Greenbelt marked a milestone in 2022 with the successful completion of conservation projects that brought the total land in Essex County protected by Greenbelt to over 19,000 acres.
The 19,079 acres conserved since our founding in 1961 is now larger than the City of Gloucester!
The projects, in 15 communities and completed in 2022, totaled 280.6 acres in land owned by Greenbelt and 241.5 acres in new conservation restrictions for a total of 522 acres.
The 15 communities are Beverly, Boxford, Gloucester, Groveland, Hamilton, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Merrimac, Middleton, Newbury, Rockport, Salisbury, Wenham and West Newbury.
Thanks to our generous donors, 50 acres on Coffin Street in West Newbury were among the land conserved. With scenic open fields, wetlands and woodlands, this new conservation area protects important habitat and resilience to climate change while creating public trails connecting to Riverbend and other conservation areas.
The 21 acres of the Lynnfield Woodlots (formerly Richardson Green) are also among the projects completed. Conserving this land provides access to existing trails and eliminates the threat of additional wells in an area that is already vulnerable to drinking water stress, keeps forests intact for cooler air, cleaner water and important wildlife habitat, and helps preserve Lynnfield's beautiful character.
In Gloucester, 14 acres were added to Greenbelt’s historic Tompson Street Reservation. The land features trails that connect to the larger Tompson Street Reservation, the historic site of the 1713 meetinghouse, and a classic Cape Ann landscape of granite and pitch pine and oak forest.
In partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Lynn and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and with generous support from the Creighton Family, the Institution for Savings Conservation Fund, foundations and individuals, Greenbelt successfully purchased a Conservation Restriction (CR) on the Club's Camp Creighton property in Middleton.
The purchase of the CR permanently protects this 121-acre property and provides financial support to the Club.