EGREMONT, Mass. — The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) has awarded a Wild East Action Fund grant of $50,000 to Greenagers in support of the Bow Wow Woods project.

 

The ATC grant will support Greenagers' advancement of the conservation of the wild, scenic and cultural assets of Bow Wow Woods which lie adjacent to the Appalachian Trail (AT) corridor. Most of Bow Wow Woods is a mature, healthy forest of conifers and deciduous trees. 

 

"Greenagers is thrilled to be a part of this conservation collaborative and grateful to the ATC for their generous award. Through stewardship practices and environmental education, we look forward to instilling in local youth a curiosity about our natural world and a land ethic inspired by Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac," said Will Conklin, Greenagers' executive director.

 

Bow Wow Woods comprises 54 acres along Route 41 and Bow Wow Road where Egremont borders on Sheffield, and the project is a partnership among the Egremont and Sheffield Land Trusts.

 

The diverse ecology, a result of closely neighboring dry upland and low wetland forest, is home to a number of species protected by the state's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. The Woods' ecology gives Greenagers the opportunity to expand its conservation education programs for area schools.

 

Old logging trails, which weave through the woods, will be converted by Greenagers trail crews into accessible public trails and maintained by the crews. The woods will also be permanently protected through the two land trusts holding a conservation restriction over the property.

 

The ATC's Wild East Action Fund seeks to accelerate the pace of conservation within the Appalachian Trail landscape, and protecting Bow Wow Woods is the anchor for a much larger conservation initiative aiming to protect 500 acres of forest, fields, wildlife habitat and farmland to expand the Sheffield-Egremont Corridor that has already protected over 1200 acres in southeast Egremont and northwest Sheffield.

 

This grant is part of the three organizations working together to raise the funds to make this project possible. There is a $500,000 challenge in place, so every dollar donated by individuals, businesses and foundations is matched by another dollar. 

 

Donations can be made via mail or online to any of the three organizations (greenagers.org, http://www.sheffieldland.org/, https://egremontlandtrust.org/). The donations are for the Bow Wow Woods and Corridor project.

 

Greenagers provides employment, internships and volunteer opportunities for teens and young adults in the fields of environmental conservation, sustainable farming, natural resource management and vocational skills building.