OPEN LETTER from WEAC to Westwood Select Board: Agricultural Practices on Conservation Land Will Destroy Fragile Ecosystems and Wetlands

Editor's note:  Below is an open letter from Westwood Environmental Action Committee to Westwood Select Board regarding the board's initiation of litigation against Westwood Land Trust, Town of Westwood, by and through its Select Board v. Westwood Land Trust, Docket No. 2582CV00808, that is ongoing before the Superior Court in Norfolk County. The town asks the court to compel the land trust to permit agricultural use of 8 acres of the approximate 28 acre conservation area at 665 Clapboardtree Street.

The following open letter represents the views and opinions of the author, and not necessarily those of Westwood Minute.

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Dear Westwood Town Select Board Members,

On behalf of the Westwood Environmental Action Committee (WEAC), we are writing in regard
to the lawsuit brought by the Town of Westwood upon the Westwood Land Trust, a not-for-profit,
volunteer-run organization made up of town residents to protect open space. On WEAC, we
serve as an advisory committee to the Select Board and make recommendations on sustainable
environmental actions and policies for consideration by the Board.

More than 20 years ago, the Town accepted a conservation restriction for 665 Clapboardtree
Street, stewarded by the Westwood Land Trust, ensuring that this land would remain preserved
for wildlife and future generations.This property was donated by the McFarland family for the
explicit purpose of conservation. Under the conservation restriction, the land belongs to all
Westwood residents. When the Town began inquiring about use of this property for agricultural
purposes for the Bean Farm, the McFarlands offered to buy the land back from the Town in
order to keep the land in its natural state and prevent conflict between the Town and the
Westwood Land Trust. The Town, however, declined the McFarlands’ offer and decided to
pursue a lawsuit against the Westwood Land Trust instead.

It is the Select Board’s responsibility to make decisions that benefit all residents of Westwood.
Conservation of Westwood’s natural ecosystems and wetlands are critical to the well-being of
the Town’s air quality, soil health, wildlife, outdoor recreation, and physical beauty –
characteristics that are appreciated by all Westwood residents. Inflicting modern agricultural
practices, including use of pesticides, heavy machinery, and mechanical tilling will destroy the
fragile ecosystems and wetlands on this property and is in no way in keeping with the original
intent of the conservation restriction. To our knowledge, the Bean Farm has not provided any
detailed plans that would suggest its agricultural practices would be of greater benefit to the
existing ecosystem than the current conservation of that land, which is what would be required
in order for the Westwood Land Trust to provide permission to use the land for agricultural
purposes.

The Select Board has not provided any clear justification for the lawsuit against the Westwood
Land Trust. In addition, this lawsuit is being carried out using outside counsel at the expense of
the taxpayers of Westwood. The Town is wasting taxpayer dollars on this lawsuit and
undermining the community’s shared commitment to conservation. The Meadow was donated to
the Town and as such, it belongs to the residents. We, the undersigned members of the
Westwood Environmental Action Committee (WEAC), urge the Town to drop this lawsuit and
abide by its duty to uphold the conservation restriction on 665 Clapboardtree St, preserving the
land for current and future generations of Westwood residents.

Sincerely,
Maria Costantini, Matt Eckerle, Zoey Ziqiao Liu, Christine McCarthy, Gitanjali Singh, Kim White

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Thanks to the members of Westwood Environmental Action Committee for sharing their open letter to Westwood Select Board with Westwood Minute.

Westwood Minute takes no position on the opinions expressed in this open letter, but seeks accurate and thoughtful commentary on topics that matter to our community, from a variety of differing viewpoints. Feel free to reply with your reaction below, or submit another perspective to WestwoodInAMinute@gmail.com.

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You may also be interested in reading:

- Special Town Meeting to Be Held after Citizen Petition Successfully Clears Hurdle of Certification

- Westwood Residents' Petition Could Force Special Town Meeting Over Town Lawsuit Against Land Trust

- Westwood Minute's Community Page for discussion of Town of Westwood, by and through its Select Board v. Westwood Land Trust, Inc. (Mass. Super. Ct. 2025).

- Westwood Select Board Finalizes Contract for New Town Administrator Connor Read