Land preservation project secures over 300 acres as part of essential conservation strategy: 'We've had so many willing landowners'

In a massive step toward a greater goal for Massachusetts to preserve 1,000 acres of land for environmental protection in Southampton, Westhampton, and Montgomery, an initial 387 acres were acquired in August.

As detailed by the Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Mountain Waters Project — named for Pomeroy Mountain and the waters flowing through its forests — is a collaboration between Kestrel Land Trust and several local partners. The project hopes to see all 1,000 acres successfully preserved by the summer of 2025.

$1.25 million in funding for the project came from a state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Landscape Partnership Grant awarded last fall. The grant is working to designate land as open space to be conserved or used as recreational or agricultural space.

The conservation effort was made to allow local forests to mature and maximize carbon storage as a means of mitigating rising global temperatures, as well as providing protection and habitat for native plants and animals.

Local groups are helping find and acquire land for conservation from landowners who wish to have their land, or parcels of it, protected. Thankfully, it has proved to be fairly easy.

"It is such a critical protection area for Kestrel and for protecting Massachusetts land and wildlife," Bridget Likely, conservation manager at Kestrel, told the Gazette. "We've had so many willing landowners who want to see their land protected."

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This is a growing global trend, too, as landowners in North Carolina, New York, Ontario, Canada, and beyond ensure their land is conserved. The benefits of conserving land go a long way in preserving important ecosystems and economies, as well as benefiting human health.

Studies have shown that spending time in nature and green spaces provides mental and physical health benefits, such as a lower risk of heart disease, delayed cognitive decline, and even longer life.

Those involved in the win in Massachusetts know just how lucky they are.

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"We've been so fortunate to have so many great partners that work with us," Likely said, per the Gazette. "There was a lot of collaboration and fundraising leading up to this."

The conservation project and others like it go to prove that together, everyone achieves more.