One of the largest land trusts on the Island just got a little bigger.
In “an historic agreement” announced Thursday, the Vineyard Open Land Foundation (VOLF) handed over stewardship of all its lands to Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, the largest conservation land acquisition in Sheriff’s Meadow’s history.
“We are honored that the Vineyard Open Land Foundation has conveyed these lands to Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation,” Adam Moore, president of Sheriff’s Meadow, said in a press release. “We look forward to serving as the steward of these lands for generations to come.
Through the agreement, VOLF conveyed 256 acres to Sheriff’s Meadow through properties at Squibnocket Farm and the Eddy Farm in Chilmark and Cranberry Acres, an organic cranberry bog in Vineyard Haven, as well as four conservation restrictions, two in West Tisbury, one in Chilmark, and one in Edgartown, which are just under another 100 acres in size.
According to the press release, Sheriff Meadow plans to continue operation of the organic cranberry bog on Lambert’s Cove Road, which will open soon for harvest and sales, under VOLF supervision. Plans for the Squibnocket Farm and Eddy Farm properties “will be written and implemented after time for ecological inventory, study, and consultation, building on previous VOLF ecologic studies and management,” the release stated.
Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Henry Beetle Hough in 1958, protects 3,500 acres of land across the Island, including 75 preserves, and holds 45 conservation restrictions over more than 1,000 acres.
The VOLF is a charitable trust founded in 1970 to assist and prompt the preservation of the nature and character of Martha’s Vineyard and minimize land development along highways, byways, and shores, a mission similar to Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation. It preserved more than 2,035 acres of land across the Island and planned the creation of 16 conservation developments through below-market residential sites for Islanders, the press release said. Some of the projects include Sweetened Water Farm, the preservation of the top of Peaked Hill, Pilot Hill Farm, King Point, Nat’s Farm, the Edgartown Pond Lot (now known as Huckleberry Barrens), Cranberry Acres, the Goethals property, and Squibnocket Farm, which took 10 years to complete and preserved 364 acres.
VOLF has also preserved roadside vistas and uninterrupted natural vegetation along public roads. Founding trustees of VOLF included Jerome Weisner, Mary P. Wakeman, Hans Loeser, William Honey, Herbert E. Tucker, Jr., Ann Hale, Edward Logue, Henry Beetle Hough, Kevin Lynch, Robert Simon, and James Alley.
“Over the years, the changing nature of the Vineyard real estate market resulted in less planning opportunities for VOLF’s work as larger parcels that came on the market were purchased by wealthy Vineyard summer residents as ‘kingdom properties’ and by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank’s ability to acquire parcels for preservation and public use,” the press release stated.
