MONTAGUE — The Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, in collaboration with the Franklin County Community Land Trust, has protected the 47-acre Watroba property, described as “a fantastic wildlife corridor” and the home of prime farmland.

The Watroba property, also called Four Corners, sits at the intersection of Old Sunderland and East Taylor Hill Road. The three parcels that make up the conserved territory are divided by the intersection of Old Sunderland and East Taylor Hill roads, with each parcel sitting on a different corner of the crossroads, thus giving it the name Four Corners.

The land, located within the Connecticut River Farm Scenic Byway Corridor, features views of Mount Toby to the south, along with wetlands, productive forestland, and 15 acres of farmland designated as prime farmland and farmland of statewide importance, which are soil classifications from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Montague resident Walker Korby, who worked on this land conservation project, said in a statement that the “central location of these parcels and the crossroads play an important part in the neighborhood’s sense of connectivity to a shared landscape both from a geographical standpoint and an emotional/spiritual one.”

In a follow-up interview, Korby, explained the property was owned by the late Marilyn C. Watroba, who died in March 2024, and her children decided to sell the three parcels of land. The land was sold for $825,000, according to property transactions recorded with the Franklin County Registry of Deeds. The land itself is unique, with Korby describing the property as “a fantastic wildlife corridor, with any number of mammals and birds spotted traveling through.”

According to Mount Grace’s Farm Conservation Program Manager Tyson Neukirch, the Four Corners property is something of a “microcosm” of the area landscape, particularly for the soil on the farmland along with other features like wetlands, wildlife corridors and forests. At this time, there are no concrete plans for future use, but Neukirch said the process of community outreach to see what residents and town officials would like to see will start soon.

“We’re really looking forward to what’s possible there, and what the community is interested in seeing happen agriculturally,” Neukirch said. “And in the interim, we look forward to continuing to improve the soil for whatever comes of the future land use, particularly with respect to the field that’s been more actively farmed.”

With the protection effort completed, the Franklin County Community Land Trust comes into play as a partner to begin community engagement regarding future land use. The nonprofit community land trust works to create and preserve access to land and housing in Franklin County that is environmentally sound, accessible and affordable. Ideas for the land include recreational trails, community-focused farming and, if viable, potentially a small amount of social housing.

Montague Town Planner Maureen Pollock said in a statement that the town is “thrilled to see this historical space protected.”

Ideas for development on the Watroba land go back decades, with the Greenfield Recorder reporting in 1978 that Chester E. Watroba went to the Planning Board with an idea to create cluster developments. The plan called for 15 single-family house lots, two apartment buildings, two streets for access and a “common space” with a pond, a community house and recreational spots.

After some delay in formalizing designs, the board rejected the proposal, with the board chair saying at the time that the plan did not conform to existing zoning bylaws.

Mount Grace, an Athol-based nonprofit that conserves and cares for forests, farms and waterways, has protected other farmlands within Franklin County, and according to its “Farm Conservation, Farm Viability & Food Systems” webpage, protection of farmland keeps local, rural jobs available on open-space farmland. In Franklin County, Mount Grace has helped ensure protection of Bascom Hollow Farm in Gill, The Farm School in Orange and Bree-Z-Knoll Farm in Leyden. In Montague, Mount Grace works with Red Fire Farm as part of its “whole farm forever” approach, where the farmers own the buildings on the property while the land trust owns the protected farmland and the land beneath the buildings and leases it out to the farmers in the form of 99-year leases.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.