Posey family donates 128 acres to Sharon Land Trust

SHARON — On Monday, Sept. 30, the Sharon Land Trust (SLT) announced its acquisition of 128 acres on Dug Road, donated by Samuel Posey Jr., who has owned the property for eight years.

“Our goal is to preserve and conserve the rural heritage of the town of Sharon, and to protect both its agricultural and ecological resources for future generations,” said SLT Executive Director Carolyn Klocker said. SLT has named the parcel the Posey Family Preserve in honor of the donors.

This particular donation is an inspiring model for future land protection in the town, Klocker said. “This is huge,” Klocker said. “That the Posey family reached out to us sets an amazing example for landowners who are as invested in the Town of Sharon as we at [SLT] are.”

The land will now be a resource “for many future generations to enjoy” while continuing to contribute agricultural value to the region. “it’s critical in this day and age that we protect our agricultural lands in the Northeast,” she emphasized. Posey leased the land to farmers during his ownership of the property, and SLT will continue those same leases.

The new preserve abuts the Twin Oaks Preserve, already under SLT’s management, which then connects to the Tory Hill Preserve in Salisbury. This will promote ecological connectivity in the region, increasing mobility and habitat for local wildlife, while also preserving views of Sharon when traveling from Salisbury on Route 41.

“This stunning view of our area will now continue to be forever protected,” Klocker said.

The preserve will remain closed to the public until the completion of a trail, which Klocker said will follow a series of tumbling waterfalls on Long Pond Brook through a “beautiful” forest.

She hopes to have the trail ready “in the next year or two.”