Greenbelt Seeks to Preserve More than 90 Acres at Parsonage Hill in Haverhill
Greenbelt is working to preserve more than 90 acres of woodlands at Parsonage Hill in Haverhill. This conservation project includes two ecologically significant parcels of land that together encompass intact forests, wetlands, and robust wildlife habitat along Camp Brook, a tributary to the Merrimack River. The project also creates public access to an existing trail network.
Upon conservation, Parsonage Hill will more than double Greenbelt’s existing open space in the northwestern corner of Haverhill, creating new access to more than 143 acres of permanently protected land. Additionally, the City of Haverhill will establish a small parking area along Hannan Ridge Road to enhance trail access.
“Once purchased, Greenbelt will own and manage the land, and Haverhill will forever hold a conservation restriction that is an additional layer of legal protection,” says Chris LaPointe, Greenbelt’s Vice President of Conservation Operations. “This ensures that Parsonage Hill will be permanently safeguarded against development, guaranteeing its preservation as a vital natural resource for current and future generations.”
Greenbelt has been actively conserving land in Haverhill for decades, including public properties such as the Bailey Reservation, which has a quarter-mile, easy woodland trail, and Baypoint Riverfront, a small neighborhood park along the shores of the Merrimack River. More recently, Greenbelt protected 70-plus acres adjoining the City of Haverhill's Crystal Gorge Conservation Area in 2023.
Funding for the Parsonage Hill project to date has been secured from a Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs’ Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) Grant awarded to the City of Haverhill, and a generous bequest to Greenbelt from lifelong Haverhill resident, Maureen Corbett, and other donors. Greenbelt's goal is to secure the remaining $42,000 needed to acquire the land by the end of June 2024.
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