NORTHFIELD — It’s official. The pending sale of nearly 1,300 acres owned by Northfield Mount Hermon School to the Department of Conservation and Recreation was officially completed Tuesday for a sale price of $2.5 million.
The sale marks a turning point in a four-year project for The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit organization that facilitates and funds the creation of parks and protected lands. The land will immediately become part of Northfield State Forest.
“Across America, communities are seeking to protect places that strengthen their shared identity and sense of place, and this addition to Northfield State Forest is beloved and will be protected forever,” said Kevin Essington, Massachusetts director for The Trust for Public Land, in a Department of Conservation and Recreation press release. “Conservation at this scale is extremely rare in a small state. (It) will benefit wildlife and help lessen the impacts of climate change.’”
“The conservation of this land will preserve precious natural resources for wildlife habitats, provide recreational opportunities for the public to enjoy, and create additional access for people to foster a love of nature,” said Gov. Charlie Baker in the release.
Peter Fayroian, head of school at Northfield Mount Hermon School, said in the release that the school is pleased with the sale. The school’s holdings stem from the time it operated a campus in Northfield. The school has since consolidated its operations to its campus in the Mount Hermon section of Gill.
“I want to thank the Department of Conservation and Recreation and The Trust for Public Land for their efforts to conserve this property,” Fayroian said. “Our 130 years of stewardship is coming to an end, but we are pleased that this land can continue to be a benefit to the people of Northfield and the Connecticut River Valley. This sale to a conservation agency is the right legacy to leave.”
According to the release, the project, which was endorsed by the Northfield Board of Selectmen and the Northfield Open Space Committee, was carried out using funds from the Massachusetts Landscape Partnership Program, the Department of Conservation and Recreation land acquisition capital budget and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Acres for America program.
Grants from the Bafflin Foundation, Fields Pond Foundation and numerous individuals to The Trust for Public Land helped pay for project costs, according to the release. J.T. Horn, a project manager for The Trust for Public Land, told The Recorder in June that the project would cost more than $400,000 in surveying, land appraisal, legal fees, staff time, travel and research conducted on the parcels of land.
Still, Northfield Mount Hermon has more land to sell, including 330 acres around the Grandin Reservoir, which serves as the primary drinking water supply for 300 households in Northfield. Currently, Northfield Mount Hermon owns and operates East Northfield Water Co., which manages the water supply, but Horn hopes to find a buyer for the company.
Earlier versions of this story incorrectly implied NMH’s current campus is for sale. The owners of its former Northfield campus is still looking for a new occupant.