On Tuesday, March 28, Hilltown Land Trust is hosting a public forum on local land conservation from 6 to 9 pm at Stanton Hall in Huntington (26 Russell Street).
This event is part of an effort by the land trust to ensure the needs and priorities of community members and inform their conservation and land stewardship work in the 13 towns they serve: Ashfield, Chester, Chesterfield, Conway, Cummington, Goshen, Huntington, Middlefield, Plainfield, Westhampton, Williamsburg, Windsor, and Worthington. The program will include group discussions and a brief presentation from Hilltown Land Trust staff.
“Public input into our work is essential to make sure we are meeting the needs of the community,” said Sally Loomis, Executive Director of Hilltown Land Trust. She continued, “We hope anyone interested and invested in the future of land in The Hilltowns will show up to be part of this conversation.”
The forum is free and open to all. Light refreshments and childcare will be provided. Accessible parking is available behind the building. The building is accessed using a 35-foot ramp or a set of outdoor stairs. The building has single-gender bathrooms, with ADA-compliant wide stalls, accessible sinks, and low sink and hand soap dispensers. A PA system will be used for the presentation portion of the forum.
Pre-registration for the event is encouraged on the land trust’s website: www.hilltownlandtrust.org. The snow date is Tuesday, April 4, at the same time and location.
This event is made possible through a grant awarded by the MA DCR Service Forestry Program through the Working Forests Initiative, implemented in part by UMass Amherst and the North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership (fiscally sponsored by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust).
Hilltown Land Trust is a nonprofit land trust serving 13 rural towns in Western Massachusetts. HLT’s mission is to protect land and promote ecological diversity and health, respectful land stewardship, historic character, and natural beauty in our Hilltowns. The organization has protected over 5,000 acres of farmland, forest, streams, and wetlands since its founding in 1986. In 2010, HLT affiliated with The Trustees to combine the efforts and resources of these two nonprofit land conservation organizations and accelerate the pace of land conservation in The Hilltowns. For more information, visit www.hilltownlandtrust.org