After raising more than $6 million over the last four years, the Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) have completed the Nasketucket Bay Land Conservation Project, permanently protecting 410 acres of land surrounding Nasketucket Bay in Mattapoisett and Fairhaven. More than half of the parcel, 250 acres, is in Mattapoisett.

“The completion of this project further ensures that this place will remain special for generations to come and that many more of the region’s residents will now be able to enjoy it,” said Coalition President Mark Rasmussen.

Nasketucket is the largest land conservation project along the shores of Buzzards Bay in 25 years, and connects to more than 1,000 acres of land already protected as part of the Nasketucket Bay State Reservation and other conservation areas.

According to the Buzzards Bay Coalition, the area is one of the healthiest sections of Buzzards Bay with a rich ecosystem that includes extensive eelgrass meadows, abundant fish and shellfish, and a diversity of birds.

The project will help protect clean water in the bay.

Already a popular destination for fishing, boating and swimming, the Nasketucket Bay project will eventually link the state reservation with the Mattapoisett and Phoenix Bike Paths via a trail.

A large portion of the project consists of 200 acres of active farmland in Fairhaven. A conservation restriction on the land limits development of the acreage.

Both Mattapoisett and Fairhaven contributed town funds to the project.

In November 2013, Town Meeting voters appropriated $387,500 to the project with an additional $167,730 at the 2014 Annual Town Meeting. The Mattapoisett Land Trust has been an advocate for the project as well, said Town Administrator Mike Gagne.

“The people of Mattapoisett owe a special thanks to the Mattapoisett Land Trust, who raised and donated over $30,000 to contribute to this great acquisition," he said. "Many generations to come will enjoy this area.”

In addition to the towns, many other governmental, nonprofit and private sources contributed to the funding for the project, including the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Division of Conservation Services.

Federal government support came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS.)

Christine Clarke, state conservationist for NRCS in Massachusetts said, “NRCS ... is pleased to have contributed close to $1.5 million to permanently protect excellent farmland in this region, made all the more valuable because of the proximity to the associated diverse conserved land.”

The project also received funding from the Bouchard B-120 Oil Spill Trustee Council comprised of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Finally, the project was supported by The Nature Conservancy, the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program and several private foundations and donors.

“This land preservation is critical to the success of oyster restoration work in the bay, providing the ecological services necessary to reduce excess nutrients and other pollutants," said Wayne Klockner, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts. "Intact coastal watersheds undoubtedly mean cleaner and healthier coastal waters.”

Additional information on the project can be found at www.savebuzzardsbay.org/nasketucketbay.