Pond at Hoft Farm Preserve on Martha's Vineyard.
Hoft Farm Pond at Hoft Farm Preserve on Martha's Vineyard. © Isabelle Mackell

Places We Protect | The Nature Conservancy

Hoft Farm Preserve

Massachusetts

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Enjoyed by many for its trails, this preserve has a field station used by researchers and burn crews.

Why You Should Visit

The Preserve features a mix of (mostly hilly) pitch pine and oak woodlands, open fields, a small pond, and a small shrub swamp. The property sits on the Martha’s Vineyard moraine, meaning that its topography is hillier and more varied than that of most of our other Islands preserves making it a rewarding place to explore. It abuts other protected land holdings and provides some of the best hiking on the Vineyard.

Why TNC Selected This Site

The Hoft Farm property offers a unique perspective on the history of Martha’s Vineyard’s natural landscapes and the impact of humans on these landscapes. The 90 acres include a number of parcels of land in various stages of use and recovery. This tract was acquired largely because of the presence of a farm house, which was promptly expanded and renovated into the present-day Hoft Farm Field Station. The farm house overlooks Blackwater and Duarte’s Ponds, artificial impoundments on Blackwater Brook.

What TNC Is Doing

The farmhouse on the property is a private residence (not open to the public) and is also used as a field station to support ecological research on the land and to house burn crews who conduct prescribed burns on the islands.

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What to See

Trails on land owned by The Nature Conservancy and partner organizations wind through a mix of open fields, pitch pine and dry oak forests. Depending on the time of year you visit you may see woodland, field and bog plants typical of the moraine as well as box turtles, neotropical migrant birds and cooper's hawks.

Preserve Policies

  • Preserve open daily from dawn to dusk
  • Foot traffic only
  • Groups larger than 10 people are asked to coordinate their visit with our Islands Office at 508-693-6287.
  • Please stay on the trail
  • No collecting of plants or animals or metal detecting.
  • Carry out all litter
  • No fires, smoking or camping

Accessibility

  • All reasonable requests for special accommodations will be made with ample notice.
  • If you have any questions while planning your outing, please contact our Islands office at 508-693-6287.

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