In Brief
Puffer Heininger Woods spans 102 acres. Its varied terrain is home to an abandoned hermitage, abundant mountain laurel, interesting rock formations, stone walls, overlooks, and small brooks. The property’s western edge connects to Greater Worcester Land Trust’s Spring Ledge Farm property.
History
In the early summer of 2019, the Puffer and Heininger families—the owners of a combined 113 acres on Salisbury Street—approached White Oak to ask whether we would be interested in acquiring their land, with the provision that at least 85% be preserved. White Oak’s Board unanimously agreed that this was a unique opportunity to preserve a beautiful piece of land in Holden, and that we would move enthusiastically forward with the acquisition process. The owners were invested in conserving the land for future generations to enjoy, and they generously agreed to give White Oak two years to raise funds for the land’s asking price. The White Oak Board entered into an agreement to purchase the 113-acre parcel, and then began the painstaking process of surveying the land, which abuts other protected land including a large parcel of Fox Hill subdivision common land.
Board member Kenneth Strom performed the lion’s share of the survey work, and we owe him a great deal of thanks—without his expertise and hundreds of volunteer hours, this acquisition would not have been possible! Craig McColl and Conor Boyan also worked with Ken to survey the boundaries of the property. Survey work continued as weather and season permitted.
The pandemic slowed everything down significantly. We were unable to meet in person for Board meetings or for work days, and yet our volunteer Board members persevered in their work to survey and document the entire property. Once the survey was complete, White Oak Board members Paul McManus and Scott Morrison worked with Ken Strom to create and file with the Planning Board an Open Space Residential Development (“OSRD”) Plan, which would create a small development of six small house lots on Salisbury Street and would preserve the remaining land as untouched open space. The permitting process took yet more time, and the owners of the land generously granted us an extension on our option to purchase the land. Several neighbors objected to the OSRD plan, but at White Oak’s request, agreed to meet to discuss the project overall. Fortunately, some neighbors, most notably the Burroughs family, understood the project’s benefits and offered to purchase at a fair price several acres to facilitate the financial necessities of a project that involved creation and sale of four somewhat larger house lots in lieu of the six OSRD lots.
Early in the process, Pamela Harding, Holden’s Town Planner, suggested that White Oak request funds from the town’s Open Space Preservation Fund. In 2020, the Holden Town Meeting voters granted White Oak $250,000 from the fund toward the project. In the summer of 2022, White Oak created a plan for four standard-size lots instead of six smaller lots, and sold those lots to Gallo Builders through an auction process; and two neighbors purchased small parcels around their existing homes. These combined funds, along with $20,000 from White Oak’s own limited reserves, comprised the $1.12 million purchase price. Without these funds from the town and from the sale of a small fraction of the land, the entire parcel would likely have been sold and turned into a 74-house development. We are deeply grateful to the Puffer and Heininger families for their patience and desire to see the majority of the property preserved; to Pamela Harding for her support; to Attorney George Dresser, the founding White Oak Board member who provided many hours of pro bono legal representation; our Board members, who gave so many hours of their time to work on this project; and to all of our White Oak members at large, whose support helped make this acquisition possible! White Oak has closed on the land, and we can’t wait to welcome the Holden community to visit the incredible 102-acre property that is now protected in perpetuity.
Resources
Trail map (PDF)
The property has a small parking lot off of Salisbury Street, and can also be accessed via the water tower access road, near the intersection of Sycamore Drive and Ash Circle.
