1 week Ago
AMHERST — Capping a five-year campaign, conservationists in Amherst have finally completed the work to put 68 acres of woods on the edge of Amherst Village into conservation. In this final transaction, the Town of Amherst purchased the remaining section of the property from Clearview Development Group, and the Amherst Land Trust acquired a conservation easement on the land. The large tract of contiguous woods, known as the Post Road Forest, was the brainchild of local residents and came about through the good-hearted cooperation and contributions of the Amherst Land Trust, the developer, the town, the Amherst Conservation Commission, and almost two-hundred individual donors from around the region.
The Post Road Forest is located between Boston Post Road and New Boston Road in Amherst, just northwest of Wilkins Elementary School. A keystone parcel of land between Amherst and Mont Vernon, it covers 68 acres. The property will feature marked public trails and at least one trailhead with parking.
The developer and Amherst Land Trust board members worked together through a series of discussions and agreements, a process that saw the proposed conservation area grow despite a seemingly never-ending series of obstacles and setbacks. “This amazing project couldn’t have happened without the persistence, creativity, and generosity of everyone involved,” noted Amherst Land Trust Chair Sally Wilkins. The developer, Clearview Development Group, and the forest’s abutters started their talks in 2019.
Early on, the parties agreed that the Amherst Land Trust would acquire a 12-acre conservation easement. That easement, funded by abutters, would protect the wooded centerpiece of a proposed subdivision. Over the next few years, the parties worked to grow the conserved area to over 40 acres, and finally to its present 68 acres.
The Amherst Land Trust is a charitable tax-exempt organization charged with saving scenic, agricultural, and other undeveloped lands for future generations..
