Walden Woods Project

The Walden Woods Project (WWP) is a nonprofit organisation located in Lincoln, Massachusetts, devoted to the legacy of Henry David Thoreau and the preservation of Walden Woods. It was founded in 1990 by recording artist Don Henley to prevent two development projects in Walden Woods, the forest around Walden Pond that spans Lincoln and Concord, Massachusetts. Its mission has since expanded from conservation to research and education on the works of Henry David Thoreau. In 1998 the Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods was founded as part of the Project; today its library houses a collection of Thoreau-related resources.

In 1989 two development projects were planned within Walden Woods at Bear Garden Hill and Brister’s Hill, prompting grassroots organizers to oppose the plan. Don Henley, who was influenced by Thoreau’s writings in college, offered to lend his support to the movement. In 1990 he founded the Walden Woods Project, which ultimately purchased both the proposed development sites, as well as other sites. The first of these, a 25 acre site on Bear Garden Hill, was bought in January 1991 costing $3.55 million. Another 25 acres at Boiling Spring was purchased for $1.25 million in April 1992, an 18.6 acre site on Brister’s hill for $3.5 million in May 1993, 18 acres at Pine Hill in July 1994 for $1.2 million, and 10 acres at Fair Haven Hill for $900,000 in December 1995. The land acquired for preservation totaled 96 acres in the 1990s. Later 41-acres of land along the Sudbury River was acquired as a gift, and further land as well as the Adams House were bought. An interpretive trail was later designed on Brister's hill, featuring quotes from Thoreau and individuals he influenced, and a section explaining ecological succession.

To help cover the cost of the project, Henley organized a series of benefit concerts, which included artists such as Elton John, Aerosmith, Melissa Etheridge, Sting, Jimmy Buffett, John Fogerty, Neil Young, Roger Waters and others, and also later donated part of the proceeds from the Eagles' Hell Freezes Over album and tour. In 1992, Henley initiated the recording of a charity album, Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, released in 1993 to raise funds for the project. Through these and various other fund-raising efforts, which included T-shirt sales and a book Heaven Is Under Our Feet, $15 million were raised by 1996, and 22 million were eventually raised in total.

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