Wildlands Trust Protects 25 Acres of Duxbury’s Coast

Project protects against potential further development of Duxbury’s Standish Shore Coastline

November 15, 2008 Duxbury, MA– For many years, local conservationists have been concerned with the fate of 25 acres of open land on Standish Shore in Duxbury.  This beautiful waterfront land, comprising two separate 12.5 acre lots, had been gifted to the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society (DRHS) and the Unitarian Church during the 1980s by members of the Allen Family.  The parcels were originally part of the Allens’ 72-acre waterfront estate, which over the years, had been divided into smaller lots with multiple ownerships, leaving only two large parcels of waterfront land still intact.

Working with the State, the Town, and in partnership with DRHS and the Unitarian Church, the Wildlands Trust recently completed conservation restrictions that will add these 25 acres of protected coastline to Duxbury’s portfolio of conservation lands.  A conservation restriction allows land to stay in private ownership while restricting the landowner’s future rights to subdivide or develop the property.  The organization that holds the conservation restriction, in this case the Wildlands Trust, is responsible for monitoring the property to ensure that the terms of the restriction are being met.

“We are very fortunate that DRHS and the Unitarian Church chose to preserve these lands for the benefit of the community,” said Karen Grey, Executive Director of the Wildlands Trust.  “It is very difficult to protect significant tracts of waterfront land because where it does exist, developers have usually found it first and are willing to pay top dollar to obtain it.”