Each year, continuing development along the trail's corridor pushes the Midstate Trail onto paved roadways. Currently, the Midstate Trail is on approximately 45 miles of public land, 30 miles of private land and 17 miles of roadway. Landowners should realize the value the trail brings to the area and work to keep it off the roadways.
Protected land in Massachusetts is at a premium. Less than 15% of the Commonwealth’s land is publicly owned. Every year, Massachusetts loses over 16,000 acres of open space to residential and commercial development. This development destroys and fragments existing habitat and threatens the long-term conservation of Massachusetts’ native species and natural communities. As private development continues at an alarming rate, public lands are becoming increasingly valuable for plant and wildlife habitat, recreation, education, research and spiritual renewal. Competing demands on our Forests and Parks are growing and it is incumbent upon us to ensure that the ecological resources and quality recreational opportunities remain for future generations.
Protection sought for Midstate Trail
CHARLTON
— The
Town of
The committee and the land trust want to place conservation restrictions on the
trail, protecting it from development. The cost of the restrictions is expected
to be covered by state and federal grants. WESTMINSTER—November 28, 2007
Voters at last night’s special town meeting voted to preserve and
protect more than 100 acres when they approved two article requests related to
the Schenck Farm on Howard and Bartherick roads. For $400,000, residents voted by a
show of hands to buy 61 acres of forestland and to place an agricultural
preservation restriction on another 46 acres of the Schenck Farm. The town
applied for and received a self-help grant from the state and will be reimbursed
$186,000, bringing the real cost to the town to $214,000.The agricultural
preservation restriction will prohibit any activity other than farming on that
parcel forever, and the town will own 61 acres of forestland that cannot be
developed. Passive recreation will be allowed on the forested parcel. Town officials told voters that if
the land was not protected now, it could be developed later, costing the town
more in services than it would generate in taxes. The town-owned parcel will be
open to the public for passive recreation such as hiking, and the fields will be
returned to agricultural use.
Mike & Stefan
Travis
State
agrees to buy summit of Mount Watatic...........
Leave No Trace means
traveling and camping with care, deliberately planning, and guiding one's
actions so as not to harm the environment or disturb others.
Lack of funding and a decreasing number of staff working to accommodate
an increasing number of visitors have placed Massachusetts forests and
parks in jeopardy. Specifically:
Contact your state legislator and let them know how you
feel on this issue.
http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm
WESTMINSTER — The Westminster Open Space Committee and the North County Land
Trust are seeking to protect eight miles of the Midstate Trail that runs through
private property in town.
Only four of the 12 miles of the Midstate Trail is on state or town conservation
land.
The North County Land Trust is a Fitchburg-based land conservation group.
"We decided to focus our land protection efforts on the Midstate Trail
corridor because of the historic, cultural and recreational significance of the
trail," said Janet Morrison, director of land protection for the trust.
Massachusetts Forests and Parks in
Crisis!
Although Massachusetts is the sixth smallest state in the nation, it has
the ninth largest forest and park system in the country, making the state
an especially attractive place to live. More than 12 million visitors a
year seek out Massachusetts' forests and parks to bring mental and
physical health to their lives, enjoying swimming holes and fishing
streams, sunsets and wildflowers, quiet hikes, and peaceful bird-watching.
Read about the deteriorating condition of Massachusetts' forests and parks
and what can be done in a new report, Our
Forests and Parks in Crisis," authored by the AMC and the
Massachusetts Forests and Parks Partnership and available for downloading
in PDF format. Get
a PDF reader here.
If you would like more information, e-mail Don
