Who are we?

Founded in 1997, the North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership (NQRLP) is a voluntary association of state and local organizations working together to conserve the Greater Quabbin Region by facilitating landowner outreach, stewardship, municipal outreach, and land protection projects. The NQRLP is one of the oldest regional conservation partnerships in New England, and we hope to continue serving the community for many more years to come. The NQRLP is fiscally sponsored by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust. Anyone can join the partnership, contact us today!

Regional landscape partnerships, also referred to as regional conservation partnerships (RCP), cover more than 60% of New England and span state lines. They are often informal networks of individuals from state and local organizations that work together to pool resources and ideas, increasing the pace of landscape protection.

What is a regional landscape partnership?

What is the Greater Quabbin Region?

The North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership is active in many towns that lie between the Quabbin Reservoir and the northern state border. We call this the Greater Quabbin Region. However, NQRLP extends beyond this invsible line and we are always looking to form new partnerships, both inside and outside the Greater Quabbin Region.

Did you know?

The Quabbin Reservoir provides clean drinking water to 2.5 mllion people in Massachusetts.

Quabbin Reservoir

The Partnership's History

1997

Forty people interested in the idea of "regional collaboration" attend the first Partnership meeting.

2001

Coordinates the completion of the 22-mile Tully Trail trail in Orange, Royalston, and Warwick.

2006

Hires its first coordinator, Jay Rasku.

2009

Completes the Southern Manadnock Plateau initiative with federal Forest Legacy funding, protecting 2,270 acres belonging to 19 landowners in Ashburnham and Westminster.

2010

Becomes a host site for the MassLIFT-AmeriCorps program and welcomes its first full-time member.

Runs a small grants program that catalyzes the 3,500 acre Brushy Mountain Project completed by partner Kestrel Land Trust.

Helps 7 towns pass the Communtiy Preservation Act (CPA).

2011

Organizes the first statewide Open Space Conference for municipal open space committee members to meet and learn from each other.

2012

Completes Phase II of the Southern Monadnock Plateau initiative, utilizing federal Forest Legacy funds to conserve 2,000 acres belonging to 18 landowners in Phillipston, Gardner, Ashburnham, Fitchburg, and Ashby.

2014

Secures federal funding for the 3,600 acres Quabbin-to-Waschusett (Q2W) project- the highest ranked Forest Legacy project ever submitted by Massachusetts--involving 27 tracts in Peterhsam, Hubbardston, Westminster, Princeton, Barre, and Phillipston.

2015

Administers the statewide Due Diligence grant to help landowners cover the costs of doing conservation.

Green Seal 

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs