#trusttri

[westernmanews]

There's a fundraising effort to preserve some of the land along the North Pond in Southwick 

The Franklin Land Trust is trying to raise $5 million by the end of June to preserve land along the North Pond. 

The Franklin Land Trust campaign, Save North Pond!, hopes to raise $5 million to preserve 146 acres of land near the North Pond. They said this piece of property includes the pond shores and woods and is the only remaining undeveloped land on North Pond. 

The Franklin Land Trust is just a quarter short of that $5 million goal. And the group Citizens Restoring Congamond is trying to raise money in support of this campaign. 

"There's hiking trails and other things that would be available to everyone," said Deborah Herath, Citizens Restoring Congamond president. "That's what we want to preserve. The pristineness of this area.

Herath told 22News preserving the land near the North Pond would promise continued access to the wildlife preserves and help keep the pond water safe any sewage runoff. 

A Southwick select board meeting is being held Tuesday night to determine the date for the special town meeting where voters will decide whether the town should allocate its Community Preservation Act funding to help the campaign reach its $5 million goal.