“Providing the gift of access”
Michael Hope’s family bought a plot of land on the East Branch of Johns Bay in Bristol back in 1947. Not long afterward, local shellfish harvesters stopped by to ask permission to drive to the shore of the Hope’s farm to make it easier to haul heavy loads of clams up from the shore. Bristol clammers have been using the field for access to the clam flats ever since.
Their access to the productive clam flats on the East Branch is now permanently protected, thanks to the donation of a 5-acre conservation easement by Margo and Michael Hope to Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust in July.
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a conservation organization, such as a land trust, that details how the land will be managed in the future. The agreement limits development, though sometimes a house lot or two is retained. It describes other future uses of the land, like sustainable forestry, trails, farming, or, as in this case, clamming. In turn, the land trust is responsible for making sure that the guidelines laid out in the agreement are followed over time, even if the land is sold or passed on to an heir.
The landowner can tailor a conservation easement to fit their needs and management goals, as the Hopes have done. Many conservation easements leave the choice to allow public access up to the landowner, but the Hopes want to ensure that Bristol clammers can continue to access the clam flats, so this is specified in their easement.
“As there become fewer stretches of undeveloped land, providing the gift of access gives us deep satisfaction” said Michael. The Hopes’ conservation easement not only protects access for those with a Bristol shellfish license, but it also contributes to the protection of water quality in Johns Bay.
The Hopes’ donation of a conservation easement fits in with their broader concern for wildlife and water quality. They manage the field for pollinators, and also maintain healthy buffers of trees and shrubs along the shore and streams on the property to limit runoff into the bay.
