The Towns of Mattapoisett and Fairhaven, along with the entire South Coast, celebrated the completion of a massive land conservation effort between the two towns, the Buzzards Bay Coalition, and local, state, and federal government on July 31 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Shaw Farm trail and an opening reception at the DeNormandie Farm off Shaw Road in Fairhaven.
The four-year, $6 million project to add 416 acres to the abutting 1,000 acres of the Nasketucket Bay State Reservation now connects the Mattapoisett/Fairhaven Bike Path with the Nasketucket Bay State Reservation via a new hiking trail called the Shaw Farm Trail, a nearly one-mile trail that follows the edge of the DeNormandie Farm, now under a conservation restriction.
Specifically, the conservation project serves to protect clean water in the bay, expand the state reservation and connect it with the regional bike path, conserve important fish, shellfish, bird, and wildlife habitats, sustain agriculture in an area that is vulnerable to development, and protect the community’s rural character and scenic beauty.
One hundred and thirty-eight acres lie in Fairhaven and 281 acres in Mattapoisett. The project includes 226 acres of now protected woodlands, coastal wetlands, and upland meadow, as well as recreational access for the public.
Buzzards Bay Coalition President Mark Rassmussen introduced a number of individuals and representatives from different organizations and government offices during a grand opening ceremony at the DeNormandie Farm – individuals and organizations that funded/partnered with the BBC to make the project come together. Some of those included the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation, the Nature Conservancy, the Bouchard B-120 Oil Spill Trustee Council, The Mattapoisett Land Trust, and the Towns of Mattapoisett and Fairhaven.
“Today is a celebration of that partnership,” said Rassmussen.
As guest speakers including Representative William Straus and Congressman William Keating addressed attendees, endangered barn swallows darted across the open space, and flocks of birds swarmed up and down in the vista of rolling farm fields leading down to the ocean.
Brendan Annett, BBC vice president of Watershed Protection, looked back over his shoulder at the scene and said, “Just look at this place. It speaks for itself.” He motioned behind him for attendees to behold the protected open space that was once slated for residential development and a golf course that will never be.
Annett thanked the town meeting members of both towns whom Annett said had “the will, the desire, and the need to do this on the community level.”
“It took a long time, but this is for you,” said Annett. “For your children, and for their children. This is for you.”
Straus recalled his time on the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission in the 1980s when he attended a site visit for the location when it was being considered for housing development and a golf course. One member of the commission fell into what Straus described as a standing pool of water, which the developer said would eventually be the 16th fairway – but not anymore.
“This kind of effort knows no partisanship, and should know no partisanship,” said Straus.
A conservation project of this scope and size, said Keating, is extraordinary – not just for Massachusetts, but for the South Coast in general.
“It just doesn’t happen very often,” Keating said. “This is something that is a big deal.”
Landowner Phil DeNormandie thanked the local town governments and also neighboring farmer Daniel Lopes, whom DeNormandie said was helpful throughout the process. DeNormandie also thanked his farm manager Keith Kendall for restoring the farm and keeping it in order.
DeNormandie said his land is a significant stopping point for a large population of migratory shore birds, one of the highest concentrations of migratory bird populations in the area. He said the endangered short-eared owl has also returned to the area after threats of development have reduced the owl’s open-space habitat.
“The wildlife has returned in droves,” said DeNormandie.
The dozens of attendees were then treated to a hayride pulled by a tractor driven by DeNormandie himself over to the new Shaw Farm trailhead off the bike path where Mattapoisett Town Administrator Michael Gagne joined Fairhaven Selectmen Chairman Bob Espindola and Fairhaven Executive Secretary to the Board of Selectmen Jeffrey Osuch in cutting the ribbon to the new trail, making it officially open to the public.
“We’re the recipients of all of this,” said Gagne. “Mattapoisett residents will all be able to enjoy this beautiful acquisition…. This is a tremendous asset to the Towns of Mattapoisett and Fairhaven.”
By Jean Perry
