Though just 9.25 acres, a few steps into the Glennie Woodlot feels like stepping back over a century, when North Andover was a rural farming community, interspersed with woodlots such as this one. Passed down through the generations, the Glennie Woodlot is the last piece of the Glennie Dairy, much of which is now the permanently-protected Smolak Farms.
Greenbelt has the opportunity to forever protect the Glennie Woodlot, a gorgeous example of classic Northeastern Massachusetts forests. Mature oaks, maples, and white pine grace these open woods, leading to views of a 23-nest heron rookery perched in neighboring wetlands. In addition to preserving critical watershed land and wildlife habitat, the Glennie Woodlot offers a tremendous opportunity to create trails and parking for new public access to the northern portion of the Town Farm Conservation Area.
North Andover voters will have the opportunity to help preserve this part of North Andover’s rural, scenic character, and an important piece of its history at the annual Town Meeting on May 14. Residents are invited to join Greenbelt for a walk on the property on Thursday, May 2nd at 6:00 pm.
Greenbelt has negotiated a purchase price to acquire the 9.25 acres for $250,000, just over 50% of the land's market value. The land would be owned by the Town for conservation and passive recreational purposes as a new entrance and addition to the Town Farm.
Greenbelt is committed to raising $50,000 toward the purchase price. The balance would come from the approval at Town Meeting of $200,000 in Community Preservation Committee funds. Greenbelt would then support the town’s effort to seek reimbursement of up to 58 percent of that from a state grant.
The conservation significance and public benefits of preserving this parcel cannot be overstated.
Perhaps most significant is the potential for the Glennie Woodlot to become the gateway to that portion of the Town Farm Conservation Area north of Dale Street. Currently there is no adequate trail access from Dale Street to the northern portion of Town Farm due to flooding of the wetlands behind the Dale Street Soccer Fields.
On the Glennie Woodlot, there is room for a modest parking area. An existing road provides a solid base for an established woods trail to the shared boundary with Town Farm, offering improved public access to the northern portion of Town Farm.