by Bob Douglas ·
Friday, April 24, 2026
I strongly urge Harvard residents to vote “No” on Articles 25, 26, 27. The proposed solar project at the “‘gravel pit” and the larger Warila land will cause irreparable harm to our town forests, the habitat of protected species, and existing outdoor passive recreational amenities.
One of the things that makes Harvard such a wonderful place is its natural areas. The 2024 Open Space & Recreation Plan resident survey showed 73% of respondents said that they “extremely value” open space. That percentage combined with the 23% that responded “valued very much” is a remarkable 96% of citizens that highly value open space.
Consider this vision statement from Harvard’s Open Space Plan:
“As the town population increases, so does the need to protect finite natural, historical, and cultural resources. It is necessary to acquire, or otherwise protect, undeveloped forest lands, recreational lands, ecologically sensitive areas, critical fish and wildlife habitats, unique landscapes, or scenic vistas, and historically or culturally significant features of the landscape for the functions, values, and benefits they provide.”
By cutting, leveling, and developing these areas the town would actually be destroying these high value areas clearly contrary to the town’s Open Space Plan vision.
I’m not unsympathetic to the town’s need for energy or income. I’m a longtime supporter of solar power, and I have worked as an environmental regulator on several solar fields including the massive 18-acre SunGen field (4,000 KW) in Andover. However, solar development has to be done responsibly—we need to both develop solar and protect our open spaces, our aquifers, and our important ecological habitats.
I have concerns about the Stow Road gravel pit property and the proposed solar field. The term “gravel pit” is not an apt description for the property. The property was historically mined for gravel, but I don’t think it has been used for that purpose for several decades. The tall trees on the spoil-mounds attest that the overall area has been undisturbed for a very long time. The DPW uses a semi-cleared area about a third of an acre in size in the front of the lot. Farther back there are other grassed-over cleared areas; the rest is in tree cover.
The overall property is not the desolate landscape that the title “gravel pit” would suggest. It boasts tall maples, beautiful white pines, and acorn-rich red and white oaks. On a recent walk I saw fox, deer, bobcat, and coyote tracks. It’s a scenic area and is used daily by dog walkers and neighbors. There are stone walls dating back to the 1800s and massive trees that stand as quiet witnesses that portions of the property were never mined for gravel.
In addition to its beauty, this is a biologically important area and part of a medley of connected natural properties including Enchanted Meadows, the town of Harvard conservation land, and the Harvard Conservation Trust Greenway. These wildlands stretch from Bolton to Littleton in a broad mosaic of land trusts, public, and private lands. This entire area is a well-known vital wildlife corridor. There is a reasonable fear that a multiacre fenced industrial solar field would severely disrupt it.
Farther south on Stow Road, the Warila land is a much larger parcel at 30-plus acres. It is town-owned woodland sandwiched between the Pine Hill Way and the protected Damon/Stephenson town conservation properties. Warila comprises wetlands, heathy forested uplands, and has a stream or small river that flows through it. The Warila property is listed as state core habitat and critical natural landscape. It is a beautiful natural area and not a good candidate for a solar field.
The “gravel pit” area is recognized by the state for its biological importance. The state BioMap shows the property is surrounded on all sides by designated core habitat and is identified as “critical for the long-term health of rare species, exemplary natural communities, and resilient ecosystems” across the commonwealth. Additionally, the state’s Natural Heritage map used for locating endangered species shows the immediately adjacent Eastern Greenway as an area of estimated habitat and priority habitat. A state protected species was found within a few hundred feet of the “pit” property. We all know wildlife does not stop at our arbitrary human-made property lines—and these threatened and endangered species may well be using the property at this time. The proposed land clearing, leveling, and fencing required would have adverse effects on the area’s habitat and would be contrary to the town’s open space vision. This is a biologically important parcel, and it is worthy of protection.
I encourage you all to visit the Massachusetts BioMap available online and read more about it—and zoom in on this section of Harvard. An argument could be made that these two parcels (“gravel pit” and Warila) are ecologically some of the worst places in town to build on.
These parcels of land already serve a very consequential role—as they are regularly used by the town’s two- and four-legged residents—and turning them into an industrial use would be contrary to the best interests of the town.
Please vote “No” on Articles 25, 26, 27 at the May 2 Town Meeting.
Bob Douglas is an environmental scientist and the former director of conservation for the town of Andover.