Excerpts from Audubon publication, Spring 2024
Kestral Land Trust purchased a 53 acre parcel, a habitat corridor for bobcats, bears, and birds, one of the largest undeveloped properties in the city in western Massachusetts. The trust is working with Audubon to finalize a conservation easement so most of the property will never be developed. It has been shown that conservation easements can drive home prices and rents up in spite of the environmental benefits. But with a new vision in mind, Kestral Land Trust will sell the remaining 11 acres to The Community Builders to construct 90 affordable housing units. Residents of these units will have access to the surrounding land for hiking, birding and outdoor recreation and appreciation of the surrounding nature.
This is a trend other Land trusts are embracing by retooling their mission to simultaneously address biodiversity and the affordable housing crisis. “Land Trust Alliance has published a guide in 2023 to help members integrate affordable housing into their work and have released a map indicating where conservation land trusts and affordable housing could team up.
