BERNARDSTON — A conservation restriction has been placed on a 52-acre section of West Gate Farm off Eden Trail after being given to Mount Grace Land Trust by Will and Shalee Pratt.
The restriction simultaneously protects drinking water for residents of Greenfield and Bernardston, as well as what has been a working farm for more than 200 years that includes a portion of the historic Hale Farm founded by one of Bernardston’s early settlers.
Pratt purchased the land from his late father Bill and his mother Marsha, and he spent the last 20 years converting overgrown pastures back into productive hay fields. Besides the dramatic views from the farm of the Pocumtuck Ridge, another feature of the farm is a three-story barn built from timber harvested from the land.
“From the day I was old enough to operate a tractor and chainsaw, I have been committed to stewarding this land,” Pratt said. “When we purchased the farm from my parents, I knew that conserving it would further ensure that the rich and rewarding practice of agriculture will continue on this land. Maintaining land in this way will help keep our rural character, which is a great American value and tradition.”
In ensuring that the farm will never be converted to residential or commercial development, Mount Grace is committed to protecting the region’s farms, forests and rural heritage, said Jamie Pottern, the land trust’s farm conservation program manager.
“Our recent farmland inventory found that 90 percent of the farms in Bernardston are unprotected, meaning that they could be converted to development or non-farm uses,” she said. “We also know that a third of the farms in Massachusetts will transfer hands in the next 10 years. By permanently protecting their farm with Mount Grace, the Pratts are leaving a lasting legacy for their community. It’s been such an honor to work with them and help them protect the land that they love.”
Since 1986, Mount Grace has helped conserve 33,662 acres.
In 2018, the land trust also worked with the Jaworski family and the Northfield Conservation Commission to save pastureland in Northfield, as well as the Richardson Family to protect their farm in Phillipston.
This winter, Mount Grace and partner organizations are wrapping up protection of more than 4,100 acres from the Quabbin Reservoir to Mount Wachusett — a seven-year, landscape-scale conservation initiative to protect drinking water, create corridors for safe wildlife passage and save forests.