Many people are unaware of the hundreds of acres of mostly contiguous open space land located within Bellingham, Franklin and Medway that are part of the US Army Corps of Engineers Natural Valley Storage Area – a project for controlling flooding.

This land is protected in perpetuity but is not easy to access, nor are there yet adequate measures in place to protect and manage the land. That’s why Alan Earls, a Metacomet Land Trust member and Franklin resident active in past open space issues, has organized a meeting for January 28th for anyone interested in learning about these federally protected properties and sharing ideas for long-term protection and improved access. Invited guests include members of the open space communities in the region, elected and appointed officials, and residents interested in open space.

Alan has reserved a meeting room at the King Street fire station in Franklin to discuss how we can better work together toward this goal while also working effectively with US and Massachusetts officials involved in management of the property.

Specifically, items on the agenda include:

*  Developing an inventory of existing or potential public access points. The knowledge of area residents will be very helpful to build this inventory.

* Sharing experience/insights about working across communities and state/federal jurisdictions

* Clarifying potential “next steps” toward making the “Charles River Meadowlands” an integral part of the open space picture across the region.

The meeting will be held from 6:30- 8:30 PM on Jan. 28, 2016 at the John Durand Memorial Fire Station, 600 King Street, Franklin, MA 02038

Questions? Feel free to call Alan Earls at 508 528 6930 or alan.r.earls  {AT]  gmail.com