In 2007 ACT received the donation of a Conservation Restriction (CR) on the historic 44 acre property located on Packard Hill Road, part of a 1,100 acre block of Contiguous Natural Lands. Large tracts of land provide habitat that supports a broad array of species reducing fragmentation of plant and animal populations. The eastern half of the property lies within an area mapped as a Surface Water Supply Protection Area. The protection of this property helped to insure water quality, reduce the threat of pollution and maintain groundwater recharge to the reservoir. In addition, it increases the probability of being able to protect lands abutting it in Ashburnham and Winchendon that fall within the water supply district. For example soon after this CR was completed an abutting property of 100 acres extending along Upper Naukeag Lake was protected for the same reason. The Packard Hill CR will remain as a working forest. ACT funded the appraisal and worked closely with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, who took the lead on the project.