30x30 Catalyst Fund Projects

Mass Audubon is developing a wellspring of critical biodiverse and carbon-rich land conservation projects to benefit people and wildlife and advance climate resilience in communities across Massachusetts.  

We have more than 20 Catalyst Fund land protection projects underway, totaling approximately 18,000 acres. Our land conservation team is working with landowners, regional land conservation organizations, and state and local agencies to advance these projects that will help meet the Commonwealth’s 30x30 conservation goal.

Examples of Catalyst Fund Projects

The 30x30 Catalyst Fund will support an abundance of dynamic land conservation opportunities including:

Oxford Woodlands, Oxford, MA  

Mass Audubon has reached an agreement with landowners in Oxford to acquire approximately 220 acres of forestland adjacent to our Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary. The property—Oxford Woodlands—also abuts conservation land held by the Dudley Conservation Land Trust.  

Located in central Massachusetts, Oxford Woodlands will more than double the size of Pierpoint Meadow, which currently comprises 211 acres and provides walking trails and critical wildlife habitat, including nesting habitat for declining bird species such as the Brown Thrasher and Eastern Towhee.  

This new acquisition will create opportunities to expand the area trail network, provide a new public access gateway and ensure the permanent protection of biodiverse habitat, including riparian corridors and vernal pools that can potentially host rare species such as the marbled salamander.  

Project cost: $715,000  

Tupper Hill, Wales and Monson, MA  

The first phase of the Tupper Hill project will protect 2,500 acres of forest in the Vinica Brook watershed, along the Massachusetts and Connecticut border. This region stands out as a less-developed area with excellent conservation values.  

The project is a collaboration with the Norcross Wildlife Foundation and includes both land protection and ecological restoration. Mass Audubon is seeking funding for the purchase of a conservation restriction on Norcross’ land. In the second phase, we will work with partners to protect additional land in the region, to create a regional conservation corridor linking Nipmuck State Forest in Connecticut with Brimfield State Forest in Massachusetts.

Project cost: $4.75 million  

Cooper Hill, Sheffield, MA and Salisbury, CT  

For years, conservationists in Sheffield, MA and Salisbury, CT have been interested in protecting a 1,000-acre property in the Housatonic River Valley. A region of high biodiversity, particularly of native plant species, and scenic views of the river and pastoral landscape, this property is the largest unprotected tract of land in the region.  

When the landowner placed the property on the open market in 2023, a collaboration of local and statewide organizations from both states came together to pursue its protection. A grant from the Commonwealth’s Landscape Partnership Program was secured to help fund the protection of Cooper Hill land in Massachusetts. Mass Audubon is working to provide additional funding to get the project across the finish line.

Project cost: $15.6 million

Support This Work

Please join us in protecting the most critical natural lands in Massachusetts—make a gift to Mass Audubon’s 30x30 Catalyst Fund today! 

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