Shay Property

The Shay easement is nestled in a quiet corner of Stannard on the side of Stannard Mountain next to an unusual historic church. In 2016 Bob Shay signed a conservation agreement on his forested property on the south side of Stannard Mountain Road. The 63.6-acre property was donated in its entirety with a 10-acre cedar swamp and a 1.63-mile hiking trail. 

The conserved property abuts the town’s Orcutt Park and an iconic 19th-century church with its stunning Victorian architecture. The nearby park provides abundant parking. A bridge across Stannard Brook leads from the park onto Shay’s land. There are no other structures.

The property has 409 feet of frontage on Stannard Mountain Road and 1,033 feet of frontage along Stannard Mountain Brook. It contains several small streams that feed into the brook. The land rises southward on the flank of Stannard Mountain near the Steam Mill Brook Wildlife Management Area, providing excellent cover for wildlife.

At Shay’s request, the easement agreement provides that the land will be open to the public in perpetuity, and no cutting of trees will occur except to maintain the trails. The agreement was NRLT’s 12th and only one in Stannard.