Conservation Groups Preserve 102 Acres on Lake Nippenicket in Bridgewater

Project prevents further subdivision of important natural area

BRIDGEWATER, MASSACHUSETTS — February 4, 2008 — The Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts and The Nature Conservancy recently preserved 88 acres of land on Lake Nippenicket in Bridgewater, as well as a nearby 14-acre island that is the largest in the lake.

The groups worked with Campanelli Companies of Braintree, which purchased the land in 2004. Campanelli proposed and received approval for a ten-lot subdivision that included the existing historic home and nine new building lots.

Following consultations with the Conservancy and the Commonwealth’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, Campanelli generously agreed not to seek permits for additional housing and instead placed the majority of the mainland acreage into conservation, and also agreed to preserve the island lying just offshore.

The conserved lands abut the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Game’s extensive Hockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area, which is in the heart of the 562-square mile Taunton River Watershed. This healthy and diverse watershed is home to 170 miles of river, more than 200 lakes and ponds and 27 different natural communities. In turn, these habitats – from the wetlands of Hockomock Swamp to the tidal marshes of Assonet Bay – support hundreds of species such as bald eagles, river otters and New England’s largest population of river herring.

The region has long been identified as a priority for conservation; in 1990, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts designated a 17,000-acre area around Lake Nippenicket as the “Hockomock Swamp Area of Critical Environmental Concern.”

“This project shows what partners can do together to protect important landscapes,” noted Wildlands Trust Land Protection Specialist Scott MacFaden. “We are pleased to have worked with The Nature Conservancy and the Campanelli Companies to preserve this important property within the Hockomock Swamp ACEC, and also wish to recognize the critical support provided by others, particularly the Lake Nippenicket Association and the Bridgewater Beagle Club.”

The primarily wooded parcel includes extensive frontage on Lake Nippenicket, and expands the assemblage of conservation lands surrounding the Lake. The area provides essential habitat for several rare species, such as Eastern box turtle and Blue-spotted salamander, and is also home to a number of vernal pools.

The Wildlands Trust now owns the property outright and is responsible for managing the land, while The Nature Conservancy holds a permanent conservation restriction. This added layer of protection ensures that the land will remain undeveloped.

“We’re pleased to have played a part in this effort to preserve over 100 acres in the Taunton River watershed,” added Robb Johnson, Southeast Massachusetts Director for The Nature Conservancy. “We were fortunate to work cooperatively with concerned neighbors and Campanelli Associates to show that new development can be balanced with conservation.”

The Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts is a Duxbury-based nonprofit land conservation organization established in 1973. It preserves land in four Southeastern Massachusetts counties, and has protected over 5,400 acres of land in 30 communities across the region.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.