BOSTON — Mattapoisett has been awarded an Action Grant with a recommended funding of $960,000  for the Pine Island Pond Watershed Lands Project. The grant is part of a statewide effort to prepare for climate change.  

Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito awarded a total of $12 million to communities in Massachusetts as part of the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program. 71 percent of communities in the state are now enrolled in the program.

Governor Baker said that, “mitigating climate change and adapting to reduce risk and build resilience will foster stronger communities, protect residents and natural resources, and contribute to strong economic growth and innovation throughout the Commonwealth.”

The Mattapoisett Land Trust made an agreement to purchase 120 acres of land near Pine Island Pond in March 2019 for $1.5 million. Land Trust President Mike Huguenin said that the area is important from a wildlife conservation perspective because leaving it undeveloped will allow it to act as a natural buffer from storms and tides.

Huguenin noted that he has seen a pattern of rising tides and more powerful storms since Hurricane Bob 25 years ago.

Though the grant deals with climate change, the land also has historical and recreational value.  A summer house on the property was once owned by Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. The house burned down in the 1800s, but the foundation is still intact. The Land Trust will make trails around the foundation, and install a kiosk marking the historical significance of the site. 

Conserving the woods and salt marsh in the tract would also open the land up for five miles of new trails, a walkway across marshes, a parking lot, a park and a float for access to shellfishing, swimming and kayaking.