Congrats to the Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary for receiving the second annual Excellence in Conservation Award from MLTC. See mention in the Lowell Sun here.
The creation of Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary is a flagship example of teamwork across four organizations --- Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust, Mass Audubon, Mill City Grows, and the City of Lowell --- who all came together to conserve the last family farm in Lowell. Rollie’s Farm, as it was known, was a beloved Christmas tree farm which also sold sought-after corn and tomatoes.
In 2018, when Rollie Perron began planning his retirement, he turned to Jane Calvin from Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust to begin quiet conversations about a way to conserve the 20-acre farm that could be financially viable for him and ensure permanent public access for the community. Given a longstanding partnership on after-school programming, Jane pulled in Mass Audubon. Next, they brought in Mill City Grows as a local urban agriculture partner.
After over five years of effort, Mass Audubon closed on the $4.5 million land acquisition in December 2023, with a Conservation Restriction held jointly by LPCT and the City of Lowell. Notably, the project represented Lowell’s first use of CPA funds for land preservation. The balance of funding came from private and foundation donors, a federal Land & Water Conservation Fund grant, and a state earmark.
The vision for Pawtucket Farm harmonizes inclusive access to nature, resilient landscapes, and community-based agriculture. Lowell ranks 314th out of 351 Massachusetts towns in percentage of protected open space. A city of immigrants, Lowell is home to the second largest Cambodian community in the United States, and many city residents arrive as refugees and asylees. Ninety-six percent of its population lives in Environmental Justice neighborhoods. In planning for uses of the property, the partners orchestrated nine listening sessions in four locally dominant languages to understand what this new asset could mean to Lowell. The chosen design reflects the community’s strong desire for fresh food, nature education programs, summer camp, and opportunities for multi-generational outdoor gathering. This project has the potential to change the way nature is experienced in Lowell, especially for the 3,000+ residents who are within a 10-minute walk of the property.
After a year of site work and construction of an accessible trail system, the sanctuary opened to the public in December 2024, with upgraded parking and community garden and farm programs following in 2025. This year will see planting of a food forest, included in a five-year National Science Foundation funded research project looking at temperate agroforestry sites. Plans for next year include construction of additional educational and farm facilities.
Urban conservation projects are only getting more complicated, and our Award Committee found this project to be an inspiring model for how to engage a diverse community and forge the creative partnerships necessary to complete them.
About the Award
The Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition Excellence in Conservation Award is presented by MLTC’s Conservation Advisory Council to a land trust or collaboration of conservation partners in recognition of a specific project that demonstrates excellence in any aspect of land conservation work, advances the cause of land conservation in a creative and substantive way, and/or serves as an inspiration for other conservation organizations in Massachusetts.
The award is presented during the plenary session of the annual Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference.
Applications for the 2026 Award are now closed. Nominations for the 2027 Award will be accepted beginning late summer 2026.
Goals of the Award Program
- Lift up and draw publicity to the vital work of land trusts and their partners
- Build pride within the Massachusetts land conservation community
- Highlight potentially replicable models for future land conservation efforts
Nominated projects should demonstrate excellence in one or more aspects of land conservation work (including land protection, stewardship, community programs or public policy) and advance conservation in a creative and substantive way. Ways that a project may be defined as meeting these criteria include, but are not limited to:
- Exhibiting significant size, scope or complexity
- Demonstrating substantial and lasting impact
- Addressing timely opportunities or threats facing the cause of land conservation
- Involving creative or innovative approaches or partnerships
- Having the potential to inspire other conservation efforts in Massachusetts
Nomination Guidelines
- Nomination forms will be available online or by contacting admin@massland.org.
- Nominees can be a land trust or a partnership/collaboration involving at least one land trust working with allied non-profit organizations, and/or local, state, federal or tribal agencies.
- For projects involving collaboration among multiple partners, one lead organization must be named in the nomination. Any lead organization whose project receives the Award will be ineligible for consideration as a lead organization for the subsequent three (3) years.
- Nominations can be made by anyone and self-nominations are allowed.
- Nominated projects must have been substantially completed in the two-year period preceding the nomination deadline. For projects involving land protection, projects are not eligible for consideration unless title has passed into conservation ownership before the nomination deadline.
- MLTC staff, Board or CAC members who are affiliated with a nominated organization will recuse themselves from the Award evaluation process.
- The Award Committee reserves the right to conduct due diligence to ensure that nominees meet MLTC’s high standards of ethical conduct.