East Brookfield, MA


East Brookfield, Massachusetts
.East Brookfield official website More about East Brookfield What is Smart Growth? CMRPC Photographs courtesy of Gidge Miller Gidge is a volunteer director for Opacum Land Trust from East Brookfield	November, 2007 Working Together to Keep East Brookfield’s Rural, Small Town Appeal The Town of East Brookfield is very excited about its first step in the implementation of its Open Space Plan – the proposed purchase of the Pelletier and adjoining Ciecko properties. These parcels, with nearly 120 acres of upland forest, are critical to open space protection and passive recreation for the town. In addition, they include important wetland and water resources along with two areas of Priority and Estimated habitats according to the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife – NHESP. The economic and quality of life benefits from this project are enormous. East Brookfield can retain the town’s rural, small town nature by purchasing open space as well as avoid future tax increases to pay for the additional students, road maintenance, etc. if the properties were developed. As most people involved with town finances are aware, property taxes from residential developments do not pay for the additional costs to the town. The town was recently informed that the application for the state’s Self Help Grant, for the Pelletier property purchase, has been approved for $416,000. The townspeople of East Brookfield also voted last summer to provide additional funs for this purchase of up to $300,000. This is an impressive commitment from a small town of approximately 870 households indicating the support and wishes of the townspeople. East Brookfield’s Open Space Plan recommends working with local landowners for the preservation of as much of East Brookfield ’s Core Habitat as possible. Our long term plans have been discussed with other regional organizations, such as local land trusts and the Massachusetts Central Wildlife District, in order to connect the town’s protected lands with those of surrounding areas. Ultimately, it is hoped that connecting existing open space properties such as, the WMA property in the western portion of East Brookfield, Wells State Park in Sturbridge, and potentially with Spencer State Forest to the east, could link together over 5,000 acres of wildlife habitat in several local towns. The Pelletier and Ciecko properties sit in the northern central area of this extensive core habitat and are clearly linchpins to ensuring that this connection of open space habitats can occur. The development of the grant was quite an endeavor with many town folks involved and my thanks goes to every one of them. A special thanks also to Senator Steve Brewer for his assistance in getting this grant approved. - George Miller, Chairman, East Brookfield Master Plan Committee. George is also Opacum Land Trust's East Brookfield Liaison and sits on the Board of Director of Opacum Land Trust Opacum Land Trust Assists Town of East Brookfield Opacum Land Trust launched the Podunk Woods Biodiversity Initiative in 2002, focusing land conservation efforts around Wells State Park in Sturbridge, including most of the area north of the park in East Brookfield. Today, Opacum stewards three properties totaling 363 acres within Podunk Woods: Opacum Woods, the adjacent Herve & Mary Jane Gaumond Memorial Sanctuary, and First Acres Swamp, all in Sturbridge. In June of 2004, Opacum Land was awarded a $10,000 matching grant from the federally funded Quinebaug-Shetucket Heritage Corridor. This grant enabled the hiring of consultants from the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission in Worcester to create an Open Space & Recreation Plan for East Brookfield. The plan is now complete and ready to be used for acquisition of open space for passive and/or active uses, and habitat and freshwater resource protection. The Open Space & Recreation Plan is one chapter in the Master Plan. A Master Plan Committee was formed in East Brookfield in 2005 and since then, Phase 1 of the plan has been completed. This was made possible through grants totaling $15,000 from Massachusetts Environmental Trust and The Cricket Foundation. Opacum's Executive Director, Carol Childress, wrote all grants used in this project. Phase II of the Master Plan is underway, with appropriations for that phase appropriated by the residents of East Brookfield at town meeting. An Open Space & Recreation Plan and the Master Plan, will allow East Brookfield to be more competitive with other communities for state grant monies, such as from Self-help and Urban Self-help programs. During fundraising for the “matching” portion of these successful projects, Opacum raised $4,000 in donations to be used toward our first East Brookfield conservation project. With these successes, Opacum is poised to work with East Brookfield and its residents toward its first successful conservation project. If you’re a landowner and would like to learn more about conservation options for your property, call Carol Childress at 508 347-9144. You may also become a member of Opacum. As a member, you will receive e-news, and quarterly mailings of our newsletter which is packed with updates about our projects, information about our successes and properties, and our monthly programs. Donations and memberships may be sent to: Opacum Land Trust POB 233 Sturbridge, MA 01566 or donate now through the Network for Good.