Saving Providence

Along the banks of the Connecticut River, ¼-mile from downtown Holyoke, lies a potential new Trustees reservation: Land of Providence. These 26 acres of fields, forest, and farmland are currently owned by the Sisters of Providence, a remarkable Catholic order that has worked in Holyoke since 1873.

For several years, the Sisters have leased the farm fields to Nuestras Raíces (Our Roots), a local nonprofit organization that promotes urban agriculture and builds cultural pride among Latinos and other immigrant populations in Holyoke, many of whom live below the poverty line.

The Sisters are committed to preserving this land as a community asset and supporting Nuestras Raíces and its programs. They have asked The Trustees to take ownership of the property and manage it permanently as a community resource and public open space.

Opening Land of Providence as a new urban reservation gives The Trustees an opportunity to address a key goal of our strategic plan: to make land available and accessible to people living in urban areas. Land of Providence will do this and more: it will support the programs of Nuestras Raíces, expand access to the Connecticut River, and add a new dimension to our youth education work in Holyoke, where we have developed successful outdoor education programs at Little Tom Mountain and Dinosaur Footprints Reservations.