ROWE — Conserving land and saving it forever requires dedicated people who care for the land and all the plants and animals it holds.
Nan Williams of Rowe has devoted much of her life to exploring, documenting and sharing her love for the natural world. Williams’ children, trustees of the Rowe Land Trust, recently expressed their commitment to the land by donating 94 acres of forested land in Rowe to the Franklin Land Trust, a nonprofit organization in Shelburne Falls that owns and cares for natural land in perpetuity.
As a former quarry in the Hoosac Tunnel area of Rowe, the land is now entirely wooded and contains habitat for a wide range of plants and animals.
The land will be known as the Nan Williams Conservation Area, in recognition of Williams’s steadfast stewardship of this land.
The land has been owned by the Rowe Land Trust since 1993, and has been a source of enjoyment for Williams, her family and friends to explore the natural world. Nan Williams is an avid hiker, historian and writer who has documented the history of the Town of Rowe, many of the plants on her property and throughout the town, and hundreds of hikes that appeared in the Rowe Goal Post, a monthly town newsletter.
“Spending time on this land has been a joy for me, and we are thrilled that this special land will be conserved for everyone to enjoy in the future,” said Nan Williams.
“We are honored that the Williams family have turned over the care of this land to FLT for the benefit of future generations of naturalists and hikers,” said Emily Boss, Land Protection Specialist for the land trust.
The Land Trust will undertake a management planning process for the property before it is officially open to the public.