Doggett Brook Farm is surrounded by conservation lands and contains Doggett Brook, which flows to the Sippican River and Buzzards Bay.

Right now, a highly visible and critically-important part of the town’s agricultural and natural landscape needs our attention. A 60-acre property that contains productive agricultural soils and woodlands along Doggett Brook, an important tributary of the Sippican River, is now in a position to be protected forever.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition has moved quickly to secure a purchase & sales agreement to purchase and permanently protect the Doggett Brook Farm property from development. The outcome will forever preserve the land as part of the town’s rich legacy of farm, woods, wetlands, and clean water.

The Coalition is once again partnering with the Rochester Land Trust (RLT) to seize this exciting opportunity.

Why this place?

Dogget Brook runs through the southern end of the property.

The farm, located in the southeastern part of the Town of Rochester, consists of beautiful, scenic and open fields with excellent agricultural soils. It has long been used as a hayfield, and in recent years, it has been used for organically-grow vegetables. It is a highly scenic property on Route 105, located between the village centers of Rochester and Marion. In many ways, it defines Rochester’s southern “front door.”

The property’s agricultural fields, stream-front wetlands, and its mixed hardwood and pine woodland occupy a strategic location in protecting wildlife habitat and clean water. Doggett Brook flows through the southern end of the property on its way to the Sippican River and Buzzards Bay. Protection of these lands will play an important role in supporting fish and wildlife habitat in the brook and keeping clean water flowing to the Bay.

In addition, the Doggett Brook Farm property sits amidst nearby protected conservation lands, including the Rochester Land Trust’s Church Wildlife Conservation Area; the Lincoln P. Holmes Memorial Woods, owned by the Wildlands Trust; and the Haskell Swamp Wildlife Management Area, owned by the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game. Protecting the farm property will enhance those investments and expand habitat for a wide variety of species.

Your support

Together, the Coalition and the Rochester Land Trust seek to resell the property on to a new owner—hopefully a farmer committed to continuing responsible agricultural practices on the open fields—while protecting the site from development through a permanent Conservation Restriction. One house site and an allowance for farm buildings will be retained, but the remainder of the site will remain undeveloped forever.

The support of the community of people who love Rochester’s agricultural and natural character is now critical if we are to succeed at the preservation of Doggett Brook Farm. Contributions toward this project will fund the cost of placing a permanent Conservation Restriction on the property, thus ensuring its permanent preservation. Give now >>

If you or someone you know would be interested in purchasing this farm, subject to Conservation Restriction, please contact Brendan Annett (x214) or Mark Rasmussen (x201) at the Buzzards Bay Coalition: 508-999-6363.