A Project 30 Years in the Making
The Harris Center closed on the Lessey conservation easement on August 5, 2025, protecting 110 acres of iconic field and forest on Brimstone Corner Road, Antrim Road, and Shady Lane in Hancock. Though the details of the easement and deed language were negotiated in a matter of months and the closing itself took less than an hour, this particular cake took 30 years to bake. Much of the credit goes to Bruce Hedin, who has been the property’s custodian since 1994.
While General Samuel Lessey was alive, care of the land was never in doubt. Because he had no plans to develop the property, he didn’t see the need for a conservation easement during his lifetime. Still, he added a provision to his will ensuring the land would be conserved after his death. We may never know exactly what prompted this cautious man to finally commit to the permanence of a conservation easement, but over his 99 years — many of them spent in Hancock — he must have recognized that the tide of development was steadily rising. Bruce’s vital contribution was to connect him with the one tool that could hold back that tide, at least on Brimstone Corner Road.
The easement protects 1,100 feet of Priest Brook, a tributary of Moose Brook, and almost a mile of road frontage. It also connects the Bryan conservation easement to Eva’s Marsh, fulfilling a key Harris Center objective of assembling a connected network of conserved land for wildlife and people. The easement includes a generous 16-acre exclusion area around the house to ensure there is ample space for future owners to adapt the property to their needs, and both commercial agriculture and commercial forestry are permitted across the entire property.
Please join Harris Center staff in extending our appreciation to both General Lessey and Bruce Hedin for this incredibly generous gift to people and wildlife alike!
Your Gift Makes a Difference
Thanks to our incredible community of supporters, the Harris Center continues to protect wild places, educate people of all ages, and conduct vital conservation research. Your generosity makes everything we do possible — from preserving habitat for bobcats and birds to inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards. We invite you to make a gift today to help sustain this important work. On behalf of the turtles, trees, wildflowers, salamanders, and butterflies — and the people who cherish them and our wild places — thank you!
