Morrie Gasser is the president of the Hopkinton Area Land Trust, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Protecting valuable conservation land in Hopkinton is a responsibility the Hopkinton Area Land Trust has taken seriously since its founding. Now celebrating its 30th year, the trust is continuing this work as it celebrates its decades of service to the town.

“We are celebrating the fact we’ve been around 30 years and we’re still able to make a difference in town,” said HALT president Morrie Gasser.

HALT was founded in 1995 by former Hopkinton resident Dave Goldman — along with Betty Fitzpatrick, Caroline Geishecker, David Goldman, Darlene McCormick and Mary Pratt — with a vision to protect Hopkinton’s open space, according to the trust’s website. Gasser said the group’s formation was the response of rapid development “threatening to gobble up all the open space” in town.

Run by a small board of volunteer directors, HALT has worked to protect that open space, increase the availability and quantity of recreational areas and “maintain the quality of life in Hopkinton.” 

Today, the trust is responsible for 900 acres of land either owned by the nonprofit directly or under conservation restrictions. It also has created and continues to manage over 25 miles of public trails across town. Gasser noted that two upcoming projects will add another 150 acres to HALT’s survey. 

One of those projects is the Hughes/Colella property on Hayden Rowe Street. “HALT will be given the conservation restrictions to manage those properties,” said Gasser. “Those two properties together provide a lot of open space.”

The other project HALT is working on is in Ashland. Gasser explained that the town of Ashland wants to give HALT the conservation restriction for a property known as the Valentine Estate. Ashland purchased the property in 2018 and has been renovating it as an event space. The conservation restriction currently is with the state, a process Gasser said takes some time.

“Getting these conservation restrictions through the state bureaucracy takes an incredibly long amount of time — sometimes years,” he said. 

Community through preservation

Acquiring properties and conservation restrictions is just part of the work HALT has done in the community over its 30 years. Other key areas of its mission beyond conservation and acquisition are education and facilitating the use of land conservation, recreation and wildlife preservation.

Gasser explained that much of the work HALT does involves trail work. The trust works regularly on trail improvement projects to improve accessibility. Recently, HALT has focused on building bridges on different trails in town.

“A lot of the trails we have go over streams and wetlands, and places like that need bridges,” Gasser said. He added that because of this work, almost all of the trust’s trails are walkable, even when areas experience excess rain.

To accomplish these projects, HALT will collaborate with volunteers, its members and the local community. Gasser said that Scouts often approach the trust looking for projects. Recent trail-related projects he noted included plant and tree identification, along with the installation of bat boxes on Center Trail and the Fruit Street trails.

Other ways the trust engages the community include its scholarship program, which awards money to graduating high school students who choose to pursue some sort of environmental studies education. HALT also sponsors talks at the library on various subjects and maintains a presence at community events like PolyArts.

The organization maintains strong involvement with various town committees, including the Open Space Preservation Commission, the Trails Committee and others. “Some of our members are on those committees,” Gasser noted.

HALT also coordinates with the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission when projects come up, he added.

Occasionally, the trust uses its funds to promote other land conservation efforts. Gasser reported that HALT helped fund a deal for the Sudbury Valley Trust to purchase a conservation restriction for an area of land next to the Whitehall Conservation Area called Laurel Ridge.

“We will contribute to causes that are important to us,” Gasser said.

New members sought

The trust accomplishes its work through the support of its members, along with effort from volunteers and its board of directors. HALT has around 130 members and is looking for additional members and support. Membership renews annually at a minimum donation of $30.

“We don’t have anywhere near as many members as we would like,” said Gasser. “Membership is very small.”

Gasser said that membership swelled during the COVID-19 pandemic but since has shrunk. While he described HALT as “very healthy” and financially stable, it is looking to grow.

In particular, HALT seeks to fill two upcoming vacancies on its board of directors. “We’re looking for two people with certain skills and interest in spending a considerable amount of time helping the trust,” said Gasser.

An official call for board volunteers is forthcoming, and Gasser explained the call will specify the skills HALT is looking for. He pointed out a need for applicants with legal skills for land management as an example. 

The board of directors meets every 2-3 months. Directors spend their time outside of board meetings doing things like managing members and land stewards, the scholarship program, property enforcement and more.

“Field work, desk work … all that kind of stuff needs to be done,” said Gasser. “The challenge is getting that done with a sufficient core of directors.” He also noted that several directors are preparing to age out of their roles and need to be replaced.

“There’s turnover and we need an active, core set of directors,” he said.

Figuring out how to grow HALT’s membership is a task any new directors will have to help the trust solve. Gasser said the trust is trying to figure out creative ways and events that might bring in more people.

While HALT has no plans for a major event to celebrate its 30th year, Gasser said the trust will recognize the anniversary in some way at its upcoming meeting sometime in either September or October. In the meantime, it will continue working on its many projects conserving and protecting open space in Hopkinton. 

“We’re doing everything we can to keep more open space available for use and trails for the general public,” said Gasser.