On October 26th the town of Amherst entered into an agreement to purchase 45 acres of land, and the Amherst Land Trust purchased the right to place that land and an additional 21 acres into conservation, together protecting what we now call the Post Road Forest.  If ever a motto fit the Amherst Land Trust for 2023, it would be "winners never quit." It took over two years but we never stopped negotiating to maximize the conservation in the Clearview development project. With the help of over 175 individual donors, raising a big part of the 2 million dollars needed, we are now set to conserve this pearl in a string of protected land parcels running from Amherst to Mont Vernon. 

But that was just the most public of our accomplishments this year. As always, we continued to see progress on several projects, from bike/ped trail easements across Amherst, easements to protect farmland on Mack Hill, plus trails and aquifer protection on a large tract near Merrimack. To do all this good work, we pay legal, survey, regulatory and other bills and taxes.  Not to mention the continual monitoring of the properties for which we are stewards – properties like Wah Lum Reserve, Grater Woods, Joshua’s Park, Bragdon Hill, and Lindabury Orchard. Our all-volunteer board donates hundreds of hours to get this job done. But we can’t do it all ourselves! So, if you receive a letter or email from us looking for donations, you know the good work it’s for!  Please help us out by signing up for 2024 membership and donate today.  

– Sally Wilkins, President. Amherst Land Trust​