Town of Plymouth Announces Crawley Woodlands Preserve Celebration
Plymouth-The Town of Plymouth is pleased to announce a celebration ceremony in recognition of the Crawley Woodlands Preserve land acquisition located off of Billington Street. The event will take place at the site at 1 P.M. this Friday, October 9th, 2009.
The ceremony will be attended by Senate President Murray, Undersecretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Phillip Griffiths, Commissioner of Fish and Game Mary Griffin, State Representatives Vinny deMacedo and Thomas Calter, representatives of the Crawley family, and many other State and Town officials.
The Crawley Property is a 70 acre acquisition that Plymouth acquired as part of our Challenge Grant with the State. The funds for this acquisition came from a number of sources. $500,000 came from the Federal Government through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, $1,250,000 came from the State through two funding sources: the Department of Fish and Game and the Challenge Grant. The final piece of funding was $650,000 from the local CPA funds. In addition, the Crawley family donated approximately 40% of the value of the land. This purchase was a great collaborative effort by many different levels of government and a cooperative seller.
The property is designated a “priority habitat” by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program and represents a valuable wildlife habitat, but the parcel also protects not only habitat and open space but also the public drinking water supply; this parcel represents 73% of the Zone II for the Lout Pond well. The Crawley Woodlands Preserve purchase is a great example of easily accessible open space within close proximity of the downtown area and other parks like Morton Park and Town Brook. It also provides a key link towards completing trail connections to the Eel River watershed and the downtown/waterfront area.
“I am very pleased that the Town acquired this property as it is a great final piece in the puzzle that was the Challenge Grant,” said Plymouth’s Acting DPW Director and Environmental Manager David Gould. “This was a wonderful collaboration by Federal, State, and Local organizations to protect some of Plymouth’s most vital natural resources.”
”The Crawley family is pleased to see this environmentally sensitive property become a public preserve for the use and enjoyment of the citizens of Massachusetts,” said a Crawley family representative.
“With almost 50 acres mapped as Priority Habitat, frontage on two Great Ponds, as well as pocket wetlands and kettle holes; the Crawley acquisition is a great example of the type of land we should be permanently protecting,” remarked Liz Sullivan, Plymouth’s Conservation Planner.~ “Thanks to the Crawley family for their commitment to the environment, the public will now enjoy in perpetuity all the benefits this gem of a property has to offer.”
DIRECTIONS TO SITE:
From Route 3 South:~ Take exit 6B following Samoset Street past Stop & Shop
At the next set of lights you will take a left onto Pilgrim Hill Road
Turn left onto Summer Street
Take a right onto Westerly Road (flashing yellow light)
Take a right onto Billington Street
After you pass “Orchard Hills” subdivision on your left, you’ll see a cranberry bog on your right, the entrance to the site is just after the bog.~
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From Route 3 North:~ Take exit 6 following Samoset Street West past Stop & Shop – Follow same directions above
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