The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts

Places We Protect

Kayaking in Western, MA © Mark Tulay

Across the Commonwealth, we have identified nearly one million acres in need of conservation activity, and taken a leadership role in the protection of some of state's most critical landscapes. These areas include the Berkshire Taconic Landscape, Cape Cod, the Massachusetts Islands, the Plymouth Pinelands, and the Westfield River Watershed.

The Berkshire Taconic Landscape
Along the borders of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York lies the Berkshire Taconic Landscape. This landscape boasts a remarkable forest plateau and globally significant wetlands, and is home to many rare plants, animals and natural communities.

Roger and Virginia Drury
Tatkon

Westfield River Watershed and Connecticut River Valley
Central and western Massachusetts contain all or part of eleven exceptionally large, intact forest areas. These areas provide important habitat for wide ranging mammals, like the black bear, mink, fisher and bobcat, and interior forest nesting birds.

McElwain-Olsen
Reed Brook
Hawley Bog
Stacy Mountain
Greene Swamp

Southeast Massachusetts
Southeast Massachusetts is our state's fastest growing region. It also hosts ecosystems that provide essential services for people and nature. From rare pine barrens to the Taunton River, the Conservancy is working to preserve and restore the natural resources that define this region.

Black Pond
Halfway Pond Island

Cape Cod
Cape Cod, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States, is also home to some of the largest and most pristine barrier beaches and dune systems, salt marshes, and coastal plain ponds in the Northeast.

Grassy Pond
Boat Meadow
Sandy Neck

Islands
The coastal sandplain ecosystem found on Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and the surrounding Massachusetts Islands is one of the most beautiful and threatened natural systems in the world, with only one percent of its original global acreage still remaining.

David H. Smith
Hoft Farm
Katama Plains
Francis Newhall
Miacomet Moors
Homer-Watcha

The Connecticut River
From its start at a small, lonely pond near the Canadian border, the Connecticut River runs more than 410 miles - past forests, and farms, small towns and industrial cities built and occasionally ravaged by its power. Fed by 38 major tributaries and draining a basin of 11,985 square miles, the river passes rapids where bald eagles swoop for fish and through tidal marshes teeming with marine and bird life.

Massachusetts Preserve Guide
Looking for a quiet place to relax, walk, or cross country ski? The Massachusetts Chapter is offering a free guide to The Nature Conservancy's preserves across the state. In addition to mapping out the location of each site, the guide also provides information on available trails and the plants and animals you might find during your visit. To request a copy, call (617) 227-7017 or e-mail massachusetts@tnc.org.