On December 20, SELT completed the conservation of the Fuller property in Brentwood. The Fuller family has owned the property for decades, Norma Fuller spent much of her adult life there, managing the property with her late husband, John.
The property features 28 acres of field, forest, and wetlands and abuts two easement properties, providing crucial wildlife connectivity. In addition, the fields contain rich agricultural soils, making the property a prime site for a future farm. For this reason, the easement contains an OPAV (Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value), a tool to help ensure that the next steward of the property will actively farm the land.
“Norma Fuller has a deep connection with the land,” says Ben Engel, Conservation Project Manager for SELT. “She is passionate about wanting it to remain open and farmed into the future. This easement ensures that this special property is protected forever.”
Much of the project’s cost was paid by the Town of Brentwood through a recently-passed conservation bond. Remaining funds came through SELT donor support, a grant from the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership, and a generous bargain sale donation from the Fuller family.