U.S. Forest Service Chief Bosworth to speak at Pepperell, Mass. TPL land protection event

DURHAM, N.H.— U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth will deliver a short speech at a significant land protection public ceremony in Pepperell, Mass., May 31. The speech will discuss the federal agency’s role in protecting certain pristine lands to safeguard open space.

Loss of open space is one of the four major national threats facing America’s forests today. The other three are fire and fuels, invasive species and unmanaged recreation. Every day, about 4,000 acres of open space are converted to developed land—about 3 acres per minute. America is losing the large, relatively undisturbed forests which animals like marten, bear, and cougar need to survive.

The Trust for Public Lands is hosting the Massachusetts ceremony commemorating the successful protection of the 265-acre Pepperell Springs (Belmont) forested tract. A partnership of local, state and federal stakeholders made the land protection deal possible. The Trust for Public Lands purchased the land Dec. 29 and will donate the property to the Town of Pepperell, Mass., during the Tuesday event. The Forest Service provided $1.383 million in Federal Forest Legacy funding for the $3.2 million land protection project. Other important partners in the project included the Nashoba Conservation Trust, the Nashua River Watershed Association, and the Nissitissit River Land Trust, the Town of Pepperell, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and countless individuals.

TPL Field Representative Chris Lapointe said, "The Pepperell Springs property is a signature forest landscape in New England, and this is a great time to show our appreciation for the federal Forest Legacy program, which made the Pepperell project possible. We look forward to welcoming Chief Bosworth to the property for the upcoming celebration."

Since its first federal appropriation in Fiscal Year 1992, the Forest Legacy Program has provided $208 million in federal funds to conserve more than one million acres of land across 29 U.S. states.