Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust, Mass Audubon, and Mill City Grows, in collaboration with the City of Lowell, have come together to create a hub that provides food production and access, education, physical activity, connection to nature, and community programming in a single location accessible to everyone via bike, car, and city bus.

Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the first open space projects to use funds from Lowell’s Community Preservation Fund, created in 2019. By protecting and managing the property, we will broaden the ways we are able to connect people to nature in the city, including creating accessible trails, hosting a summer camp, field research opportunities for high school and college-aged students, and hands-on programs for families and adults. Plans for the site also include restoration of the former Christmas tree farm; establishing a working farmland that includes a farm stand, food forest, and community gardens; and building a nature center that offers educational programming. 

Progress updates on the project include:

• Installed the .75 mile universally accessible All Persons Trail (APT)
• Began environmental education programming (bird & nature walks, winter solstice hike, tours for visiting land conservation organizations)
• Completed detailed design of the education center
• Installed trail cameras to capture video of wildlife passing through
• Donated holiday trees for our second year to support Lowell Housing Authority residents
• Community garden plots completed their first season
• Planted cover crops in the main field to enrich the soil
• Completed the design of the Food Forest