The Rochester Land Trust (RLT) is pleased to announce the purchase of an 11-acre property from new Rochester residents Mike and Charlotte Spieldenner. This acquisition was made with the help of a Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program grant and will allow RLT to open nearly 44 acres to the public. In 2006, the Fordyce Properties Trust donated 26.5 acres to the RLT, but due to inaccessibility caused by wetlands, it wasn’t opened to the public. An abutting, 5.8-acre parcel owned by the Rochester Conservation Commission, which had previously been landlocked, can now also be enjoyed.
There are several trails, made by wildlife, neighborhood kids, and hunters, running through these formerly separate properties. RLT will work to clear these trails as weather permits. This property can be accessed through the town-owned drainage parcel at the bottom of Haskell Ridge Road off of Walnut Plain Road. An official opening walk will be announced in the spring.