Morse Land

Our first property. Donated in 2006 by Barbara Morse in memory of her husband Joseph, these 4.7 acres off West Main Street just west of the courthouse are almost all upland mature forest. It is hoped that the donation of this land will lead to further protection of lands in the West Main Street area of Dudley.

Bateman Property

Donated by Ellis Bateman in 2007, this 1.7 acre property is at the corner of West Main Street and Fabyan Road in Dudley and is marked with a “Welcome, Dudley Conservation Land Trust” sign designed and constructed by Paul Wieloch.

Keekamoochaug Wildlife Sanctuary

6.7 acres donated by long-time Dudley residents Prescott and Florabeth Grout in 2007.  This property is accessible from Healy Road in Dudley.  Recent improvements include a granite & wood sign and a 40’ stone wall constructed by Jason Hall via assistance from a grant obtained by the Janet Malser  Humanities Trust.  The Grouts wanted the land to a haven for wildlife and chose the name - Keekamoochaug Wildlife Sanctuary in honor of the Native Americans that lived in the area.  The property offers a rich forest canopy with ash, maple and black cherry; seasonal streams and a well that is capped with a plaque honoring the Grouts.  Includes a trail that connects to the boardwalk entrance of the Tufts Branch Wildlife Sanctuary.  (See below.)    

Tufts Branch Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

Our Flagship property, these 81.3 acres are a combination of early succession forest, mature upland forest, wetlands and meadows.  The property, accessible from Healy Road in Dudley, was purchased in February 2008 from a group of real estate developers via a successful $250,000 capital campaign that involved grants from three foundations; a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts‘ Conservation Partnership program as well as substantial financial support from the local community.  In March 2010, the sanctuary was expanded via the purchase of 6.0 acres of landlocked upland forest known as “Parcel M.”  Access to the Tufts Branch Wildlife Sanctuary is made easy via a gravel parking area at the Healy Road trailhead and an informational kiosk built by Charles Perzanowski is available for hikers.  Most recently, the sanctuary is benefiting from 60’ of stonewall restoration work along Healy Road by Jason Hall and funded by the Janet Malser Humanities Trust.  We are quite proud of our trails and boardwalks, and have more trails in progress.

Tavormina Land

This 2.44 acre parcel of land just north of Peter Pond, and part of the never developed Hiland Park subdivision, was donated by Thomasine Tavormina in 2007 in memory of her parents, Thomas and Rochelle Jedrzynski.  The land features scenic views and pristine forest habitat, and was the first step in establishing a green/wildlife corridor on the eastern side of Dudley.  (See Hiland Park/Slater Woods.)

Leovich Landing

Leovich Landing is 4.1 acres at 52 Dudley Road in Oxford where the road crosses the French River.   It is one of the few places where a public road, the proposed French River Greenway route and a paddling access point are co-located.  The property is named after Peter Leovich, the prior owner of the property, who agreed to sell us this valuable parcel at a bargain sale of $63,000.  The acquisition of Leovich Landing had strong support of the Dudley, Oxford and Webster communities as well as the Town of Oxford, who donated $5,000.  Leovich Landing is managed by the French River Connection and in 2010 was readied for public access via a gravel parking area capable of holding 8 cars and an improved launching area for canoes and kayaks.  Although small in acreage, Leovich Landing is heavily used by paddlers for its convenient access to the French River.

Hiland Park/Slater Woods

Our most recent and ambitious project, the acquisition of the 68 acre Hiland Park property in September 2010 and the adjoining 74 acre Slater Woods property in February 2011 has resulted in the creation of a 1.5 mile long green/wildlife corridor from Mass Audubon holdings along Dudley-Oxford Road in Dudley to Peter Pond in Dudley.  The total cost to acquire these lands were $150,000, and again we are indebted to the local community and grant foundations for their benevolence.  We also want to thank the land owners for selling us these properties to include Barbara Schlichter (Hiland Park) as well as Bob Zipf and Joyce Harrington (Slater Woods).  Lastly, we wish to thank Charlie Wyman of the Massachusetts Audubon Society for his technical assistance and Brandon Kibbe of the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game for working tirelessly to secure a conservation restriction for Slater Woods.  In the coming months, we will work with our conservation partners in designing & constructing a trail system that can be used by the public.  A formal dedication of Hiland Park and Slater Woods is planned for 2012.

TBV Natural Resource Inventory Report DudleyFinalReport6.pdf

Click Pic for Slater Woods Photo Gallery