Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary was honored with the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition’s 2026 Excellence in Conservation Award at the 36th Annual Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference, held today at UMass Amherst. An audience of over 600 was on hand for the presentation.
Each year, the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition presents the Excellence in Conservation Award to a land trust or collaboration of conservation partners in recognition of a project that demonstrates excellence in any aspect of land conservation work, advances the cause of conservation in a creative and substantive way, and serves as an inspiration for other conservation organizations in the state.
“This project meets all those criteria in a particularly compelling way,” noted Robb Johnson, the Coalition’s Executive Director. “Our award committee found this to be an inspiring model for how to engage a diverse community and forge creative partnerships to realize a vision for the property that addresses multiple community needs.”
The 20-acre Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary was created from what was long known as Rollie’s Farm, a beloved Christmas tree farm which also sold sought-after corn and tomatoes.
When its owners began planning for retirement, they began a conversation with Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust about how to ensure the property would remain accessible to the public forever. After several years of fundraising and planning with partners Mass Audubon and Mill City Grows, that vision became a reality when a parking area and wheelchair-accessible trail system opened to the public in December 2024.
Mass Audubon owns the Sanctuary, subject to a permanent Conservation Restriction co-held by Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust and the City of Lowell – which contributed Community Preservation Act funding toward the purchase.
Mill City Grows is an integral partner, leasing farm fields and community garden plots on the property.
The property is now open to the public and includes a 0.75 mile All Persons accessible trail.
Planned for installation this year are an outdoor classroom pavilion and a one-acre food forest, where visitors will eventually be able to harvest native wild edible crops like nuts, fruits, and berries.
Future plans include an education center, farm support barn, and nature play area, along with continued ecological restoration.
In designing the Sanctuary, project partners orchestrated nine listening sessions in four locally dominant languages to understand what this new asset could mean to Lowell. The chosen plan reflects the community’s strong desire for fresh food, nature education programs, summer camp, and opportunities for multi-generational outdoor gathering.
“We appreciate this recognition from the land trust community that reflects the power of partnership in bringing much-needed open space to the people of Lowell and ensuring everyone everywhere has the opportunity to access the wonderful benefits nature provides,” said Mass Audubon President & CEO David O’Neill. “Pawtucket Farm is a tremendous example of what can be accomplished when collaboration and community are prioritized in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss.”
More information on Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary is available here and here.
