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The Walden Woods Project is a nonprofit organization committed to preserving the land, literature, and legacy of Henry David Thoreau through conservation, education, research and advocacy.

Founded in 1990 by recording artist Don Henley, the Project uses the land it has protected in Walden Woods to foster an ethic of environmental stewardship and social responsibility, both cornerstones of Thoreau’s philosophy.

Walden Woods Project Timeline

1990 Walden Woods Project founded by Don Henley
1991 The Project buys the 25-acre site known as Bear Garden Hill
1993 The Project purchases the 18.6-acre site on Brister’s Hill
1994 The Walden Woods Project buys an 18-acre site, built by Boston philanthropist Henry Lee Higginson. The acquisition includes a turn-of-the-century estate listed on The National Register of Historic Places that now houses the Project's administrative offices and theThoreau Institute.
1996 The Project purchases the 10-acre Fairhaven Hill site in Walden Woods
1997 The Project's headquarters move from Boston to Lincoln, Mass
1998 Thoreau Institute officially opens
2001 The Walden Woods Project receives a gift of a conservation easement for 41-acres of land along the “wild and scenic” Sudbury River
2002 With a $1.25 million grant from Time Warner, planning commences for ecological restoration and an interpretive trail on historic Brister's Hill
2004 The Project purchases a 6-acre agricultural site in Walden Woods, the Bilodeau land near Bear Garden Hill
2005 The historic Adams carriage house purchased by the Project, thereby preserving 5 acres of conservation land and acquiring additional facilities for the programs offered by the Institute
2006 The Project purchases the Farm at Walden Woods (formerly named Pine Tree Farm) thereby protecting 9 acres of prime farmland that will remain in agriculture
2007 The Walden Woods Project acquires the Adams House (formerly the stable building of the Higginson Estate). This acquisition includes 3,800 sq. ft. of additional space for the Project and nearly 2 acres of conservation land.
2009 The Walden Woods Project, in partnership with the Concord Land Conservation Trust, purchases a conservation restriction over 9.71 acres on Fairhaven Hill.

 

The sun is but a morning star. — Walden

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