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Losing Ground: Massachusetts Protects Twice as Much Land as Developed; Ecologically Valuable Land Still Vulnerable

LINCOLN, Mass.-For the first time in decades, Massachusetts is protecting twice as much land as developed, thanks to the collaborative effort of state government and conservation organizations, according to Mass Audubon's Losing Ground: Beyond the Footprint, a new report that looks at land use change and analyzes the impact of development on the environment.

"No longer is Bay State open space gobbled up at the rate of 40 acres a day," said Jack Clarke, Mass Audubon's director of public policy and government relations. "We now protect 43 acres a day from development and consume 22. Yet we need better zoning and other tools to enable communities to grow in a sustainable way."

This edition of Losing Ground, fourth in the series, measures the impact of development on the environment from 1999-2005 in every municipality across the Commonwealth. Some trends first recognized in the 2003 edition of Losing Ground have continued. The "Sprawl Frontiers" of eastern Worcester County and southeastern Massachusetts continue to spread westward and southeast of Greater Boston.

Mass Audubon's analysis also documents a new "Sprawl Danger Zone" near the Quabbin Reservoir and Connecticut River that highlights the need to continue to safeguard the considerable natural resources and to protect the Commonwealth's most fertile farms and large forest tracts, critical for supporting wildlife. Unfortunately, many of the communities located within this area also have zoning that encourages sprawl. Left unchecked, such zoning will fragment the land, leading to potential loss of habitat and impacts on water quality, local food production, and quality of life in currently more rural communities.

The harmful effects of sprawl run deep. The report documents that the less visible impacts of development are three times-and up to eight times higher in some more rural locales of the Commonwealth-than the visible impacts imparted by the footprint of our homes. When considering the full effect of development, including less visible elements such as disturbance from pets and spread of invasive species that adds up to a minimum of 66 acres lost per day. Yet many of the towns that encompass these prime natural features have the fewest resources to prepare for the coming wave of development.

"The current economic downturn gives us the opportunity to push forward and conserve our most ecologically valuable land that supports rare species, filters our drinking water, and helps clean our air," said Mass Audubon President Laura Johnson. "Now is the time to enact effective policies and take steps so that we can continue gaining ground."

A new robust interactive website (www.massaudubon.org/losingground) contains a focused look at development trends for every town and city, watershed, ecoregion, county and regional planning agency in Massachusetts.

The site includes maps and statistics that identify the acreage of forest and agricultural land developed and protected; rate of development and demographics from 1999 through 2005; and assigns a rank of ecological value for each community from 1971 through 2005. A downloadable PDF of current and previous editions of the Losing Ground series, glossary, frequently asked questions, and additional resources, round out the website.

Mass Audubon's Losing Ground uses the most current technology and methods to capture and then analyze land-use change throughout the Commonwealth. Recommendations reflect how municipal government, conservation organizations, and citizens can advocate for policy and planning to protect the most important land to help sustain our drinking water, biodiversity and wildlife habitat and the recreational and psychological services provided by land in its natural condition.

Losing Ground: Beyond the Footprint was made possible with support from The Boston Foundation, the Alces Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and many individual supporters.

Key Findings and Recommendations from Losing Ground: Beyond the Footprint

• Between 1999 and 2005, government agencies and conservation organizations protected twice the land that was developed.

• From 1999 to 2005, a total of 109,863 additional acres of land were protected in Massachusetts. This represents an additional 2.2% of the state's total land area.

• Between 1999 and 2005, Massachusetts lost 22 acres of land to development each day.

• Residential housing accounts for nearly 87% of land use change. More than 40,000 acres were converted to residential development from 1999 to 2005-30,000 acres from forest and 10,000 acres from agricultural land.

• According to a new measure of ecological impact that allows us to look beyond the footprint of development, less visible impacts on ecological function are three times higher than the visible impacts of development.

More importantly, Mass Audubon found that in towns that are less developed, the less visible ecological impacts can be as much as eight times higher than the visible impacts.

• We are building larger houses, farther from metropolitan centers, and using more energy to heat and power these bigger homes. This trend encourages increased reliance on automobiles, increased consumption of fossil fuels, and increased carbon release into the atmosphere, exacerbating global climate change.

• Sprawl Frontiers continue to spread west beyond eastern Worcester County and southeastern Massachusetts.

•  A new Sprawl Danger Zone is identified, which is east of the Quabbin Reservoir and Connecticut River. These communities are of high ecological value (protection of water drinking supplies and most intact farms and forests in the Commonwealth). These towns are experiencing significant increases in new housing stock and have had significant impacts from development. What's more, they have large lot zoning and few planning tools and resources to manage sustainable growth.

• Agricultural land is also highly threatened by development in many of Massachusetts' communities at the edge of the sprawl frontier-statewide, 215 towns had less than 5% of their land in agriculture in 2005, compared to 153 and 184 in 1985 and 1999 respectively.

• 55% of critical wildlife habitat still lacks permanent protection. Aquatic species habitat is in dire need of protection; only 16% of wetlands are permanently protected.

Key Recommendations

• The "Sprawl Frontiers" and Sprawl Danger Zone" are of special concern. Unprotected natural land remaining in the affected towns in these key areas must continue to be a focus of conservation efforts.

• Meaningful zoning reform is crucial to providing municipalities with better tools for planning and managing future growth. Sustainable development patterns put higher density zoning in places where infrastructure is in place, or can be readily expanded.

• Because of the large lot zoning prevalent in many towns within the Interstate 495 corridor, ecological function has been severely degraded by landscape fragmentation. The areas with the greatest loss in their ecological value mirror the Sprawl Frontiers precisely. However, great opportunities to protect intact ecosystem processes persist in the western half of Massachusetts.

• At the same time, remaining open space in cities and more developed towns must be protected. Urban open spaces help cool urban heat islands, reducing energy use in cities. Access to protected lands helps urban residents understand why tax dollars are being spent on land protection elsewhere in the state, while providing cultural, recreational, and psychological benefits.

• The current economic downturn presents a unique window of opportunity-gains in land protection can be made while development pressure has dropped off. The Patrick Administration should continue to advance the state's efforts to secure important land while there is a lull in development.

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Mass Audubon works to protect the nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife. Together with more than 100,000 members, we care for 34,000 acres of conservation land, provide educational programs for 200,000 children and adults annually, and advocate for sound environmental policies at local, state, and federal levels. Mass Audubon's mission and actions have expanded since our beginning in 1896 when our founders set out to stop the slaughter of birds for use on women's fashions. Today we are the largest conservation organization in New England. Our statewide network of 47 wildlife sanctuaries welcomes visitors of all ages and serves as the base for our conservation, education, and advocacy work. To support these important efforts, call 800-AUDUBON (283-8266) or visit www.massaudubon.org.