On the Ground with Helen Castles, Senior Conservation Project Manager
About Helen Castles
Helen grew up surrounded by the conserved lands of the Little Mount Monadnock region, where she developed a deep connection to nature and a passion for exploring the outdoors. She brings 27 years of conservation experience to Mount Grace, having spent her career working with landowners and communities across Massachusetts and New Hampshire to protect farms, forests, and wildlife habitat. Before joining Mount Grace, Helen worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, where she spent the past decade focused on conservation easements and the protection of working lands and critical habitats. She holds a Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management from Antioch New England and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire.
As Senior Conservation Project Manager, Helen works with deedholders and partners to protect special places across the region and ensure that forests, farms, and wetlands remain healthy and protected for generations to come.
Fall is typically a busy season for conservation closings. What projects or milestones can supporters expect to see before the end of the year?
Fall is a busy season for Mount Grace, with 16 conservation projects expected to close. Together, they reflect the many kinds of land and community values we can help protect.
We’ll protect a summer camp on Tully Pond and more than 128 acres as a forever-wild conservation area, along with forestland that provides wildlife habitat and connects larger blocks of protected land. Other projects will conserve farmland supporting the Chaubunagungamaug Band of Nipmuck Indians (CBNI), and a property that will remain open space and continue to be used for retriever dog training. Every project is a little different, but each one gives us a chance to work with landowners and communities to protect special places for generations.
Generational land transfer is becoming an increasingly important part of land conservation. What is it, and how is it affecting the communities that Mount Grace serves?
We’re seeing a major generational transition in land ownership. Many of the deedholders coming to Mount Grace have spent decades caring for their properties— managing forests, improving wildlife habitat, mowing fields, farming, and simply being good stewards of the land. Now, they’re thinking, “what will happen to the land when I’m no longer able to care for it?”
The numbers back up that story, too. According to the Forest Service, about 90% of private woodland owners in Massachusetts are over 55, and nearly 25% of them are over 75. We’re seeing the same thing with farmland. The American Farmland Trust estimates that about a third to 40% of farms could change hands over the next 15 years. There’s a real risk that some of these farms and forests could be developed, and we could lose so many of the benefits they provide—from local food and timber to open space, wildlife habitat, hiking, hunting, fishing, and clean drinking water. For many, conservation is a way to ensure that the work they have put into the land will benefit future generations. They want to know, “Who will take care of this land the way I have?” or “How can I make sure this place I love doesn’t become developed?
Many of the deedholders coming to Mount Grace have spent decades caring for their properties— managing forests, improving wildlife habitat, mowing fields, farming, and simply being good stewards of the land. Now, they’re thinking, “what will happen to the land when I’m no longer able to care for it?”
From protecting a dog training facility to supporting summer camps, Mount Grace has taken on a wide range of conservation projects this year. How do you see the role of land trusts evolving to meet the changing needs of the communities they serve?
At Mount Grace, we see this moment as an opportunity to conserve more of the forests, farms, wildlife habitat, and open spaces that make our region special, while helping landowners think carefully about the future of their land. That means being a source of good advice—not just about conservation, but about land stewardship, estate planning, and the many options available to landowners.
We are already seeing a tremendous response. In just the past three months, 16 deedholders representing 2,448 acres have contacted Mount Grace about conserving their land, much of it land that has been in their families for generations.
Looking back on this year so far, what conservation project or partnership has been especially meaningful to you — and why?
One project that has been especially meaningful to me is the Dolan Farm in Rutland. Mount Grace recently pre-acquired the farm, and later this year we’ll hold the conservation restriction and transfer the property to the Chaubunagungamaug Band of the Nipmuck Indians. It’s a wonderful opportunity to keep this land protected while also being part of a meaningful Land Back project and giving the farm a future.