Critical Bay Farmland, Bird Habitat Protected in Dartmouth Oil Spill Penalty Funds Secured by Coalition-Led Partnership Enable Project's Successful Completion
More than 150 acres of farmland and important migratory bird habitat on Dike Creek, a tributary of Apponagansett Bay, are now permenently preserved thanks to more than six years of sustained effort by Dartmouth citizens and a federal grant secured by a Coalition-led partnership. The land conservation will assist in the long-term protection of water quality, shellfish, and wildlife in Apponagansett Bay. The project was conceived by a group of Dartmouth residents who were concerned with the potential environmental impacts posed by an 81-lot subdivision. While the project was approved in the 1980s, the development was never completed due to financing difficulties and the property was later sold. In 2001, Dartmouth citizens approached The Coalition for Buzzards Bay and The Trustees of Reservations for assistance with the project. The Trustees negotiated a purchase agreement with the landowner and together the two organizations mounted a fundraising campaign to protect the property. Late last year, the project received $950,000 of the $2.4 million in funds granted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Program to underwrite land acquisitions and marsh restoration projects throughout the Bay watershed. NAWCA funds are derived from penalty money paid by the Bouchard Transportation Company as a result of the company's negligence which caused the April 2003 Buzzards Bay oil spill. “When The Coalition for Buzzards Bay first became involved with the Dike Creek property, the land was threatened with a major housing subdivision and the Bay was threatened by runoff pollution associated with that type of development so close to the creek’s wetlands,” says Mark Rasmussen, Executive Director of the Coalition. “Today, we are proud to have played a part in seeing that it remains as open space forever. The preservation of this land is one of the most important steps ever taken toward the long-term protection of water quality, shellfish and wildlife in Apponagansett Bay.”
“Some land conservation deals are worth waiting for and the Dike Creek property in Dartmouth is one of those projects,” says Andrew Kendall, President of The Trustees, a non-profit conservation organization. “It certainly took longer than we expected, but ultimately it turned out to be one of the most important contributions we’ll ever make to the landscape and environment of Apponagansett Bay.” Private gifts and a generous loan from the Architectural Heritage Foundation kept the project afloat for several years, while the partners worked to secure public funding to complete the transaction. That funding was awarded late in 2006 through the NAWCA Program. “Thanks to a group effort and funding support through the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, what began as a great conservation idea has now become a tremendous conservation success,” adds Anthony Cucchi, Trustees of Reservations Land Protection Specialist. “Local supporters have spent years trying to save the property and with the help of our community and federal partners, their persistence has finally paid off. Having learned from this experience, we hope to replicate this success story in other towns around the state before it’s too late.” Photos ©Tim Sylvia |
The property—known previously as the Gulf Meadows subdivision—is now forever protected by a conservation restriction, which commits the property to farming use and permits only one residence to be built. In addition to the protections provided by the conservation restriction, 40 acres of the farm, composed of wetlands, saltmarsh, and a portion of Dike Creek, were conveyed to the Dartmouth Conservation Commission. 
