Massachusetts

With forests and a ridgetop view of Cape Cod Bay, the Biddle property
is as lovely and environmentally sensitive as it is historic. A homemade sign hung for years
in the Biddle family's kitchen. It read: "The environment, conservation and historic preservation BEGIN
HERE."

Buffalo Hill Farm, located fifteen miles south of Worcester, has a rich history.

This farm has been an open landscape and active farm through a succession of different owners since the early 1600s. In recent years, however, the site's location near West Bridgewater's busy commercial area has made it the focus of several plans for commercial development.

TPL has helped protect approximately 290 acres in the Common Pasture in Newbury in a long-term effort to preserve this well-loved and iconic open space.

The 410-mile Connecticut River is New England's largest river, draining a 7.2 million-acre watershed that supports fisheries, farmlands, forests, and fresh water in four states: New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

In 1998, TPL transferred the first 1/2-mile of an abandoned corridor to the city, along with a small adjacent parcel, to become part of the East Boston Greenway.

TPL led an eleven-year effort to fund-raise for, design, and construct the new Elmhurst Street playground on a trash-strewn vacant lot in the park-poor Codman Square neighborhood in Boston's Dorchester section.

TPL has conserved acres of river-front properties located on Moody Bridge Road near Hadley—including more than 4,000 feet of frontage on the Fort River—for addition to the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.

There are 2,600 vacant lots scattered throughout Boston-and they've got potential. The Trust for Public Land is working to transform unused, city-owned land into neighborhood farms that will create new job opportunities and provide residents with locally grown, nutritious produce.

The Trust for Public Land is helping residents of Boston’s Grove Hall neighborhood transform a prominently situated vacant lot into a new park, through a partnership with the Boston Parks & Recreation Department and Boston Department of Neighborhood Development.

In New England, TPL has used its conservation expertise to protect many buildings, sites and landscapes important to the region's historic character.

When new technology and economic cutbacks threatened to destroy the oldest continually operating boat building business in the United States in the early 1990s, TPL helped form the Lowell's Boat Shop Trust and transferred the shop to the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport.

The Trust for Public Land preserves our coastal lands and waters, providing public access and ensuring the long-term health of our estuaries, beaches and bays that our tourism and fishing industries need to thrive.

The Murray Farm is one of the last working farms in Bridgewater. The family ran a dairy farm here in the early 1900s-J.H. Murray was known as the "Midnight Milkman" for his late-night milk deliveries.

In 2010, The Trust for Public Land worked with the city of Northampton to conserve Bean and Allard Farms along the Mill River, to preserve local farming for the community, and expand recreational opportunities.

At the western edge of Boston’s Codman Square neighborhood, Norwell Street follows the tracks of the commuter rail line. It’s a narrow street, frequently used by speeding cars as a shortcut to bypass traffic. Vacant lots have sat underutilized for years, an eyesore for the neighborhood’s residents.

From the 1800s until the early 20th century, the Plimpton family grew fruit and vegetables and raised livestock on their 320-acre farm. Plimpton Community Forest in Sturbridge became part of a 2,700-acre tract of connected open space and wildlife habitat, providing a new community resource for recreation, like hiking, mountain biking, dog walking, hunting, and fishing.

As it passes through the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, The Appalachian Trail explores one of Southern New England’s last wild and remote landscapes. Here, Warner Hill receives both thru-hikers and day visitors, treating them to densely forested trails before giving way to a rocky, open landscape at its peak.

In 1986, TPL helped the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture purchase an Agricultural Preservation Restriction to permanently protect this 52-acre farm along the Connecticut River in the town of Montague.

We helped protect two acres to create Surf Park, a tranquil setting in which to enjoy scenic views of Kettle Cove in Gloucester and Manchester-by-the-Sea.

In 2002, TPL helped the National Park Service and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management purchase a conservation and public access restriction over Thompson Island, as part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park.

In 1995, we helped acquire an historic home at the edge of Walden Woods as a library and research center for the Thoreau Institute, which promotes the writer's work and legacy.