Dedicated Conservation Funding—Without Raising Taxes
This November, Massachusetts voters have an important, time-sensitive opportunity to protect our rivers, lakes, forests, family farms, and wildlife habitats by voting YES on Question 6 on the 2026 statewide ballot.
Question 6 dedicates the sales tax we already pay on sporting goods to protect clean drinking water; conserve forests, family farms, and natural wildlife habitat; and create more parks, trails, and greenspaces for all to enjoy.
Voting YES on Question 6 protects clean drinking water; conserves farms, forests, and beaches; expands access to parks and outdoor space, and more—with no new taxes.
“The need is urgent and the moment to act is now. Nature helps clean our waters, reduce the impacts of flooding, cool our neighborhoods, and improve physical and mental health through its restorative powers,” Katie Theoharides, Trustees President and CEO, shares.
The Trustees is one of more than 100 organizations that support this initiative. Trustees Members can join us in this important work. On October 16, attend our Member Webinar about Question 6 at 12NOON to learn how you can help protect water and nature. Then, get out and vote Yes on 6 in early voting between October 17 and October 30, or on Election Day, November 3.
Cub Hill Becomes Newest Trustees Property
In June, The Trustees welcomed a new property, Cub Hill in Westhampton.
The 426 acre property was protected with the help of partners including Kestrel Land Trust, the Town of Westhampton, Mass Audubon, and Hilltown Land Trust and is part of a larger project that protected 806 new acres in the Connecticut River Valley region of the state. The Trustees donated a conservation restriction on the property to Kestrel Land Trust, securing a landscape partnership grant for the conservation of an additional 380 acres of land that was acquired by Hilltown Land Trust, the Town of Westhampton, and Kestrel. With the new acres protected, these lands expand a block of conserved forests to over 3,000 contiguous acres.
In a press release with Kestrel Land Trust, Trustees President and CEO Katie Theoharides shares, “This project reflects the power of partnership to protect important landscapes at scale. The Trustees is proud to conserve and steward 426-acres in Westhampton as a new reservation open to the public, expanding access to the outdoors while connecting a larger network of land protected by Kestrel Land Trust, Hilltown Land Trust, and the Town of Westhampton.”
The new property’s namesake, Cub Hill is a named peak on the property (summit elevation of 1,389 feet). “Cub” recognizes the rebounding populations of black bears that this land supports.
