As a follow-up to the Press article of September 13 —“John Grady offers land to preserve Harvard’s unique sense of place”—the Harvard Conservation Trust (HCT) is pleased to report that thanks to a rapid and generous community response, we met the September deadline and now have the funds needed to purchase and permanently protect John’s Field. This truly has been a community effort, and we are grateful to all those who stepped forward to help conserve this parcel. We would also like to thank John for his generous bargain sale of the land, and for his patience and steadfast commitment to the project.
Anyone who has driven, walked, jogged, or pedaled past the John’s Field stretch of Slough Road has experienced the beauty and openness of the land. It is places like this that help define Harvard and the Nashoba region, and make it a wonderful place to call home. Over winter, HCT will plan for the opening and ongoing stewardship of the property, considering things such as: creating and connecting trails, keeping the field in an open condition, removing and controlling invasive species, and continuing arrangements with local farmers to keep the land in agriculture. We welcome your ideas and suggestions on any of these topics or other stewardship considerations in the months ahead.
Finally, we are already looking forward to a spring gathering to celebrate the official opening of John’s Field. Thanks again, to the community, for making this project a success.
Tom Cotton
Conservation Trust board president
