Prouty Community Forest

Prouty Woods Community Forest Project Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why did the Prouty Family decide to sell their property to New England Forestry 

    Foundation?

Donald Prouty passed away in April of 2002, and his widow, Carey Prouty, and his brother, Roger Prouty, decided it was time to sell their property. The property was listed for sale with LandVest. The Prouty’s are committed to conserving their land and leaving a legacy to the Town of Littleton. To support the conservation of this property, which consists of 107 acres, stretching from Fay Park to Long Lake, they agreed to sell the property to NEFF at a price substantially below fair market value. The Prouty’s and NEFF desire the land to be conserved as protected open space, to be called “Prouty Woods Community Forest”, for the benefit of the residents of Littleton and surrounding communities.

2.What is the Town being asked to Vote?

The Town is being asked to vote $1,000,000 for the purchase a Conservation Restriction with public access to ensure the property is conserved and to ensure the land can be used for passive recreation, conservation and educational purposes. The Conservation Commission and Board of Selectman have applied to the State’s Self-Help Program for a grant which if successful will reimburse the Town $500,000 for the acquisition. The purchase of the conservation restriction for $1.0 million from NEFF will help make it feasible for NEFF to acquire and conserve the property and relocate its main office to Littleton.

3. How was the value of the purchase and conservation restriction determined?

Two appraisals for the property were completed for the Town. The Prouty family has agreed to sell the property to NEFF for $2,650,000, substantially below the appraised values.

	LandVest	Avery & Associates
Market Value:	$3,230,000	$2,900,000
Value subject to Conservation Restriction:	$2,200,000	$1,855,000
Value of Conservation Restriction:	$1,030,000	$1,045,000

4. Who now owns the land and how will it be managed?

The New England Forestry Foundation owns the land, subject to the conservation restriction held by the Town, and it is managed as a demonstration community forest. The conservation restriction document includes language stating that forestry activities must be conducted in accordance with a Forest Management Plan prepared by a professional forester that addresses a detailed set of ecological criteria. The management plan also addresses additional issues such as public use, parking, and watershed protection for Long Lake.

5. Will there be public access to the land?

The public has guaranteed access to the existing trail network for passive recreational uses including hiking, cross country skiing, nature observation, and non-motorized boat landing from Long Lake, subject to rules and regulations established by NEFF to protect the public safety and the property. By agreement with NEFF, the Town has access to the site, including future use of the Wilderness Hill residence for educational programs in partnership with the Town’s schools or other local civic organizations.

6. What land is NEFF excluding from sale of the conservation restriction and why?

The property consists of 107 acres of land, the main house, barn, outbuildings, and residence on Wilderness Hill. NEFF excluded 13.2 acres from the conservation restriction to allow for future potential expansion near existing structures, site flexibility and to retain equity in the property for financial purposes. An additional six acres adjacent to the Town-owned Morgan property was excluded as well to allow flexibility to combine the six acres with the Town land to attract other potential funding to the project from the Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program.

7. What does the conservation restriction protect/conserve?

A development analysis of the property indicates that up to twenty building lots could be developed on the site, including six estate lots on Long Lake, and a trophy-type lot on Wilderness Hill. Successful soil percolation tests were completed demonstrating the development potential of the land. The conservation restriction will eliminate any future development potential of the property. The Prouty land includes 1600 feet of frontage on Long Lake, a key community resource that includes the Town beach, and 180-acre Long Lake Park (Frost-Whitcomb) which is on the opposite shore from the Prouty property. Wilderness Hill is one of the Town’s tallest points and provides beautiful vistas of the Monadnock Range and Mount Wachusett. The Prouty property is contiguous with the Town-owned Morgan property and will protect an extensive system of wetlands and intermittent streams. The site also hosts a network of walking trails maintained by the Littleton Conservation Trust that expand on a town-wide trail network from the Morgan property to Long Lake and around Wilderness Hill.

8. Why is this conservation restriction good for the public?

For local residents, the conservation restriction assures that the land will remain a managed forest and that the natural resources of the site remain intact. Healthy forests, clear lakes, abundant fisheries, productive wildlife habitat, recreation and outdoor educational opportunities are of critical importance to all residents. The purchase of the conservation restriction will provide for the protection of these resources at considerably less cost to the Town than if the Town sought to buy the land outright. NEFF is also responsible for management of the property at no expense to the Town. If for some unforeseen reason NEFF could no longer continue to own the property, the conservation restriction runs with the land, in perpetuity, and is binding on future owners, in perpetuity.

9. What other benefits are there to the Town from this project?

NEFF seeks to establish a long-term partnership with the Town to promote conservation and sound land use policies. NEFF will agree to work as a willing partner with the Town on future open space acquisitions by providing loan funds to the Town or acting on the Town’s behalf on conservation projects, subject to availability of funds at NEFF.

10. What is the urgency for completing this project?

As land is increasingly sub-divided into ever-smaller parcels, the chance to secure 107 acres of contiguous forest and open land within minutes of Route 495 and only 26 miles from Boston is surely a one-time opportunity. With the passing of Don Prouty the property was going to be sold to address the needs of the family. NEFF has arranged bank financing to purchase the property and Roger Prouty generously agreed to donate $500,000 of the sale proceeds to NEFF if the Town voted to purchase the conservation restriction. NEFF’s closing date for the purchase was September 30, 2003. In addition to the purchase price of $2.65 million, an additional $1.85 million needed to be raised privately to cover transaction and holding costs and provide for an endowment for property management and educational uses. A successful Town vote gave the private fundraising a tremendous boost.

11. Who is the New England Forestry Foundation and where does their funding come 

       from?

NEFF is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1944, dedicated to providing for the conservation and ecologically sound management of New England’s privately held and community forestlands. NEFF owns 128 demonstration community forests covering 23,000 acres throughout New England and protects another 1,136,000 acres of land by conservation easement, including the Pingree family lands in Maine, the largest conservation easement in the United States. NEFF is a small organization, currently with 12 staff and a $1.2 million operating budget. The organization relies on gifts, grants, membership, and timber revenues to support operations. NEFF's headquarters are in Littleton, Massachusetts at Prouty Woods Community Forest.