BOSTON — The Town of Rockland was awarded $400,000 as part of a series of grants issued by the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs this week, allowing local officials to undertake an environmental preservation project at the former McCarthy Family Farm.
The grant funding will allow Rockland to purchase 36.3 acres of open space that until recently had been operating as a family farm. The purchase will allow for the permanent environmental protection of the property, which is host to potential vernal pool locations.
Following the purchase, the land will be open to members of the public in a community in which few spaces suitable for cross-country skiing, hiking, and nature study exist.
Rockland’s grant was awarded as part of a $1.2 million allotment to four projects through the state’s Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) Grant Program. The program was established in 1961 to assist municipal conservation commissions in acquiring land for natural resource protection and passive outdoor recreation purposes. Since 2015, the Administration has awarded more than $16 million to support 75 projects that have permanently protected more than 4,576 acres.
State Senator John F. Keenan 