On October 13, 2015 the Land Bank purchased 100 acres of land at the Head of Plains in Madaket from the United States General Services Administration (GSA). The property is located just east of the Massasoit Bridge between Massasoit Bridge Road and Red Barn Road and is one of the largest remaining undeveloped properties on Nantucket. The acquisition preserves a large swath of critical habitat for regionally and globally rare plant communities. It also achieves the goal of securing permanent public access to the property.
The property is fairly unique in that it contains a wide variety of plant communities, including sandplain grassland, huckleberry and scrub oak heathland and scrub oak barrens. The Head of Plains land provides integral environmental corridors, connecting over 2,000 acres of previously protected property.
The Land Bank worked collaboratively with several island organizations to fund the acquisition. A Community Preservation Committee grant of $650,000 was obtained by the Nantucket Land Council (NLC) on behalf of the Town.
In addition, the Land Council contributed $350,000. The Madaket Conservation Associate (MCA) contributed $200,000. The Madaket Residents Association (MRA) and Sheep Pond area residents contributed $230,000. In total $1,430,000 was received and the Land Bank provided the $5,570,000 balance of the $7 million purchase price.