Breaking: March 30, 2026, Wareham, MA
AD Makepeace, Borrego Solar ripping apart 112 acres of forest, wildlife habitat — for “green solar energy!”
Town Select Board, Planning Board make clsoed door deal with Borrego/New Leaf Solar
AD Makepeace Cranberry Co. of Wareham is again ripping down forests — 112 acres — all while claiming it is “Inspired by Nature.”
On Thursday, March 26, JR Vinagro, a contractor from Johnson, RI, posted a promotional video describing in detail the process of stripping 5 acres per day. Watch the video here.
This is rare Pine Barrens forest, BioMap Core Habitat and Critical Natural Landscape for wildlife like rare bats, birds, insects and reptiles.
Makepeace has a deal with Borrego Solar for 3 large solar projects that are stripping the land with Fella Bunchers, skidders, and grinders — eliminating the core of the last remaining wildlife corridor between Myles Standish State Forest and Buzzards Bay.
TAKE ACTION
Since 2021, CLWC and residents have been seeking better solutions to solar energy and than destroying forests. It urged the Town of Wareham to buy this land from Makepeace under the “Chapter 61” program. Makepeace rejected the proposal, favoring its private profits. In 2023, the Wareham Planning Board denied Makepeace and Borrego Solar extensions for 3 special permits at 140 Tihonet Road, 150 Tihonet Road and 27 Charge Pond Road, based on the public health, safety and welfare, including the cumulative impact. Read the Planning Board decision here.
Then Borrego – New Leaf sued the Town to get the permits. On October 8, 2025 the Wareham Select Board and Planning Board held an “executive session” behind closed doors to discuss the Makepeace-Borrego-New Leaf lawsuits against the Town. They still have not released the minutes of this closed door meeting, contrary to the Open Meeting Law. The Town’s lawyer then went to court and settled the lawsuits in 2025 without public knowledge or input.. Town officials kept the public in the dark — no one was uninformed until Vinagro showed up on March 26, 2026.
CLWC is part of a statewide coaltion educating the public about protecting forests from large industrial scale solar that clears forests. In the last 10 years, Southeastern Mass has lost over 600 acres to solar development. Recently, the Wareham Planning Board and other government bodies — including the state — have recognized that cutting down forests for solar is a bad idea.
The destruction will continue unless our Select Boards, the State, and other Town officials can stand up to the solar industry that exploits lands for destructive solar.
Join Responsible Solar MA and click here to learn more!
Stand up to the large corporations ripping down our forests for private profit. Their lawsuit are draining our town and are against the public health, safety and welfare.
In 2021, CLWC’s network posted Wareham What Have You Done — what will be left of Wareham for future generations?
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