Dover Select Board Unanimously Approves Conservation Restrictions on 1,100 Acres of Hale Land

DOVER — June 8, 2026 — Dover Select Board votes 3-0 to permanently protect 1,100 acres of Hale Education land through two conservation restrictions. The board approved Conservation Restriction No. 17494 and No. 17495 at its June 8 meeting, covering a 137-acre parcel adjacent to Powisset Farm and a 972-acre tract comprising the bulk of Hale Education Inc.'s landholdings in Dover, making it the largest privately owned, publicly accessible conservation space in greater Boston. Rob Warren, consultant to the Trustees of Reservations, told the board the deal — more than eight years in the making — was funded entirely through private philanthropy, with no cost to Dover taxpayers. The restrictions permanently guarantee public trail access and limit any future buildings to nonprofit use within a narrowly defined 218-acre zone. Aaron Morehouse, executive director of Hale Education, called the vote "a historic moment" and said it "sets a conservation standard that the rest of the state can aspire to." State approval, required under Massachusetts law, is the final remaining threshold.