HISTORY & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1989 Incorporated under leadership of president Francis Lane.

1990 Helped protect 192.476 acres of land along Route 41 owned by the Smith and Buckner family in multiple transactions in collaboration with Berkshire Natural Resource Council (BNRC) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

1991 Donation by Robert and Madi Lanier of 17 acres on Rote Hill Road. Assisted The Nature Conservancy in raising $695,000 to buy the heart of their Schenob Brook Preserve, the former Simon property.

1992-8 Completed 12 conservation restrictions (CR) totaling 388 acres in the Schenob Brook Drainage Basin, along the Housatonic River, on June Mountain and in other strategic locations. These are the Reich, Saunders, Myers, Dixon, McMennamin, Cader/Reich, two Thomas/Haynes, Buckner, Chase, Elsbach and Halper conservation restrictions. Organized multiple community clean-ups of the Housatonic River.

1993 Deed Restriction on 7 acres of land donated by Mary Ann Bonney Riley land on June Mountain.

1994 Spearheaded, with MA Audubon, purchase of Trieber-LeGeyt Agricultural Preservation Restriction (305 acres) in conjunction with a coalition of conservation organizations including The Nature Conservancy and Sweet Water Trust.

Donation by Seymour Robins of 30 acres of land off Boardman Street along the Housatonic River, dedicated as Rob’s Landing, subsequently used as a canoe launch in years that the river allows, and cropland for local farmers.

1996 Donation by Carol Tatkon of 30.623 acres for an office on LeGeyt Road, the land and house to be held by The Nature Conservancy, to mutually benefit both organizations, and the land to be protected in perpetuity if the offices were ever to move and the land were ever sold. In 2013 The Nature Conservancy granted a conservation restriction on 27.41 acres to SLT before the offices were moved and the property sold. The house and barn on their 3.2.13 acres were excluded from the conservation restriction with the Tatkon Family’s approval.

1997 Donation of Schlesinger property (120 acres) on Route 41 adjacent to 151-acres SLT & TNC Conservancy helped the MA Div. of Fisheries and Wildlife acquire.

1998 Purchased Robins property (143 acres) on June Mt. as part of ongoing effort to protect this five-mile ridge. To facilitate the conservation of the 16-acre Kilbon property to be owned by TNC, SLT agreed to hold a CR (once there were not unprotected properties that needed to take priority in getting approval from the Town and State).

1999 Closed on Corn Crib Agricultural Preservation Restriction (27 acres), and purchased 12 acres of agricultural land along Rte 7 to complete a project (Nion) Bob Thieriot had begun but ask SLT to complete when he found out he had terminal cancer. Agreed to be the backup holder for the Chrisman CR held by TNC (in 2022 the Chrismans gifted the land to SLT which eliminated SLT as a backup holder).

Secured $80,000 for the Town to use toward a Master Plan.

2000 Began environmental education program with Southern Berkshire Regional School District.

2001 Closed on Kelly APR (310 acres) in conjunction with The Trustees of Reservations. Facilitated the protection of 147 acres on Brush Hill by the Div. of Fisheries and Wildlife.

2002 Accepted the assignment of the Smith/Buckner CR from TNC maintaining protection of th 192.476 acres SLT helped to protect in 1990. Began Agricultural Internship and Education Program with Southern Berkshire Regional School District.

2003 Closed on Cavalier APR (96 acres), the first phase of Howden APR (12 acres) and Balsam Hill Farm APR (153 acres). Agreed to be the backup holder on the 49-acre MacVeety CR held by TNC.

2004 Closed on the Cook CR (50 acres) and Stookey CR (46.7 acres) and received donation of the Dohoney property (20 acres) toward creation of the Community Recreational & Educational Trail Network.

2005 Closed on the Sheffield Land Group CR (53 acres) and purchased the Cosgriff property (21 acres) for the trail that has been a Safe Walking Route to School for generations of students, as an addition to the Community Recreation and Education Trail Network.

2006 Closed on Larkin APR (350 acres) and Griffiths Cold Spring Farm APR (51.9294 acres).

2007 Closed on Egerton APR (67 acres) and purchased the Rote parcel to keep it in agriculture when it was going to come out of 61A.

2008 Closed on 109-acre Bow Wow Road Farm & Nature Preserve APR and the remaining 347-acres Howden Farm APRs on Rannapo Road.

2009 Protected 186 acres of working farmland, riparian buffers, wetlands and wildlife habitat with the Quarry Hill Farm APR and purchase of the Lime Kiln Wildlife Connector by MA Div. of Fish & Wildlife.

2010 Accepted the gift of a CR on 11 acres of rare species habitat owned by Berkshire School as required by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. Facilitated the purchase by the Div. of Fisheries & Wildlife of the 85 acre Lone Pine Tree forested property on Guilder Hollow Road.

2011 Completed an APR on 90-acres of Maple Shade Farm along Sheffield-Egremont & Lime Kiln and an APR on the 12-acre Curtiss Route 41 farm fields.

2012 Completed an APR on the 306-acre River Lea Farm on Boardman St. Purchased the 1.4-acre lot under the farmhouse at Bow Wow Farm in conjunction with the Community Land Trust in the Southern Berkshires while the tenant farmers’ family purchased the house, so that the land and house would always stay in farm ownership like the APR. Facilitated the purchase by the Div. of Fisheries and Wildlife of three parcels with rare species along Lime Kiln Road (a portion of Quarry Hill Farm, a portion of Maple Shade Farm, and an abutting property owned by the Stookeys).

2013 Protected the 400-acre Bow Wow Farm on Bow Wow & Lime Kiln Roads with a combination of an APR and a sale of the rare species habitat to the Div. of Fisheries and Wildlife. Completed the TNC-Tatkon CR and accepted unrestricted donation of 96-acre Hunting property on Silver St.

2014 Completed the APR on the 132.4-acre Lassoe Farm on Barnum Street. Installed a commemorative plaque and held a celebration at the Hunting-Hamilton property.

2015 Purchased the 32.4-acre Schneck property to open the walking paths to the public as a recreational opportunity within walking distance of the Village of Ashley Falls. Completed an Ecological Assessment on the Hunting-Hamilton property to determine what it’s conservation values were and if there was an appropriate location for a building envelope.

2016 SLT worked with a Community Advisory Group to make Schneck trail improvements and rename the property Ashley Falls Woods. Completed a follow-up Ecological Assessment on the Hunting-Hamilton property to get species in an expanded range of seasons.

2017 SLT works with Ashley Falls Woods volunteers to design and install trail signage, remove invasive plants, reclaim former meadows and clear a new parking area. Completed two appraisals of the Hunting-Hamilton property as protected by a CR with a 2-acre building envelope in the location identified by the Ecological Assessments.

2018 Completed a public advertisement for the Hunting-Hamilton property conserved with a 2-acre building lot and worked with the winning bidder on the details of the CR. Ashley Falls Woods community volunteers conduct cleanup, install parking area and remove invasive plants. Secured an option to purchase an APR on the 270-acre Batacchi farm.

2019 SLT worked with the Southern Berkshire Regional School District’s Building Structures program to design and install a kiosk for information and maps at Ashley Falls Woods kiosk with maps installed. Completed the CR for Hunting-Hamilton property retaining the CR when selling the property to the new owner.

2020 Worked with the landowners and the tenant farmers to facilitate the sale of the 3400-acre Bow Wow Farm APR land to the farm family as specified in the APR application.

2021 Completed the APR on 48-acres of the Batacchi Farm. Completed the 14.862-acre McDonald CR.

2022 As a collaborative project between Sheffield Land Trust, Egremont Land Trust and Greenagers, completed the purchase of the 54.95-acre Bischoff property between Bow Wow Road and Route 41 in Egremont for a public trail and outdoor education program, renaming the property Bow Wow Woods. The property abutted the Bow Wow Farm APR and created a critical corridor connection. Completed the second APR over the balance of the Batacchi Farm (180.617 acres). Accepted the gift of the Chrisman land on Barnum Street.

2023 As a collaboration with the Egremont Land Trust, completed a jointly held CR on the 43-215-acre Beattie property in Egremont the created a link between Bow Wow Woods and the Appalachian Trail Corridor land. Continued to partner with Greenagers on improvements at Bow Wow Woods.

2024 Convened the Cooper Hill Conservation Alliance of eight conservation groups in MA and CT to work on the Cooper Hill Conservation Project to protect over 1,100 acres of important agricultural and ecological land in Sheffield and neighboring Salisbury, CT that connects thousands of acres of other already conserved land. Those groups include the Housatonic Valley Association, Mass Audubon, Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, Salisbury Association Land Trust, Sheffield Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy offices in both MA and CT, and The Trustees of Reservations and was begun when the farmer who had used the agricultural fields for over 25 years called to say that some of the land was under contract to be sold and taken out of agriculture. Through joint fundraising and conservation buyers, the land was secured with The Trustees owning 160.954 acres and an application to the Agricultural Preservation Restriction on 453.972 acres was approved by the State. Also completed the CR on the 12.656-acre Barrett CR on Bow Wow Road.

2025 Completed the 443.972-acre Cooper Hill Farm APR and a CR on the 85.954-acre Rand-The Trustees of Reservation property as part of the Cooper Hill Conservation Project.