Farmington
Bob and Debbie Leary worked with conservation organizations to place their forests and fields under permanent conservation. 77 acres were originally conserved through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Wetland Reserve Program. 63 additional acres are conserved in an NRCS Agricultural Land Easement through MMRG. The total area of conserved land is 140 acres.
Once part of a working dairy farm, the Leary’s continue to maintain the agricultural value of their land through active management and soil improvement. They also use the property for maple sugaring and hay production. The conserved area provides public access on 2.1 miles of well-groomed trails and protects prime agricultural soils and valuable watershed. These woodlands also support roaming fisher, bobcat, and moose. The fields provide important grassland habitat for northern harriers to hunt and for breeding Bobolinks, as well as milkweed supporting monarch butterfly habitat and migration.