Press Release
The Buzzards Bay Coalition has partnered with the P.J. Keating Company to permanently protect 21 acres of land along South Main Street in Acushnet.
“Thanks to the generosity of the P.J. Keating Company, Acushnet residents will soon have a new place along the Acushnet River where they can bring their families to explore the outdoors,” said Mark Rasmussen, president of the Buzzards Bay Coalition. “It has been a pleasure to work with a community leader like the P.J. Keating Company to make this project happen.”
The property, called P.J. Keating Woods, includes 21 acres of mixed upland forest and wooded wetlands with a view of the Acushnet River. Over the coming years, the Coalition will develop trails at P.J. Keating Woods so members of the community can enjoy outdoor walks there.
Preserving this riverfront land also helps protect and restore the health of the river and its wildlife habitats.
“The P.J. Keating Company is deeply invested in the Acushnet community, and this collaboration has allowed us to give back in a way that benefits the river and the environment,” said P.J. Keating Company President Jonathan Olson. “We’re proud to do our part to save Buzzards Bay by partnering with the Coalition.”
P.J. Keating Woods is a significant addition to the Coalition’s Acushnet River Reserve, a growing network of conservation land along the river including LaPalme Farm on Blain Street and The Sawmill on Mill Road.
Funding to cover the $25,000 purchase price of these 21 acres and associated transactional costs was provided by the New Bedford Harbor Trustee Council, which oversees the restoration of natural resources that have been affected by PCB contamination in New Bedford Harbor.
Since 1998, the Coalition has protected nearly 8,000 acres of land across the Buzzards Bay watershed, from Westport to Woods Hole. To learn more about the Coalition’s work and find an outdoor adventure in your community, visit www.save buzzardsbay.org.
Based in Lunenburg, Mass., the P.J. Keating Company is a leading manufacturer of construction earth products and installer of hot mix asphalt. The company’s Acushnet quarry and asphalt plant is located across the road from P.J. Keating Woods on South Main Street. To learn more about the P.J. Keating Company, visit www. pjkeating.com.
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