developed by Partnership members, thanks to funding
support by the Open Space Institute and Highstead. Our new plan
combines existing data showing locations of rare and endangered
species habitats with new information developed by The Nature
Conservancy that identifies areas which are predicted to support
biodiversity over the long term, especially in the face of climate
change. These areas typically have soils and bedrock types that
support threatened ecosystems, as well as features that allow animals
and plants to migrate unhindered to more desirable locations as
the climate changes. In the future, we hope to obtain funding
to develop a similar strategic plan that focuses on the working
landscape – those productive woodlands and farms which support
the rural economy of our region.
The foundation of all of this work rests on the desire of a landowner
to leave a conservation legacy. Thanks to grants from the US
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MOUNT GRACE LAND CONSERVATION TRUST Annual Report 2014
The Quabbin Reservoir to Wachusett Mountain Project will
protect over 4,000 acres in Barre, Hubbardston, Petersham,
Phillipston, Princeton, and Westminster.
Forest Service and DCR, the Partnership organized 15 educational
workshops for landowners to learn about land stewardship and
land conservation options, with over 500 landowners attending.
Working together, we hope to help many of these landowners
achieve their conservation goals over the coming years to ensure
our region has a strong rural economy supported by farms and
working forests, unparalleled recreation opportunities, healthy
wildlife populations, and resilient natural systems.
Estate planning workshops like this one help landowners plan
a legacy for the land they love.
nerations by protecting significant land and encouraging land stewardship.
MassLIFT- A MERI C ORPS
Mount Grace’s innovative AmeriCorps program — Massachusetts
Land Initiative for Tomorrow (MassLIFT) — engages volunteers
statewide to increase support for land conservation and stewardship
by: bringing young people onto the working landscape; creating
partnerships with civic groups; encouraging community members
to enjoy and help care for protected land; and helping towns and
local trusts initiate conservation projects and fulfill their stewardship
responsibilities. MassLIFT is funded in part by a $247,000 grant
administered by the Massachusetts Service Alliance.
Our 2013-14 members recruited more than 2,200 volunteers who
contributed 8,163 hours of service statewide to meet community
conservation needs. MassLIFT members serving at Mount Grace
and the Partnership began a volunteer land steward program,
which removed invasives on five properties and created a new
trail at the Devil’s Washbowl in Warwick. Members created a
new biodiversity strategic plan for the Partnership and brought
more than 200 landowners to land conservation and stewardship
workshops. Members also initiated the Fresh Food Films series,
which screened movies about sustainable food systems at free events
Thanks to all the volunteers who have helped renovate our new
building at 12 North Main Street in Orange – site of the new
Quabbin Harvest market.
sponsored by local businesses; Tool Town on the Common, a
celebration of community in Athol; and the Backyard Campout
at Skyfields Arboretum, at which Mount Grace hosted 75
neighbors for a family camping weekend designed to introduce
children to nature.
W AY S O F G I V I N G T O M O U N T G R A C E
Thanks to all of our supporters for partnering with Mount Grace to protect farms, water, and wildlife.
Without your support the conservation of our community resources would not be possible! Some
creative ways that you can support our conservation and stewardship work include:
• Monthly Giving Program – Set up a monthly donation in any amount on your credit
or debit card.
• Real Estate Gifts for Resale – Donate any type of real estate property located anywhere
to Mount Grace for resale to benefit conservation.
• Local Landscape Collateral Fund – Invest your money in CDs to be used as collateral
for conservation projects. If you choose, you can donate the interest to Mount Grace.
• Planned Gifts – Please contact us if you are interested in learning about estate planning
efforts that can benefit both your family and conservation. If you have put us in your
will at any level we truly appreciate it. Please let us know so we may thank you in your
lifetime!
• Website donations – Visit mountgrace.org anytime you like to make a gift to support
our work.
• Workplace Giving – If your employer offers matching gifts, simply
include your company’s matching gift form with your contribution.
If your employer is a partner in Earthshare, a federation of
environmental charities, you may designate an automatic deduction
from each paycheck to Mount Grace.
We welcome your participation
in the Mount Grace
Margaret Power-Biggs Society
The Margaret Power-Biggs
Society recognizes individuals,
businesses, organizations, and
foundations contributing at
least $1,000 annually to Mount
Grace Land Conservation Trust.
To learn more about how you
can become part
of the Margaret
Power-Biggs
Society, contact
Development
Manager David
Kotker at 978248-2055 x19 or
kotker@mountgrace.org.
Maintaining the level of conservation and stewardship that our shared landscape requires is a community
effort. On behalf of future generations and the local landscape we thank each and every one of you!
MOUNT GRACE LAND CONSERVATION TRUST Annual Report 2014
7
Grateful Thanks to SUPPORTERS OF MOUNT GRACE
Every contribution is special to us. Donors contributing to Mount Grace during the fiscal year (June 1, 2013 – May 31, 2014)
are listed on these pages. Gifts of Services and In-Kind Gifts are not listed. We regret any unintentional omissions.
Thank you to each and all.
The Margaret Power Biggs Society
recognizes individuals, businesses,
organizations, and foundations
contributing at least $1,000
annually to Mount Grace
Land Conservation Trust.
The generosity of Society
members gives Mount Grace
the resouces to conserve the
local landscape in a sustained
manner that supports the rural
character of the region.
MARGARET
POWER-BIGGS SOCIETY
($1,000–$2,499)
ANONYMOUS (6)
William and Nancy Ames
Nina and Frank Barszcz
Aleza Beauvais and Soren Rono
Polly Bixby and Karen Grzesik
Bob Busby and Maureen Conte
David and Lynn Christianson
H. William and Christine Copeland
Stephen DeStefano and
Kiana Koenen
CONSERVATORS
David Foster and
($10,000 and above)
Marianne Jorgensen
ANONYMOUS (2)
Nansi and Leonard Glick
Leonard and Marjorie Johnson
Dr. Paul J. and Melinda Godfrey
Diane Lincoln
John and Pamela Hanold
Edward and Linda Vitone
George C. and
Bafflin Foundation
Diantha C. Harrington
The Bromley Charitable Trust
Nancy Hazard
Fields Pond Foundation
Miriam Hellen Jones
General Electric Foundation
Carol B. Hillman
John W. Boynton Fund
Bonnie House
Massachusetts Service Alliance
Michael Humphries
Silver Mountain Foundation
Arnold Hunnewell
for the Arts
Mary Eliot Jackson
Tortuga Foundation
William and Sheila King
David and Anne Marie
GUARDIANS
Kittredge Jr.
($5,000–$9,999)
John Kramer and Elizabeth Lintz
ANONYMOUS (3)
Daniel G. Leahy and Julia Rabin
Robert A. Clark and
Sarah Leonard
Fifi Scoufopoulos
James N. and Jane B. Levitt
Charles Crowley and Nancy Allen John and Rose Olver
Celt C. Grant
Jonathan and Jessie Panek
Greater Worcester
Steve and Kathy Rawson
Community Foundation
Allen Ross and Norma Johnson
The Leo S. Walsh Foundation
Lila Teich Gold
Peter and Sigrid Tishler
SUSTAINERS
Jerrold and Jean Wagener
($2,500–$4,999)
Ledlie Woolsey
Susan C. Bredesen
John M. and Ann Woolsey III
Allen Tupper and Sandy Brown
Paul Yarmoluk and
Aaron Ellison and
Roberta Gillette
Elizabeth Farnsworth
Leigh Youngblood
Alice and Rick Godfrey
Community Foundation of
Charles and Judith Hood
Western Massachusetts
Howard Mathison and
Farm Credit East
L. Mari Rovang
Community Fund
Katharine Wolff
Land Trust Alliance
The Rose Community Foundation Prudential Employee Matching
The Skylight Fund
Gifts Program
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MOUNT GRACE LAND CONSERVATION TRUST Annual Report 2014
PROTECTORS
($250–$999)
ANONYMOUS (9)
Kim Ansin
Anthony and Corinna Beckwith
Sarah and Woody Bliss
Geof and Penny Dewar Booth
Jane C. and John M. Bradley
Edwin B. Cady and
Beth Anderson
Lucy Candib and Richard Schmitt
Tom Chalmers and Joan Meyer
Claire Chang and John Ward
Judy and George Collette
Lisa and Lou Cormier
Henry and Donna Cramer
Margaret M. Culley and
Kathleen Swaim
Don and Chris Eaton
Kay Elliott
Max and Lynne Feldman
Ben and Margaret Feldman
Laurence D. and Ann Fitzmaurice
Rice B. Flanders
Joyce Flynn
Lester and Nancy Garvin
Jesse Glick and Ali Mahood
Julie and Dave Gross
Carol Harley
Christopher and Andrea Hessenius
Mick and Louise Huppert
Rob Jalbert and Jerry Marcanio
Patricia Kilmain and Larry McGee
Pam Kimball
Mary King and Shirley Keech
Steve and Janice Kurkoski
Pat Larson
William Lawrence III
Mark Lewis
Dean Lisiewicz
Forest P. and Diane Lyford
Gregory and Judy McGuane
David McKinney
Charles Morse
Diane Nassif
John O’Keefe and Lynne Stopen
Anne M. Orlando
Sean and Jessica Pollock
Raymond Purington
Curt and Pamela Rand
Francis and Suzanne Renna
Kasey Rolih and Brad Compton
Keith Ross and Louise Doud
Maggie Rouleau
Peter Samal
Paul and Susan Schlaikjer
Eva Schocken
Garth Shaneyfelt and
Melinda Baughman
Lynn and Clinton Shaw
Michael and Jessica Shear
Dave and Shelley Small
Hartley Spencer
Bruce Spencer
Douglas and Frances Stotz
Brian and Suzanne Szyndlar
Jim and Pat Tedford
Chris and Tamsin Wallace
Patricia D. White and James Nickel
Eric and Linda White
John and Mary Williamson
Michael Zucca
The Larch Foundation
Local businesses and nonprofits
partnered to celebrate the
North Quabbin region at Tool
Town on the Common in Athol
this August. The event was
planned and coordinated by
our MassLIFT AmeriCorps team.
STEWARDS
($100–$249)
ANONYMOUS (9)
Ronald Aleman
Candace Anderson
David Anderson
Vyto and Patricia Andreliunas
James Baird
Whitney Beals and Pamela Esty
Elaine Beals
Derek Beard
Annette Beauregard
PHOTO: Karen Bulbuk
Don Behringer
Alison Bell
Karyn Bender
Albert and Bonnie Benjamin
Charles and Sherry Berube
Paul Bicchieri
Peggie and Clint Bissell
Karl and Doris Bittenbender
Janet and Robert Blodgett
Marlene Borer
John Bradford and Laurette Crane
Jassy and Tom Bratko
Andrea Buglione
Patience Bundschuh
William C. Byrne Jr.
Michelle and George Caughey
Elizabeth Colburn
William Cole and Chris Greene
Eric Cole and Susan Clarke
Dave Conna
Douglas and Margaret Conner
Oona M. Coy and Ben James
Loretta Coyle Godfrey
Hilary Croach
Peter and Candace Lee Cross
Anne Cutler-Russo and Tom Russo
Jaana Cutson and Paul Rothenberg
Jane Davis
Douglas and Julie Denise
Raymond DiDonato
Peter, Faith, and Anne Diemand
Henry and Rochelle Doody
Anita Dube
Francena Dwyer and Hiro Itoh
Buddy Dyer
Ruth Elcan
Lisa Enzer and Robert Mahler
Tony Ferragamo
Nancy Ferron
Jay Field
Tasting blueberries at the
Skyfields backyard campout.
Donald Flye
Norman Flye
Michael and Donna Foley
Thomas Fredette
Tom and Leslie Freudenheim
Kenneth and June Girouard
Richard D. Godin
Lynne Goodnow
Maida Goodwin
Karen Gormley
Joe and Gail Graveline
Ruth Green
Wes and Nancy Green
Gary Gruber
Bob Hall
Judith Hall
Philip and Barbara Hanno
Cindy and Chuck Hartwell
Cynthia and John Henshaw
James and Barbara Herbert
Fred Heyes
Marie Claire and Pierre Humblet
Roger Ingraham
Donald Kalischer
Angela, William, and
George Keller
Pat W. Kingman
Jack Kittredge and Julie Rawson
David Koester
Babette Krolik and
Harry Greenwald
William and Christine Labich
Susan Lagace
Rose and Jeff Lawrence
Carol and Nelson Lebo
Keith Leininger and Amina Silk
Mary Lightner
Christine and Clyde Long
Polly and Charles Longsworth
A. F. Lucia
Brenda Malloy
Eileen and Paul Mariani
Jeff, Catherine, and John Marx
Jan McGuane
Sarah McMaster
Mary Frances Miller
Mary Miratrix
Nancy and Alfred Mollitor
Orlando Montalvo
Rachel Moore and Harry Dodson
Al Morgan and Jan Norris
Barrett Morgan
Chris Mossman
Kim Motylewski and Frank Gillett
Glenn Motzkin
Michael Naughton
Michael and Natalie Noble
Eliot and Beth Nottleson
Paul and Karen O’Neil
Rachel Onuf
Susan Paju and
Heidi Kleiner Strickland
Alice Pasterczyk
Chris Picone
Xavid Pretzer
Thomas and Therese Quink
Philip and Carla Rabinowitz
George Reilly
Sam and Barbara Richardson
Byron J. Ricketts
Thomas Riordan
Elizabeth A. Roberts
Gay Roberts
Barbara and Martin Robichaud
Mark and Robin Robichaud
Mary and Thomas Robinson
Patricia and George Roix
Robert and Susan Ross
Diane Rouleau and
Robert Gardula
Chris Ryan
Karen and Douglas Sargent
Joseph Serio
Gwyneth Shopalovich
Valerie Shulock and
Rebecca Segal
Jane Sloan
Paul and Lois Somers
Eric Stocker and Barbara Reily
Charles R. and Leanne Stone, Jr.
Dorothy and Tim Storrow
Tom Sullivan
Marianne Sundell
William Swanton
Peter and Chris Talmage
David Tassinari
Charles Thompson and Sarah Boy
Stephen P. Tobin and
Nancy Hartle
Peter Tomb
Lynn Tryba
Waino Tuominen
Kenneth A. Vaidulas
Margaret and Jim Vohr
Michael Volmar
Wayne Walker
Paul Wanta and Heather Lenz
Doug Wessel and Tom Ziniti
William Whitney
David Wiest
Tina Wilson
Frank and Mary Wojciechowski
David and Diana Wood
Allen Young and Dave Malinoski
Richard and Lillian Young
Glen Youngblood
Ellen Zibailo
INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES
ANONYMOUS (18)
John Aalto
A. Robert and Joan Abboud
Alan Abel
Red Fire Farm’s Strawberry
Soiree helped raise money for
the Campaign for Affordable
Farms and Mount Grace’s
partnership with farmers Ryan
and Sarah Voiland.
Josette Akresh-Gonzales
Keith and Penny Alderman
Craig Allen
Anthony Allen
Steve Alves
Ellen Anderson
Joan and Bruce Anderson
Teresa Arey
Katie Arsenault
Jeff and Joan Ashworth
Mario Avila
John Baker
Donna Barker-Berlo
Dan Bartkus
Mira Bartok and Doug Plavin
Beth Bazler
Diane L. Beers
Chris Bellefeuille
Alan Berman and Betsy Alkins
Lisa Bielefield
Heather Billings
Camilla Blackman
Maureen Blasco
Howard Blodgett
Patty Bordner
Jo Ellen Boskind
Gisele Bourgeouis
Emily Bouthillier-Joseph
Adam Boyd
Kiko Bracker
Gary Brigham
Justin Bristol
Miriam Bronstein
Richard E. Bruno
Charles Buell and Abigail Rorer
Larry Buell
Richard Bump
Jason Burbank
Kristin Burke
Jack Cadwell and Karro Frost
MOUNT GRACE LAND CONSERVATION TRUST Annual Report 2014
9
Grateful Thanks to SUPPORTERS OF MOUNT GRACE
William Crutchfield
Moira Cunningham
Ralph and Joy Cutter
John Dabrowski and
Joan Hazard
Chris Daigle
Paul Daniello
Nina Davis-Millis
Richard Deane
Lucy deGozzaldi
Wayne DeGrenier
Joe and Kristy Delfausse
Josef Dellagrotte
Ronnie DeParto
Peter Deslauriers
Michele Despres
Curtis and Laurie Deveneau
Steven Donahue
Julie Donaldson
Dorthee
Barbara Drury
Bruce Duncan
Mary Jane Dwelly
At Wachusett Mountain for the Donovan Eastman
2014 Spring Benefit Auction:
John Egan
David Graham Wolf, Sue Hellen, Sandra and Clint Eklund
and Christina Wolf.
Gordon and Diane Ellis
Robert Everett
Warren Facey
Peter and Amy Caputa
Sarah and Andrew Fairfield
Richard Carpenter, Jr.
Calvin and Fredericka Fellows
Elizabeth Carpenter
Virginia and Oliver Fellows
Christine Carroll
Lisa and Jeff Field
Debbie Cary
Stephen and Rosemary Castonguay Robert Fijal
Lisa Finestone and
Mark and Janet Castriotta
David Skillicorn
Anne Cervantes
Nancy Fiske
Lorraine Cetto
William J. and Susan H.
Cynthia Cetto
Fitzgerald
Paula Chasan
Rick Flematti
Joyce Chase and Antero Salo
Melody Foti
Stephen F. Chase and
Donna Francis
Beth Gospodarek
Rose Frizzell
Paul Chesbro
Burton and Margaret Frost
Adriana Christianson
Heather Fuller
Don Clarkson
Richard and Elizabeth Gagnon
John and Jeanne Clayton
Melissa Gallagher
Carlene Clements
Russell Gaulin
Bob Clifford
Jon Gerde
Mercedes Clingerman
Peter and Nancy Gerry
Carol Coan
Patricia Gillespie
Elizabeth Coe
Michele Girard
Russ Cohen
Bob and Kathy Girard
Bob Colnes
June Girouard
Arthur Comeau and
Nancy Goodman
Joanne Hadfield Comeau
Kathleen Goudie
Gardner and Paula Conley
Melissa Grader
Tom Conuel
Diana and William Grady
Clifford and Roxanne Cook
David Graham Wolf and
Leslie Cook
Christina Wolf
Barbara Corey
10 MOUNT GRACE LAND CONSERVATION TRUST Annual Report 2014
Charles Grant
Dorothy Clare Green
Carol M Gregory
Kristin Grenier
Don Gribbons
Sara Griesemer
Robert Haddad
Barbara Hagemeyer
Amy Hague
Peter and Jo Ann Haley
Brian Hall
Sean Halliday and Julie Robinson
Kelly Hansen
Steven and Jane Hardy
Channing C. Harris
Ajayi Harris
Stan Hartshorn
Howard and Jinx Hastings
Robert Hayn and Robert Brown
James and Janet Hedlund
Sue Hellen
James and Lorna Henderer
Lori Hennessey and
Tonianne Paquette
Laura Herbert
Helen and Ralph Hills
Jason Hoagland
Dale Holmes
Robert Hudson and
Joy Gorzocoski
Mary Humphries
Carly Hutchinson
Cynthia and Raymond Jack
Richard and Donna Jarvis
James Javorsky
Roodly Jean
Emily M. Jones
Laura Kaye
Chris and Joan Keating
Lynne and Thomas Kellner
Wayne Klemetti
Emily Koester
David Kominz and
Phyllis Damon Kominz
Zane Kotker
Janet Kraft
Bernie Kubiak
Representative Stephen and
Suzanne Kulik
Diane Kurinsky and Steven Gross
Adam Laipson and Erin Williams
Steven and Kristin Landry
Claudia Lane
Sita Lang
Ralph Lapinskas
Keith LaRiviere and Jane Peirce
Joseph and Wendy Larson
Patricia Lasky
Karen Latka
Phyllis Lawrence and James Slavas
Pauline L’Ecuyer
Maria Ledgard
Janice Lee
Bob Leet
Ray Leger
Kerry Lemerise
Rich and Tally Lent
Mary Leroux
Mary Leslie
Kim Levitch and Nancy Fournier
Richard and Madeleine Linck
Paul and Frances Lippmann
Ken and Andrea Lively
Matthew Long
Katharine Lord Klein
The Northfield Bioblitz was an Terez Lowry
all ages volunteer event which Rebecca French Lynn
catalogued local plant and
Helen MacDonald
animal species including this
Elizabeth Macdonald
viceroy butterfly.
Erin MacEachen Travis
Laura Mackil
James Hood
Doug MacLeod
Libby Hopkins
James MacPhee
Ronald and Marcia Hopper
ML Magrath
Mark Horeanopoulos
William Mahoney
Gary Howland and
Herve Maillet
Lorraine DeSouza
Bill Manser
Jerrylyn Huckabee
Mike and Mary Ellen Mansfield
Myron and Suri Maron
Kate Marquis
Richard and Jacqueline Marsh
Susan and Ted Marshall
Joel Martin
Bette Martin
Carol and Bob Mayer
Ruth Mazurka
Pamela McBride
Alexa McKenzie
Robin and Terry McKeon
Lisa McLoughlin and
Warren Ondras
Sean McNeil
Richard McVoy
Ann Meilus
Ann Merced
Janet Paoletti
Franklin D. Parmenter
Robert and Susan Pasteris
Diane Pearson
Christine and Gregory Pellerin
Lumania Pereira
Chuck Pernaa
Vicky Perry
Ralph Person
Veronica Phaneuf
Kathleen Phelps
Kate Phillipson
Dennis and Joan Pillsbury
Arthur M. Pinsoneault
Susan and Stanley Piro
Charles and Natalie Plotkin
Richard Pollak
Rosalind Pollan
Rita and John Pope
Jean Popik
Janet Porcelli
Trudy Posner
Harriet Potter
Conor and Marcia Power
Pankaj Pradhan
Stephen Prajzner and Jill Cashman
Scott Pralinsky
Catherine Prentiss
Ari and Jeanneane Pugliese
Joseph and Sally Quinton
Joshua Rapp
Jay Rasku and
Iris Vicencio-Rasku
Mary Jane Rasku
Richard and Patricia Ray
The new trail to the Devil’s
Clifton Read
Washbowl at our Arthur Iversen
Reva Reck and Tom Wyatt
Conservation Area was blazed
Robert Reed
by volunteers and by our
MassLIFT AmeriCorps members. Elizabeth Reeves
Deborah Reiter
Deborah Mero
Karen and Dennis Rich
Andrew and Nancy Milliken
Kathy Richards
Philip Millstein, D.M.D.
Josiah Richards
Judith Mizhir
Rise and John Richardson
Anthony F. Mobilio
Rebecca Rideout
Fred and Murray Mock
Jim and Cindy Roche
Paul Montero
Deborah Roher
Diane and Tom Moore
Jodi Ross
Raymond and Beryle Moore
Robin A. Roth
Denise and James Moran
Andy Rothschild
Anne Morehouse
Beth Anne Royer
Steve Morgan
Robert and Janet Rutter
Amanda Nims
Bertha Rychlik
Judith Northup-Bennett
Scott Ryder
Deb and Joe Nunes
George Saari
Raymond Olander
Raymond and Patricia Saiya
Bob and Bertie O’Loughlin
Lars Sanden
Robert Osborne and Margot Parrot Cara Sanford
Linda Overing and John Ryan
William Santini
Lynne Page and Roland Rattè
Barbara Schneider
Stephanie Selden
Kathryn Service
Susan and Harry Sharbaugh
Joel and Jean Shaughnessy
Philip and Andrea Shaughnessy
Ruth Shaw
Robin Sherman
Erica Simonette
Jen Smith and Nate Frigard
Prudence Smith and
Sharon Gensler
Mr. and Mrs. Denton J. Smith
Roger and Marsha Smith
Helen Staiger
Joseph and Dawn Steim
Jane Stein
Don Stoddard
Marion Stoddart
Arthur and Marianne Talis
Cynthia Tarail and Mark Lattanzi
Donna Thibault
J. Roger and Sandra Thibodeau
Sallie Thoma
Liz Toffey
Elizabeth Tonne and Rob Forman
Diane and Weber Torres
Ann Townsend and
Richard McCrae
Jenny Tufts and Gary Rucker
Thomas Tunstall
Eddie Turcoletti
Tim Van Egmond
Melissa van Ruiten
Juliana Vanderwielen
Betty Veres Thurston
Timothy Vielmetti
Beverly von Kries
Will Waldron
Thomas and Rita Wansleben
Tom Wansleben
John Waters
Wendy Watson
Thomas and Mary Weber
Tiven Weinstock and
Brandy Blakely
Raymond Weisbond
Gail Weiss
Sarah Wells
Sandra Whaley and Bart Wendell
Willard White
Dorothy Williams
Catherine Womack
Albert S Woodhull
Rachel Woodworth
Jessica Wozniak
Lita Wright and Murray Biggs
Michaele and Greg Wright
Jon Wyman
Paul and Sheila Youd
Peter Yraola
BUSINESS
& ORGANIZATIONS
Angels’ Rest Retreat and
Conference Center
Bart’s Homemade Ice Cream
Bear Mountain Preservation
Association
The Blind Pig Pub
Central Connecticut River
Valley Institute
Clear View Composting
The Country Store of Petersham
Dalla Terra Winery Direct
The Farm School
Fireburst
Frames, Inc.
Hedgerow Kennel and Hunt Club
IBM Matching Gifts Program
Kimball-Cooke Insurance Inc.
Landry & Meilus, LLP,
Attorneys at Law
Mim’s Market
Orange Oil Company
The Law Office of Pamela Oddy
Pease Orchard
Pete’s Tire Barns, Inc.
Pioneer Wallpapering and Painting
Rattlesnake Gutter Trust
Scotty’s Potties
Seed Systems, Inc.
TYCO Matching Gifts Program
Wachusett Brewing Company
Whittier Plumbing & Heating
Witty’s Funeral Home
Please contact Mount Grace if your
name was accidently left off this
list or if you would prefer to be
anonymous next year.
Thank You!
MOUNT GRACE LAND CONSERVATION TRUST Annual Report 2014
11
MOUNT GRACE ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Preliminary Financial Summary For the Year Ending May 31, 2014
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES
FY14
PRELIMINARY
FY13
CORRECTED
OPERATING INCOME
Year Ending May 31, 2014
Operating Support and Revenue
Gifts & Memberships
$ 414,803
$ 387,100
Real Estate Gifts for Resale
-
47,000
Grants 503,535 462,688
Program Service Fees 209,496 329,237
Investment Income
10,345
10,698
Forestry & Stewardship
4,733
8,840
Businesses & Community Orgs
4,516
1,615
Other
20,653
15,872
Total Support and Revenue
$1,168,081
$1,188,518
$ (20,437)
Business & Community Orgs
$4,516
Other
$20,653
Program Service Fees
$209,496
$1,353,919
Expenses
Personnel
$ 929,615
$1,051,290
Professional Fees
99,186
86,345
Office 141,193 196,687
Stewardship & Land Maintenance
2,553
1,818
Other
15,971
9,792
Total Expenses
Net Operating Income
Forestry & Stewardship
$4,733
Investment Income
$10,345
$1,345,931
$
7,988
Gifts &
Memberships
$414,803
Grants
$503,535
CUMULATIVE ACRES OF LAND PROTECTION
28,000+ acres protected to date
ACRES
28,000
26,000
24,000
4,000
2014
2012
2013
2011
2008
2010
2007
2009
2006
2005
2003
2004
2001
2002
1999
2000
1998
1997
1996
2,000
1994
$2,883,930
8,000
6,000
1995
$3,466,104
10,000
1991
Total Liabilities & Equity
12,000
1993
Total Current & Long-Term Liabilities $ 819,488
$ 328,154
Total Equity (including land) 2,626,616 2,555,776
14,000
1992
$2,883,930
18,000
16,000
1990
$3,446,104
22,000
20,000
1989
Total Current & Long-Term Assets
$ 1,935,836
$1,768,107
Conservation Land & Restrictions 844,599 844,590
Buildings & Equipment 322,151 184,908
Project Asset 343,518
86,325
Total Assets
CORRECTED
1987
FY13
1988
Statement of Financial Position
FY14
PRELIMINARY
FISCAL YEAR
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
protects significant natural, agricultural, and scenic areas
and encourages land stewardship in North Central and
Western Massachusetts for the benefit of the environment,
the economy, and future generations.
We welcome your articles, photographs, comments,
and suggestions. For information about becoming
a member or to request a change of address, please
contact our office at:
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
1461 Old Keene Road
Athol, MA 01331
978-248-2043 (tel)
978-248-2053 (fax)
landtrust@mountgrace.org
Visit our web site at
www.mountgrace.org
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
MOUNT GRACE STAFF
MOUNT GRACE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Leigh Youngblood, Executive Director
Nancy Allen, PresidentPetersham
David Graham Wolf, Deputy Director
Lenny Johnson, Vice PresidentCarlisle
Jay Rasku, Land Conservation Director
Tom Wansleben, Stewardship Biologist
Sarah Wells, Partnership Coordinator
& Land Conservation Specialist
Jamie Pottern, Land Conservation Specialist
Matthias Nevins, Land Conservation Specialist
Sean Pollock, Director of Community Engagement
Lisa Cormier, Administration Director
Allen Tupper Brown, TreasurerGill
Celt Grant, ClerkBernardston
David Christianson
Ashburnham
Warren Facey
Leyden
Max Feldman
Petersham
Howard Mathison
Ann Meilus
Kees Overgaag
Mike Roche
Carol Mayer, Administration Assistant
Joel Shaughnessy
David Kotker, Development Manager
Jerry Wagener
Warwick
Barre
Winchendon
Orange
Athol
Northfield