LAND CONSERVATION & STEWARDSHIP

Seeking, protecting, and caring for Massachusetts’ most special places

Massachusetts possesses a trove of natural and cultural treasures. From Cape Cod to the Pioneer Valley, the North Shore to the Worcester Plateau, the Boston waterfront to the Berkshires hills, the number of singular, awe-inspiring destinations seems endless. Amidst this abundance, we’re forever looking for truly special places—those iconic landscapes and historic environments that showcase the broad and intriguing character of the Commonwealth. 
 
The centerpiece of the Trustees’ mission is protecting places of ecological, scenic, and historic importance. Our land conservation staff scouts for iconic properties around the Commonwealth, searching for significant cultural, agricultural, scenic, natural, and recreational lands. We develop relationships with landowners and partners within the community, do our homework, and embark on years-long (and occasionally generations-long) journeys to bring these reservations under Trustees ownership and management. Wherever you find a Trustees reservation, you’ll know it will transport you to a different point in time, offer an unmistakable sense of place, or shine a light on exceptional, under-the-radar facets of our shared experience. 
 
Beyond land acquisition, our regional and site-specific land stewardship teams bring a wealth of expertise and specialization in caring for our properties, upholding the integrity of our trails, buildings, living collections, designed landscapes, and other features. Using a data-driven approach to the monitoring of our properties, our holistic approach to stewardship accounts for our properties’ diversity of uses. We ensure that each reservation meets a baseline of care while creating long-term stewardship plans, maintaining the well-being of some of the Commonwealth’s most important sites. 

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Enjoy 120 sites featuring inspired trails, historic homes, beautiful gardens, farms, summer camps and more.
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