VIDEO: The Burley Farms Groundbreaking Ceremony

 

Building Burley Part 2 - Let There Be Lot!

Parking lot prep for The Mathey Center is in full swing - grading, fill, and more!

 

Building Burley Farms Part 1 - Loam Sweet Loam

 Construction has kicked off at Burley Farms! Phase 1 is all about the prep as we get the site ready for The Mathey Center for People and Nature.

Follow along and watch Burley Farms and The Mathey Center grow - and eventually become a one-of-a-kind destination for conservation and community!

Where Conservation and Community Meet

When SELT acquired the 237-acre Burley Farms and circa 1790 John Prescott Chase Farmhouse in 2015, we envisioned it as our future home: a place to inspire the public about conservation and a chance to revitalize a working farm.

After years of careful deliberation, study, and planning, SELT is proud to share its vision for The Mathey Center for People and Nature at Burley Farms. Located in Epping at the center of SELT’s service area, the Mathey Center for People and Nature will serve as SELT's permanent headquarters, featuring a super-efficient building design as well as on-site solar energy production. 

This plan establishes Burley Farms and the Lamprey River Greenway as SELT’s hub for community-based conservation, with:

• Events led by SELT and other community groups
• A working farm growing local food
• A historic18th century farmhouse renovated for workforce housing
• A public trail system sharing nearly 1,000 acres of woods and fields along the Lamprey River.

We know that personal connections to conserved lands – whether through recreation, events, or locally-grown produce – will be critical to inspiring future generations to forever safeguard the lands we’ve worked diligently to protect.

You can become a founding member of this generational project! Give today and your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar with the Mathey Matching Challenge. Click here to give.

VIDEO - Excavators of the Conserved Farm

Somewhere in Epping, the Center of the Universe, a group of archaeologists from Independent Archaeological Consulting, LLC explore Burley Farms. 

Their purpose: to search for possible post-European settlement artifacts near the 18th century John Prescott Chase Farmhouse, which will be renovated and revitalized as part of SELT's future project, The Mathey Center for People and Nature.