person walking on a trail through a forest — Rutland Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, Petersham

Conserving & Protecting Land

Mass Audubon actively protects over 41,000 acres in Massachusetts.

Land conservation is critical to the survival of native wildlife and plants and for the health and well-being of those who live, work, and play in Massachusetts. It's also one of the most effective, proven strategies when it comes to mitigating the increasing impacts of climate change.

We've been protecting wild places across the state for more than a century using our science-based land conservation strategy.

Mass Audubon’s Land Conservation Strategy

For decades, we have considered many factors when it comes to protecting land. These can include adjacency to a wildlife sanctuary, the presence of rare and endangered species, proximity to existing protected land, and number of acres.

More recently, to align with the state’s goal of protecting 30 percent of land by 2030 (30x30), we are additionally prioritizing biodiverse and carbon-rich parcels as well as those in urban areas.

Ways of Protecting Land

We protect land by working with land trusts, municipalities, government agency partners, and private landowners.

View of mountains at sunset in North Adams — 2021 Photo Contest Winner Landscapes @ Eric Dubreuil

For Land Protection Partners: Catalyst Fund

Mass Audubon created the 30x30 Catalyst Fund to enable us to move quickly in protecting 30% of Massachusetts' land, in particular the most biodiverse and carbon-rich lands that are also at risk of development. Land trusts, cities or towns, or agencies can partner with us to leverage land protection opportunities via the Catalyst Fund. Learn more about the 30 x 30 Catalyst Fund

For Private Landowners

There are many ways to permanently protect your land, including a donation or sale of the ownership of the land, or of a perpetual conservation restriction (easement). Learn more about conserving your land

Recent Success Stories

Landowners Donate Conservation Restriction on 154 Acres in Windsor

In August 2024, Heather Bargeron and her daughter Marguerite Birrell donated a perpetual conservation restriction on their land in Windsor to Mass Audubon, protecting 154 acres of beautiful, rolling woodlands and open fields along scenic Windsor Bush Road.
Protecting Hawes Hill Conservation Corridor, Barre

Mass Audubon is collaborating with several partners and landowners to permanently protect 973 acres in the vicinity of Rutland Brook Wildlife Sanctuary.
Protecting 64 Ecologically Important Acres in Hampden

This project area is a portion of a large, relatively intact forest block, which supports populations of wide-ranging species including bobcat, coyote, and white-tailed deer, as well as the Eastern box turtle, a species of special concern in Massachusetts.
Protecting "Porcupine Woods" near Mount Wachusett

Thanks to an amazing public-private partnership, 69 acres of prime wildlife habitat adjacent to Wachusett Mountain State Reservation and Mass Audubon’s Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary are now permanently protected.
Bedrock Ledge in Becket, MA

Mass Audubon Helps Protect Almost 300 Acres in Becket

The recent protection of Bedrock Ledge, almost 300 acres in Becket, MA, brings us closer to achieving our goal of Protecting and Stewarding Resilient Landscapes as set out in our Action Agenda. It is a prime example of working with partners to protect the Commonwealth's most climate resilient and diverse habitats.
The Road to 40,000 Acres. . .and Beyond

Mass Audubon now protects more than 40,000 acres from the eastern shore of Nantucket to Yokun Seat in the Berkshires, and over 200 places in between.
Conserving 157 Acres of Wetlands, Forests, and Meadows in Ashburnham

Mass Audubon has successfully conserved a beautiful and ecologically significant property in Ashburnham featuring trails ready-made from old logging roads, and an enjoyable blend of wetlands, regenerating forests, vernal pools, streams, and sedge meadows.
Eagle Lake, Holden

Protecting a Key Wildlife Corridor and Securing a Legacy

On November 1, 2022, Mass Audubon was given 31 acres of land next to Eagle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary in Holden, MA by the estate of Edna Tilander.