Mill City Grows joins a groundbreaking partnership to preserve a historic farm in Lowell, Massachusetts

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. 

We are incredibly excited for the work to come! The three partners have committed, together, to raise the resources for Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary. Mill City Grows fundraising will focus on farm infrastructure and operations, educational programming, and the launch of a farm stand on the site to expand our food access points.

The current working budget for this project is:

• $4,500,000 – Land acquisition: Complete
• $2,500,000 – Restoration plan, trail improvements, parking area and signage, technical and design support: Fundraising complete, trails complete
• $6,000,000 – Building a shared Discovery Center and improving current facilities: In progress
• $2,000,000 – Seed support for staff (across all three partner organizations): In progress
• $15,000,000 – Project total

Join us TODAY and help make Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary all that the Lowell community envisions – a place of learning, growing & connecting in nature.