FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katrina Farmer
Communications Associate
603-357-0600
KEENE, NH -- The New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program announced its most recent grant awards at a news conference in Concord Monday. The Monadnock Conservancy is one of 24 recipients statewide.
The up to $113,875 in funds that the Monadnock Conservancy is slated to receive will be used to secure a conservation easement on a working farm in Jaffrey. The conservation project will protect 126 acres — a mix of hayfields, wetlands, and forested lands — in a scenic area of town, near Mount Monadnock. The property owners, the Shattucks, want to see their family farm remain intact and not be subdivided.
According to LCHIP, this most recent grant round is expected to protect an additional 4,317 acres of land and 13 historic structures throughout the state. Prior grant funding to 187 projects has helped conserve nearly 286,000 acres of land and 109 historic structures and sites.
The Monadnock Conservancy has previously received funding from LCHIP for a conservation easement on Tippin Rock Farm in Swanzey; the state’s purchase of Temple Mountain in 2007; and easements on the Houghton Family Farm and Forecastle Timber properties in Chesterfield, both part of the extensive California Brook Natural Area stretching between Keene and Pisgah State Park.
Founded in 1989, the Monadnock Conservancy is the only land trust dedicated exclusively to the 35 towns of the Monadnock Region in southwestern New Hampshire. Its mission is to identify, promote and actively seek protection of significant natural, aesthetic and historic resources in the area; and to monitor and enforce the protection of lands in the trust. Based in Keene, N.H., the Conservancy has protected nearly 15,000 acres of forest, farmland, shoreline, wetlands, wildlife habitat and recreation trails in the Region. For more information, visit www.MonadnockConservancy.org.
Shattuck Farm, at the junction of Fitzwilliam and Great roads in Jaffrey, is slated to be protected by conservation easement with assistance from the NH Land and Community Heritage Investment Program. Photo courtesy of Monadnock Conservancy
###
Dijit Taylor, Chair, Hopkinton Open Space Committee
dijit.taylor@gmail.com
(603) 228‐4614
Five Rivers Conservation Trust and the Town of Hopkinton announced that they had
completed the Bohanan Farm conservation project this week. In the deal, some 413 acres of Bohanan
Farm were permanently protected as agricultural land and open space through conservation easements
sold by the farm owners – Glenn and Adelemarie Bohanan, and Jamie and Heather Robertson.
Five Rivers Conservation Trust secured federal and state grants that paid for most of the easement price,
drafted the conservation easements, coordinated the private fundraising effort, and collaborated with
the Hopkinton Open Space Committee to complete the many due diligence tasks like getting the
property appraised and surveyed. “People say they love Hopkinton because it is a small, rural town,
with farms and abundant open space,” said Jay Haines, Executive Director of Five Rivers Conservation
Trust. “With all of the tragic environmental news of the past few months, it is just great to be able to
celebrate a success where community residents came together to protect one of the jewels in their
town – a farm, a local food source, wonderful open space – and to know that we are doing something
positive to safeguard the environment and our quality of life.”
Photo by Bob Lapree
The Hopkinton Open Space Committee led the effort to secure town support for the project. At a
special town meeting in December 2009, a historically large voter turnout approved spending up to
$360,000 from the town’s open space conservation bond. Because the partners were able to raise
additional funds, however, the town ended up only needing to contribute $160,000 in bond funds.
Dijit Taylor, chair of the Hopkinton Open Space Committee, noted: I am delighted that the transaction
is finally completed, fulfilling the desire Hopkinton voters expressed so clearly in the vote at the
special town meeting. The skill and hard work of our partner Five Rivers Conservation Trust has
allowed this project to be completed at a much lower cost to the town, in as timely a way as possible.
Special thanks to the Bohanan and Robertson families for their dedication to seeing this extraordinary
resource protected forever.”
Bohanan Farm is one of only three dairy farms left in Hopkinton, and has been tended for more than a
century by four generations of the same family. The property is uniquely situated at the confluence of
three rivers – the Blackwater, the Warner, and the Contoocook – and includes more than four miles of
river frontage. As early as the 19th century, the confluence of the Contoocook and Warner Rivers
(where Bohanan Farm lies) was heavily used by Native Americans. Relics and artifacts are held by the
Hopkinton Historical Society. A stone marker and plaque along the riverbank on the farm states that
“The first public bridge” (in Contoocook) was built there in 1779.”
Some $410,000 was provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service through its’ Farm
and Ranchland Protection Program. The property includes hundreds of acres of prime or of statewide
importance farm soils, and Bohanan Farm was the top‐ranked NH proposal for USDA Farm & Ranchland
Protection Program funding in 2009. "NRCS is proud to help with the protection and preservation of the
Bohanan farm through our Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. The Bohanan Farm is one of the
few remaining working dairy farms in the area and has been in the family for four generations. We're
pleased we can help it stay that way," said Rick Ellsmore, NRCS State Conservationist.
The New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, or LCHIP, awarded $200,000 to
the Bohanan Farm project. Ray Ilg, LCHIP Natural Resource Specialist, stated: “LCHIP is very proud to
have contributed $200,000 to the permanent protection of the 413 acre Bohanan Farm. This
conservation easement is forever protecting a piece of prime farmland, as well as a way of life that is
disappearing in New Hampshire. To be able to preserve open space, active agriculture, and wooded
wildlife habitat achieves the type of balance that many are seeking as our region continues to attract
further development.”
More than a hundred private donors also contributed over $70,000 to help the project succeed,
including support from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. According to Five Rivers, with
different funding sources, it took many months to secure all of the necessary approvals for each aspect
of the deal. However, all parties felt that it was important to get everything right, and that the outcome
was worth the wait. "It's been two months shy of two years since I made the first phone call to Ron
Klemarczyk about selling the development rights,” said Jamie Robertson, co‐owner of the farm. “It's
been a long ride but we feel very good about preserving the over 400 acres of land for ever. We thank
the people of Hopkinton and everyone else who helped to preserve this property for future
generations."
The conservation easements are co‐held by Five Rivers Conservation Trust and the town, with Five
Rivers having primary responsibility for day‐to‐day monitoring and enforcement, according to Five
Rivers. The easements prevent further development or subdivision, protects the property’s productive
agricultural and forest soils, and supports continued farming. The property owners will continue to pay
taxes on the land. The easements require that current and future landowners keep the land open for
traditional uses including hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, and cross‐country skiing. The landowners will
only be able to limit public access at certain times of year and in specific locations where it would
substantially interfere with farming operations or create a public safety risk. The Town of Hopkinton has
the right to establish a parking area and hiking trails so that the public can easily access the land.
###
Five Rivers Conservation Trust is a nonprofit organization that works with communities and landowners
to protect open space across central New Hampshire. The goal of the Trust is to ensure that future
generations can experience, utilize, and benefit from the farms, forests, wetlands, and fields that
characterize much of the landscape today. The organization works in sixteen communities across
central New Hampshire and holds, monitors, and enforces conservation easements on 36 properties,
totaling over 2,200 acres. For further information, go to www.5rct.org or contact Jay Haines, Executive
Director, at (603) 225‐7225.
News from Bear-Paw Regional Greenways
63 Nottingham Road
Post Office Box 19
Deerfield, New Hampshire 03037
CONTACT:
Daniel Kern, Executive Director
Phone: (603) 463-9400 / Fax: (603) 230-2447
Email: info@bear-paw.org
For information, please visit http://www.bear-paw.org
Strafford, N.H.– In January, Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, the Blue Hills Foundation, and the Town of Strafford purchased 1,015 acres of valuable wildlife habitat on Evans Mountain overlooking Bow Lake. The project partners then launched a campaign to raise over $500,000 to pay off loans and permanently protect the property and the Samuel P. Hunt Foundation just awarded $25,000 to the effort!
The Evans Mountain property is part of a 6,000-acre unfragmented forest connected to conservation focus areas identified in the NH Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) and the Conservation Plan for New Hampshire’s Coastal Watersheds. Permanent conservation of the Evans Mountain property has been a goal of the Town of Strafford for over three decades and is recognized as a priority in the town’s Master Plan and Bear-Paw’s Conservation Plan. It includes some of the most ecologically significant natural lands in southeastern New Hampshire. According to the Wildlife Action Plan, New Hampshire requires a network of permanently conserved lands that effectively represents the state’s wildlife and habitat diversity. Protecting threatened and essential habitat resources such as this – large unfragmented forests (including both uplands and wetland habitats), riparian/shoreland habitats, and wildlife corridors connecting significant habitat – is a priority.
Property Features
Large, Unfragmented Forest
The area that includes the Evans Mountain property is one of the largest remaining blocks of forest in southeastern New Hampshire – more than 6,000 acres of unfragmented habitat that includes several Town forests, Blue Hills Foundation conservation lands, and Bear-Paw easements. Large, unfragmented forests of this size are rare in the rapidly developing southeast and south-central regions of our state. What remains offers vital support to the region’s biodiversity. Moose, bobcat, fisher, and bear depend on these large areas of habitat to survive and some birds, such as goshawks and veery, depend on these forest interior habitats to breed. Large forests also provide a refuge from roads and other human impacts and an area large enough that allows natural processes to play themselves out without interference.
Connectivity
Maintaining connectivity for wildlife – north to south, east to west, and across elevations – is becoming increasingly important in a fragmenting landscape. Permanent protection of the property will help maintain these connections with other areas of significant conservation and ecological value that are already protected. The property adds directly to over 1,000 acres already conserved and it serves as part of a permanent connection between town forest lands and the privately conserved lands owned by the Blue Hills Foundation further to the north and west.
Habitat and Species Diversity
The property has a mosaic of habitat types and a wide variety of tree, shrub, and herb species as well as a varied topography. It includes upland forests of hemlock-hardwood-pine and Appalachian oak-pine, more than two miles of ridgeline with north and south-facing rocky ledges and steep slopes. Headwater streams and riparian areas, basin swamps, beaver-influenced wetlands, scrub-shrub swamps, marshes, peatlands, and vernal pools add to the diversity.
Several species of conservation concern have been recorded near the property. Blanding’s turtle, wood turtle, and small whorled Pogonia occur in the area. The property’s south and southwest facing rocky ledges and slopes provide good habitat for black racers and ideal habitat for one of the southern-most breeding populations of bobcat in the state. The Isinglass River is home to American eel and the bridled shiner. Loons and bald eagles use nearby Bow Lake and this unfragmented forest block may provide a buffer to their territories and help protect water quality in the lake. Considering its size and remoteness, there is great potential for the discovery of other species with further study.
Headwater Streams and Water Quality
The property includes the headwaters streams of three important watersheds – Bow Lake, the source of the Isinglass River, Huckins/Nippo Brook, a tributary of the Isinglass River, and the Big River, a large tributary of the Suncook River. It also overlooks Bow Lake, the second largest lake in Strafford County, and includes frontage on the Willey Ponds. Intact headwater streams are increasingly recognized as critical components of healthy ecosystems – providing important wildlife habitat and protecting water quality downstream.
Ecosystem Function, Biodiversity, and Climate Change
Climate change threatens to exacerbate existing stressors on wildlife, biodiversity, and other ecosystem functions. Land use change, habitat fragmentation, pollution, spread of invasive species, and disruptions of natural processes are major threats to natural systems. Dealing with these threats is one of the most important strategies for adapting to climate change. Evans Mountain is mostly free of these existing threats and by conserving this property we are maintaining resiliency within the larger region.
Education, Recreation, and View
Evans Mountain also offers many outdoor recreation and education opportunities. The property includes a portion of a local snowmobile trail and is used for a variety of other non-motorized recreation uses, including hiking and hunting. The property also offers spectacular views of the nearby Bow Lake to the south and of Mount Washington and the White Mountains to the north. Visitors quickly get a sense of the landscape setting of this property. Public access will be assured by the conservation easement protecting the property.
Plans for the Future
Once conserved, a comprehensive management plan will be prepared to guide activities on the property. The project partners plan to raise enough funding for both the acquisition of the property as well as the restoration of wildlife habitat and wetland and riparian areas damaged in prior years. Although the property was heavily logged in the past and much mature forest was removed, it provides an opportunity for managing early successional habitat to benefit snowshoe hare, bobcat, small mammals, beaver, and moose, among other species. Eventually, the property will succeed to mature forest – New Hampshire forests have shown to be quite resilient to logging and other disturbances.
And now they need to pay for it.
It is not their usual way of doing business on a land protection project, but the Evans Mountain tract is so important that Bear-Paw, the Blue Hills Foundation, and the Town of Strafford were willing to secure loans to make it happen. Blue Hills and Strafford came up with almost half of the $765,000 purchase price, and private individuals provided loans for the remainder – loans which need to be repaid! Additional costs associated with completing the project bring the total needed to $500,000.
Bear-Paw is already at work applying for grants, and because of the high conservation value of these 1,015 acres, prospects are good, but certainly not assured. Bear-Paw is looking for energetic people to help with the Campaign to Save Evans Mountain. A number of events are already in the works and a campaign kick off is planned for Memorial Day weekend. Contact the Bear-Paw office at 463.9400 or info@bear-paw.org if you would like to get involved or to make a contribution to this incredible opportunity.
Bear-Paw is a non-profit land trust with a mission to permanently conserve a network of lands that protects our region’s water, wildlife habitat, forests, and farmland. Established by resident volunteers, Bear-Paw works to conserve open space in Candia, Deerfield, Epsom, Hooksett, Northwood, Nottingham, Raymond, and Strafford through outreach, education, and land protection project assistance. Bear-Paw’s goal is to safeguard the region’s irreplaceable water resources, important wildlife habitat and travel routes, and productive forests and farms. Its members envision a region of scenic beauty and rural character where diversity and quality of life are sustained. For information about how to become a member, land protection options for landowners or volunteering with the land trust, please contact Daniel Kern at Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, Post Office Box 19, Deerfield, NH 03037, 603 463-9400, or info@bear-paw.org. You can also visit their website at www.bear-paw.org.
###
Contact: Katrina Farmer- Communications Associate
603-357-0600
KEENE, N.H. — A new, public hiking trail recently opened in Peterborough, N.H.: the Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail. Now you can walk from downtown Peterborough directly to the summit of Pack Monadnock, following in part this 3.4-mile path that passes wetlands, a cascading stream, a secret pond, hemlock glades, and mature hardwoods.
The trail is the first major public construction project by the Monadnock Conservancy.
Conservancy stewardship manager Emily Hague and local forester Swift Corwin led the efforts to clear, build, and mark the trail. The trail had long been a dream of Corwin’s. The idea took root when then-Conservancy executive director Richard Ober began working with the Coney Partners on a conservation easement. The Coney Partners saw the potential for a recreational corridor, using their land as a major building block. Nearby private landowners who supported the vision, some of whom already had donated conservation easements to the Conservancy and other land trusts, allowed the trail to cross their properties. These landowners include Carl & Margrit Bosk, Arthur Eldredge, Dick & Judy Fernald, Cy & Joyce Gregg, Rob & Kathy Maclaurin, Brad & Sharon Malt and Grant Monahon.
The Monadnock Conservancy also partnered with the Town of Peterborough. The town provided labor for trail work and built the parking area on East Mountain Road.
A trail map is now available for download at www.MonadnockConservancy.org/
html/what_news.html
The Monadnock Conservancy, founded in 1989, is the only land trust dedicated exclusively to the 35 towns of the Monadnock Region in southwestern New Hampshire. Its mission is to identify, promote and actively seek protection of significant natural, aesthetic and historic resources in the area; and to monitor and enforce the protection of lands in the trust. Based in Keene, N.H., the Conservancy has protected more than 14,000 acres of forest, farmland, shoreline, wetlands, wildlife habitat and miles of public recreation trails in the Region. For more information, visit www.MonadnockConservancy.org or call (603) 357-0600.
###