The Andover Village Improvement Society (AVIS) is a land preservation society in Andover, Massachusetts

Andover, Massachusetts

Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...

. Founded in 1894, AVIS is the second oldest land preservation society in the USA. Its goal is to acquire land within Andover and preserve it in its natural state.

The organization controls 22 reservations totaling about 1,100 acres (4 km²), with 30 miles (50 km) of trails for hiking, skiing, or other passive recreational use. The largest AVIS reservations are Deer Jump at 131 acres (0.5 km²), Goldsmith at 170 acre (0.6879662 km²), and Rafton at 226 acres (0.9 km²). Motor vehicles, hunting, fires, or camping in these conservation lands are prohibited. Volunteer wardens are responsible for the care and oversight of each reservation.

With the rapid suburbanization and development occurring in Andover since the 1970s, AVIS has played a vital role in preserving Andover's land.

Properties

As of August 2007, AVIS owns 22 sites with approximately 1100 acres (4.5 km²).

Name	Size (acres)	Date Acquired	Location
Baker’s Meadowhttp://www.avisandover.org/bakers.html	59	1958
Burns Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/burns.html	5		Clark Road in Ballardvale section
Collins Reservation			Pine St. in northeast section
Deer Jump Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/deer_jump.html	131	1960-1973	Merrimack River west of I-93
Goldsmith Woodlandshttp://www.avisandover.org/goldsmith.html	170	1977	East of Foster's Pond
Greene Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/annrawlings.html	26	1969	Bordered by Dascomb and Bannister roads and Andover Street
Hammond Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/hammond.html	38
Indian Ridge Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/indianridge.html	40	1897	near High School
Keck Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/peggykeck.html	49	1963-1968, 2008
Lupine Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/lupine.html	2
Purdon Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/purdon.html	9	1964,2001
Rafton Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/rafton.html	226		NE of High Plain Road, NW of I-495, and SW of I-93.
Sanborn Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/sanborn.html			S of Shawsheen river adjacent to I-93.
Shawsheen River Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/shawsheenriver.html	27	1963
Skug Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/skug.html	37
Smith Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/natsmith.html	54	1963
Spalding Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/spalding.html	16	1973
Stanley Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/stanley.html	8	1988
Sunset Rock Reservation	9
Taft Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/taft.html	64
Vale Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/vale.html	47
West Parish Meadowhttp://www.avisandover.org/westparish.html	28	1992
Wilkinson Reservationhttp://www.avisandover.org/wilkinson.html	23	1981

External links

• Andover Village Improvement Society (AVIS)
• Trustees of Reservations, Massachusetts land preservation group