The state Thursday officially awarded Haverhill more than $600,000 to reimburse the city for its Crystal Street and Parsonage Hill Conservation Projects and almost $400,000 to West Newbury for its Sawmill Brook Conservation Acquisition.
The money is part of $13 million from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for park improvements and open space purchases across Massachusetts.
“Actively investing in open space projects will make our parks more resilient and adaptable to climate change while providing quality and accessible open spaces in environmental justice communities,” said Gov. Maura Healey.
Under the $404,231 Crystal Street Conservation Project, H Haverhill is purchasing a 35.6-acre property to protect 1,000 feet of water frontage on Crystal Lake, a 175-acre lake that is one of the city’s primary water supplies. There is an existing trail system which will be extended to a landlocked 23.5-acre city-owned parcel that lacks feasible public access, contributing to the city’s goal of creating a contiguous greenbelt around Crystal Lake.
The $217,600 Parsonage Hill Conservation Project involves a hardwood forest with an understory of hophornbeam and viburnums, ferns and wildflowers described as “remarkably free of invasive species.” It hosts a network of trails that connect with adjacent protected lands, including the Essex County Greenbelt Association-owned McPherson Woodlot and Atkinson, N.H.-owned conservation land. Protection of this forest also shelters the year-round Camp Brook, a tributary to the Merrimack River.
In West Newbury, the $394,800Sawmill Brook Conservation Acquisition project will permanently preserve 32 acres of open space and wildlife habitat under the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program Critical Natural Landscape and Core Habitat for rare wetland species. The property will expand upon the existing passive recreational opportunities offered at the town’s Pipestave Hill and Mill Pond Conservation Areas, allowing for expanded trails and improved public access.
The Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity, or LAND, Grant Program was established in 1961 to assist municipal conservation commissions in acquiring land for natural resource protection and passive outdoor recreation. Lastly, the Conservation Partnership Grants provide funding to assist non-public, not-for-profit organizations in acquiring interests in lands suitable for conservation or recreation.