Dover Select Board unanimously approves permanent conservation restrictions on 1,100 HALE acres

SHERBORN -- June 9, 2026, Dover Select Board permanently protects 1,100 acres of HALE Education land in unanimous vote. The board voted 3-0 Tuesday to approve two conservation restrictions, one covering 972 acres of HALE's main campus and a second covering 137 adjacent acres near Powisset Farm, in what participants called a generational conservation achievement funded entirely through private philanthropy. Aaron Morehouse, HALE's executive director, said the deal "sets a conservation standard that the rest of the state can aspire to," while board member Robin Hunter praised conservation specialist Rob Warren and town official Eric Arnold for shepherding the effort over more than eight years. The restrictions permanently embed public trail access, cap new construction to a narrowly defined nonprofit-use zone comprising roughly 218 acres, and carve out a 19-acre capped landfill with a solar array. The board also voted 3-0 to conditionally adopt a Stage 2 severe drought status pending the state's formal declaration, and approved a consent agenda that included a $40,000 gift from the Caitlin Tosi Foundation to the Dover Fire Department for emergency medical services.