In this Issue
February 2006

CITIZEN KANE
Merryfields will remain
By Tim Kane

Tim Kane

Gordon DeWolf does his part to preserve nearly 90 acres on the Brookfield-West Brookfield line.

Gordon DeWolf could have become a millionaire by selling his 89-acre gentleman’s farm to developers. Instead, he will die a man at peace one day knowing it will never be turned into a mega housing subdivision.

The 78-year-old chairman of the West Brookfield Conservation Commission is leading that board by example in deciding to preserve in perpetuity his vast green corridor of pasture and forest lands. The DeWolfs recently signed over 85 acres of their property’s future development rights to the Massachusetts Trustees of Reservations. That means it is now a permanent conservation easement that will allow only agricultural, forestry, equestrian, and canine uses when the DeWolf family sells the land. The agreement does not include about four acres of land that contain the family’s historic homestead and adjacent barn areas, first built in the 1890s.

“If someone wanted to build a hay barn out back, they would have to get approval of the Trustees,” Gordon says. “The only way you can preserve land is financially. There’s not a lot of land being made now.”

There are some nifty tax benefits, too. As a Chapter 61A deed restriction, the conservation easement reduces the value of the land so when time comes for the estate tax, the value drops by about one-third. That means the DeWolf’s two sons, one daughter, five dogs, two horses and four cats will not inherit the full value of unrestricted land, rather they will pay taxes on only the assessed value. The property was recently appraised by one agent at $700,000 and $1 million by another, Gordon adds. Considered a charitable donation, the DeWolfs can also spread out capital gains taxes over several years.

But money is not the primary motivation of these former Civil Rights activists - not even close. It was the couple’s past that frames this current discussion. Gordon and his wife moved to the farm 23 years ago, after spending considerable time in Sudbury and Chelmsford, two eastern Massachusetts communities where overdevelopment persists today. “We moved here because it’s rural,” Gordon says. “The town [Sudbury] got to the point where there were fewer places to ride my horses.”

Gordon DeWolf

He established even deeper roots in environmental preservation as a doctorate professor of botany, running the horticultural program at Massachusetts Community College for many years.

What finally prompted Gordon to make his decision, however, was the threat of a proposed 70-lot subdivision still in the works just over the border in Brookfield, only a few miles from his home. That subdivision would abut the 2,000-acre plus Quaboag and Wolf Swamp Wildlife Management Areas, and throw wildlife habitat and its effective greenbelt system of travel into chaos.

Upholding the spirit and intent of their Merryfields Farm, the DeWolfs have done a big favor not only for their children, but also for a town facing development pressure already heavily afflicting nearby Spencer and Brookfield. The easement protects wildlife and beautiful lands, preserves scenic roadway, and enlarges a wildlife corridor buffer. And it gives the DeWolfs peace of mind.

“When we first moved here, if a car went by, we went to the window to see who it was,” Gordon says.

While they are still living here, Ellen can run her popular dog training business, “Merryfields Farm Happy Dogs,” and Gordon can ride his old tractor happily down a logging road, knowing many future generations will enjoy these woods and hayfields.

As Ellen says, “He’s doing this so he can die happy.”

Tim Kane is editor of the Brookfield Citizen.