Forest Notes, Fall 2023

MANAGING FOR MILKWEED | A ROCK-SOLID ANNUAL MEETING

N E W H A M P S H I R E ’ S C O N S E R VAT I O N M A G A Z I N E

A Community Vision Fulfilled Protecting the Mahoosuc Highlands

AUTUMN 2023

forestsociety.org

Cut Your Own Christmas Tree

Cut your own or buy a fresh-cut tree. Wreaths available, too!

Visit our new gift shop and program center!

OPEN DAILY NOVEMBER 24–DECEMBER 17 10 A.M.–4 P.M. (FIELDS CLOSE AT 3:30 P.M.)

THE ROCKS, BETHLEHEM FORESTSOCIETY.ORG/CHRISTMAS

TABLE OF CONTENTS: AUTUMN 2023, No. 315

16

8

20 (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) RYAN SMITH, ROSEMARY HARRIS NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY, RYAN SMITH (X2)

DEPARTMENTS

12 FEATURES 8 Welcome Back!

The 122nd Annual Meeting Re-Opens Forest Society North at The Rocks 12 The Mahoosuc Highlands: A Collective Journey of Conservation

2 FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK Of Silver Linings and New Opportunities

4 THE WOODPILE + Conserving the Connecticut + Talking Trees, Very Old Trees + A Challenge for All Ages + Go Out to Get Healthy

16 ON OUR LAND Saving a Sun-Loving Plant in Hollis

20 CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY Tradition of Generosity and Conservation Continues in Cornish

22 PUBLIC POLICY Sustainable Forest Management in the White Mountains

24 PROJECT IN PROGRESS Making a Difference at Morrill Farm

26 THE MANY FACES OF CONSERVATION

MANAGING FOR MILKWEED | A ROCK-SOLID ANNUAL MEETING

In Good Company

N E W H A M P S H I R E ’ S C O N S E R VAT I O N M A G A Z I N E

A Community Vision Fulfilled

On our cover:

Protecting the Mahoosuc Highlands

AUTUMN 2023

forestsociety.org

Views of Middle Mountain and the undulating Androscoggin River Valley reward hikers of Bald Cap Peak, which was recently protected by the Forest Society as part of the Mahoosuc Highlands Initiative.

For more, turn to page 12.

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

CHAIR

Drew Kellner, Brookline

VICE CHAIR

Peter Fauver, North Conway

SECRETARY

Allyson Hicks, Concord

TREASURER

Jason Hicks, Meredith

PRESIDENT

Jack Savage, Middleton

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Susan Arnold, Strafford Philip Bryce, Deering Deb Buxton, Greenfield George Epstein, Silver Lake Peter Fauver, North Conway Don Floyd, Concord Jameson French, Portsmouth Jason Hicks, Meredith Patricia Losik, Rye Nancy Martland, Sugar Hill Michael Morison, Peterborough Elizabeth Salas, Weare Bill “Tuck” Tucker, Goffstown Tom Wagner, Campton Janet Zeller, Concord

STAFF

Frank Allen, Building and Grounds Assistant Sarah AlSamaraee, Stewardship & Forestry Administrative Coordinator Dave Anderson, Senior Director of Education Brie Belisle, Regional Stewardship Manager Anna Berry, Director of Communications and Digital Outreach Nik Berube, Maintenance Assistant Naomi Brattlof, Director of Easement Stewardship Rita Carroll, Tree Farm Administrator Tony Cheek, Vice President for Finance Connie Colton, Land Protection and Stewardship Coordinator Linda Dammann, Development Assistant Carrie Deegan, Reservation Stewardship and Engagement Director Leah Hart, Land Conservation Project Manager Stacie Hernandez, Land Conservation Project Manager Brian Hotz, Vice President for Land Conservation Steve Junkin, Field Forester Sarah Kern, Creek Farm Education Program Coordinator Susanne Kibler-Hacker, Senior Philanthropy Advisor Allan Krygeris, Senior Technology Specialist Matt Leahy, Public Policy Director Cameron Larnerd, Christmas Tree Farm Manager, The Rocks Margaret Liszka, Membership Director Nigel Manley, Senior Outreach Manager, The Rocks Ann McCoy, Development Manager Stephanie Milender, Human Resource Director Jack Minich, Regional Stewardship Manager Scarlett Moberly, Program Director, The Rocks Michelle Morse, Finance Specialist Carl Murphy, Facilities Manager Meredith Reed O’Donnell, Foundation Relations Manager Tina Ripley, Administrative Coordinator Sophie Oehler, Communications Coordinator Cara Pearson, Membership Specialist John Plummer, Regional Stewardship Manager Jack Savage, President Matt Scaccia, Recreation and Community Relations Manager Ryan Smith, Communications Manager Ron Snow, Manager of Individual Giving Maria Stewart, Senior Executive Assistant Dylan Summers, Stewardship Projects Manager Laurel Swope-Brush, Land Steward & Volunteer Programs Coordinator Anne Truslow, Vice President for Development Wendy Weisiger, Managing Forester Harriette Yazzie-Whitcomb, Administrative Assistant

2 | FOREST NOTES Autumn 2023

Of Silver Linings and New Opportunities

I

n September, 250 Forest Society members and supporters gathered at The Rocks in Bethlehem for the 122nd Annual Meeting to celebrate the reopening of the property following the fire in 2019. If there was a silver lining to the loss of the property’s Tool Building, it was the view of the White Mountains that revealed itself beyond the ashes.

In fact, the fire presented us with an opportunity to draw on the collective vision of North Country communities, our members, our board, and our staff to reset our goals at The Rocks and north of the notches and, based on the input of many, create a campus that advances those goals.

And so we committed ourselves to rebuilding. We concluded that we should continue operating the Christmas tree farm, building as part of phase one a new heated workshop and garage for the farm.

We concluded that we should make the newly enhanced view a centerpiece of the reworked landscape, turning the foundation of the Tool Building into a spectacular outdoor amphitheater inspired by the property’s historic tiered Olmstead Garden.

And we concluded that accomplishing our mission called for a classroom and gathering space that would both welcome and engage visitors to The Rocks and embody our commitment to energy efficiency, and so the conversion of the Carriage Barn as a net-zero program center began. We also hired more staff to provide outreach to visitors and communities alike. In October 2023, we welcomed a new program director to The Rocks, Scarlett Moberly, who will work out of the Carriage Barn’s offices. Our Christmas Tree Farm Manager Cameron Larnerd has a year under his belt in this position, and he is ready to welcome everyone back this holiday season for cut-your-own and fresh-cut fir trees.

As 2023 comes to a close, we still have work to do to complete our Forest Society North campus. Thanks to very generous donors, including a recent anonymous $1 million gift, we have raised more than $7.3 million of the $8.5 million we need to complete the project. We are determined to make good on our promise to do more work—land protection, stewardship, advocacy, and education—in the North Country.

To that end, I was pleased to report at the annual meeting that, with the help of generous donors and collaborative partners, we have completed the Mahoosuc Highlands Initiative, and we now own 3,700 acres in Shelburne, N.H., that includes more than a mile of frontage on the Androscoggin River and a section buffering the Appalachian Trail. Turn to page 12 to learn more about the long road that led us to this milestone. The property is our second largest forest reservation after Mount Monadnock, and with this acquisition the Forest Society now owns more than 63,000 acres across the state.

We are proud that these two investments in conserving—and serving— northern New Hampshire have come to fruition this year. Thanks to all of you who made these accomplishments possible.

Jack Savage is the president of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

He can be reached by email at jsavage @forestsociety.org.

WEB EXCLUSIVES

eport nd nnual R 122 A

(OPPOSITE PAGE) RYAN SMITH; (THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) SARAH KERN, RYAN SMITH, MJEEDELBR @FLICKR, FELICIA FOURNIER (#FEL.FOUR.NATURE)

Linger Longer Creek Farm’s new benches forestsociety.org/creekfarmbenches

Year in Review The 122nd Annual Report is online forestsociety.org/annual-reports

Flying High NH’s osprey success story forestsociety.org/NHospreys

A 200-year-old pine tree towers above Forest Society 5 Hikes Challenge participant Felicia Fournier at Bretzfelder Park in Bethlehem.

CONNECT WITH US! facebook.com/ForestSociety

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Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests

A nonprofit membership organization founded in 1901 to protect the state’s most important landscapes and promote wise use of its renewable natural resources.

Basic annual membership fee is $45 and includes a subscription to Forest Notes.

Editor: Ryan Smith Design & Production: The Secret Agency Printing: R.C. Brayshaw & Company, Inc. Forest Notes is printed on elemental chlorine-free Sappi Flo paper with 10 percent post-consumer recycled content. Sappi Flo is made from pulp purchased from suppliers who document sound environmental practices and sustainable forest management.

Permission is required for reproduction of any part of this magazine.

Copyright 2023 SPNHF. US ISSN: 0015 7457 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, N.H. 03301 | Phone: 603-224-9945 | Fax: 603-228-0423 info@forestsociety.org | forestsociety.org The Forest Society proudly supports the following organizations:

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Autumn 2023 FOREST NOTES | 3

THE WOODPILE—NEWS NOT SO NEATLY STACKED

Conserving the CT River

Shaheen Visits The Rocks Go Out to Get Healthy

From left: Clint Savage, NH Bureau of Trails; Chris Thayer, Appalachian Mountain Club; Markelle Smith, Friends of Conte; Senator Shaheen; Matt Leahy, Forest Society; Jim O’Brien, Nature Conservancy.

From left: Forest Society board members Phil Bryce and Nancy Martland, Policy Director Matt Leahy, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and Forest Society President Jack Savage.

In September, Public Policy Director Matt Leahy joined conservation partners in helping U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) announce the introduction of the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership Act. The act proposes to establish a partnership among federal, state, local, and private entities to promote conservation, restoration, education, and recreation efforts in New Hampshire’s second largest watershed, which drains approximately 11,250 square miles, 3,406 of which are in the state.

The act will also create a voluntary grant program to support the stewardship of fish and wildlife habitats, the protection of drinking water sources, and the enhancement of flood resilience—all the while promoting access to the watershed’s public spaces. “The Connecticut River is one of the most significant watersheds in the country,” Forest Society President Jack Savage says. “Stewarding this unique region is a priority, and the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership Act will help the stakeholders meet this important responsibility. The Forest Society is pleased to support this legislation and we want to express our thanks to Senator Shaheen for her leadership.”

In October, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen visited Forest Society North at The Rocks to see first-hand the progress of the multi-year campaign to rebuild the property, including the renovation of the historic Carriage Barn.

4 | FOREST NOTES Autumn 2023

A study of 20,000 people by the European Centre for Environment & Human Health at the University of Exeter in England found that people who spent two hours a week in green spaces, such as parks and woodlands, were more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those who do not.

The study found the positive health outcomes became significantly greater with exposure to the outdoors of two hours. It adds to an increasing recognition and growing body of information that nature is a key element in improving people’s physical and mental health.

Therefore, protecting important green spaces and ensuring people have to access to them are not frivolous or minor goals.

Now, listen to your mother and go outside and play!

Learn more at forestsociety.org/gethealthy.

The Rocks NOW BOOKING

2024

WEDDINGS BETHLEHEM, NH forestsociety.org/weddings

(OPPOSITE PAGE) PAULA TRACY, COURTESY OF JEANNE SHAHEEN; (THIS PAGE) FOREST SOCIETY FILES, CHRIS MERCHANT

In September, Forest Society Senior Director of Education Dave Anderson (pictured kneeling above) led a group of participants of the 7th Eastern Old-Growth Forest Conference on a tour of the old growth stands still remaining at the Forest Society’s Lost River Gorge in Woodstock.

Talking Trees, Very Old Trees More than 260 people participated in the 7th Eastern Old-Growth Forest Conference on September 21–23 at the Geneva Point Center in Moultonborough.

The conference included the latest findings on eastern old-growth forests from leading researchers and the ongoing efforts to identify and inventory the remaining old-growth forests in the eastern United States.

As part of the event, Senior Director of Education Dave Anderson led a field trip to a rare old growth area associated with the Forest Society’s longest continuously owned property: Lost River in North Woodstock. The area includes portions of the gorge and sections that are located well off trail below the Dilly Cliffs and along the upper Lost River drainage, which was protected in 1912. Anderson

spoke about the early history of the property documented by former Forest Society assistant forester J. Willcox Brown. His account includes the history of Kinsman Notch: the logging operations that took place in Lost River and the railroad owned

by G.L. Johnson.

The optimism participants left the conference with turned to deep sadness a few days later when Chris Kane, event organizer and former Forest Society ecologist, passed away while on a family vacation. To learn more about the legacy Kane left behind, including his “rediscovery” of the Mount Sunapee old-growth forest, to which he led a field trip to during the conference, read The Old Growth Hunter (Forest Notes, Summer 2022). The Forest Society would like to extend our condolences to the entire Kane family.

Chris Kane poses above Lake Solitude on Mount Sunapee during an Old-Growth Forest Conference field trip in September 2023.

Autumn 2023 FOREST NOTES | 5

THE WOODPILE—NEWS NOT SO NEATLY STACKED

5 Hikes Challenge participants and Concord Hospital employees came together for a hike of the Forest Society’s Morse Preserve in September.

A Challenge for All Ages It was another successful year for the Forest Society’s 5 Hikes Challenge as 325 people visited a total of 33 Forest Society reservations across the state. More than 20 percent of participants used the Forest Society mobile app, powered by

OuterSpatial, to keep track of their progress. According to the app’s leaderboard, Forest Society member Lisa Belanger finished the Challenge first and hiked 19 trails by the end of October. During the Challenge, staff led hikes to the

Picture Perfect One of the Forest Society’s longtime volunteers was recently honored by Volunteer NH at their annual Spirit of NH award night in Concord.

Kate Wilcox of Barrington has been volunteering with the Forest Society since 2013 as a land steward at Salmon Falls Forest in Milton. In addition to being a trusted land steward, Kate has also become a go-to volunteer photographer for the Forest Society. She produces high-quality photos that document our properties and events so beautifully. These photos are represented online and in print, including Forest Notes. Next time you see Kate at an event or in the field, be sure to congratulate her on receiving this well-deserved award.

6 | FOREST NOTES Autumn 2023

Merrimack River Outdoor Education and Conservation Area in Concord and the Evelyn H. and Albert D. Morse Preserve in Alton for participants and employees of Concord Hospital.

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Autumn 2023 FOREST NOTES | 7

Welcome Back!

The 122nd Annual Meeting Re-opens Forest Society North at The Rocks Story by Anna Berry | Photos by Ryan Smith

Musician Ben Cosgrove and writer Howard Mansfield provided the inaugural performance in The Rocks’ amphitheater at the 122nd Annual Meeting.

O

n a surprisingly rain-free Saturday in the North Country, nearly 250 people attended the Forest Society’s 122nd Annual Meeting on September 23 in Bethlehem, which kicked off the re-opening of The Rocks after a multi-year campaign to rebuild the campus.

In the morning, attendees went on walks at Underhill Acres Tree Farm and Ammonoosuc River Forest in Bethlehem and across The Rocks’ campus to learn about Christmas tree farming, the property’s history, and the green energy systems in place.

8 | FOREST NOTES Autumn 2023

The afternoon began with a catered lunch and a taste of Rocks Red Ale, brewed by Rek-lis Brewing Company in Bethlehem. This was followed by the business meeting, which according to Forest Society President Jack Savage as he opened the presentation, was a more joyous occasion to share at The Rocks than what occurred four years ago. “Today is a better day than February 13, 2019, when a devastating fire burned the tool building that was The Rocks center of operations,” he said. “For those who knew the property well, it came as a tremendous shock. As we gather

here today in a re-envisioned landscape, I’d like to suggest that there was a more important silver lining to the loss from the fire.

Since that day, we as an organization, which is in turn a part of a local community and a broader region in New Hampshire, were presented with an opportunity to draw on the collective vision of those communities, our members, our board, and our staff to reset our goals here at The Rocks and north of the notches and, based on the input of many voices, create a campus that advances those goals.”

Top: Attendees explored the Christmas tree farm by horsedrawn wagon.

Middle: A good crowd turned out for the annual business meeting and award ceremony.

Bottom: From left, Deanna Howard, Jane Difley, Drew Kellner, and Bill “Tuck” Tucker pose with a sign for the newly dedicated Jane A. Difley Classrom at The Rocks.

Autumn 2023 FOREST NOTES | 9

Award Winners Volunteer of the Year

Conservationists of the Year

President’s Award

Each year, the Forest Society presents the organization’s Trish Churchill Volunteer of the Year Award at its Annual Meeting.

This award honors those exemplary people who have volunteered their time, resources, and energy to help the Forest Society achieve its mission. This year, the Forest Society honored Philip (Sam) Chase, who has volunteered at The Rocks for the past 30 years. Senior Outreach Manager Nigel Manley said he met Sam in 1993 when he signed up to be a docent at The Rocks. Participants of the docent training program paid for enrollment out of pocket and the Forest Society would reimburse the cost of the program after a volunteer logged a set number of hours. “Sam got his money back right away because of the programs he taught that first year,” Manley said. “He is an invaluable volunteer and a dear friend, and I am honored to recognize him with this award.”

Over the years, Chase has taught or assisted with every program at The Rocks, including the maple sugaring programs, Christmas programs, Agriculture in the Classroom, field days, school programs, and group tours. “My experiences at The Rocks have given me the opportunity to work with a great group of volunteers to present information to people from many different places and backgrounds,” Chase says. “Having a great facility made it even easier, and hopefully more people will volunteer as we move ahead with Forest Society North at The Rocks.”

“To say his dedication is unwavering is an understatement,” Manley said. “Sam has helped in every way, in every type of weather, and in any circumstance.”

At the Annual Meeting, Midge and Tim Eliassen of Sunapee were honored as the Conservationists of the Year. This prestigious award honors people whose work to promote and achieve conservation is exemplary—people whose actions have made a difference not just in their own backyards, but also have advanced the protection and stewardship of land statewide.

“I see your choice of us to receive this great honor as a salute to the significance of volunteerism—the importance of working for and giving back to what you value,” Midge said during her acceptance speech.

“It is such an honor to have been recognized for our small contributions to the incredibly important work of the Forest Society. For me and Tim, we hope the next generation of young people will see the importance and pleasure of giving your time to something you value.”

Midge served on the Forest Society Board of Trustees from 2007–2013, and following her term she was instrumental in leading the Forest Society’s Second Century Committee.

Her voice on standing committees has been creative and clear, serving on the Research Committee from 2007–2009, Reservation Stewardship Committee from 2007–2020, Executive Committee from 2010–2013, and Outreach Committee from 2007–present.

Tim has volunteered on many stewardship projects for the Forest Society, including rebuilding the deck overlooking the Merrimack River at the Conservation Center in Concord. “With a generous donation of real estate in Warren to the Forest Society’s Assets to Acres program, Midge and Tim put their actions where their words are.

They literally ‘walk the talk,’ ” Savage said.

The President’s Award is awarded on special occasions to recognize an extraordinary effort of an individual or organization. Will Abbott, former vice president of policy and land management for the Forest Society, was honored with this award in recognition of his long-time advocacy on behalf of New Hampshire’s landscapes.

Abbott joined the Forest Society in 2005 developing and advocating for public policy positions on various issues at the local, state, and federal levels and leading the management of more than 50,000 acres of timberland owned by the Forest Society. He most notably was the driving force behind the Forest Society’s strategy to oppose the Northern Pass, which at its core was an attempt by a corporation to bully its way across a landscape to achieve profit over community good.

“Will’s dedication to the Forest Society has been unwavering,” Forest Society President Jack Savage said. “We defeated Northern Pass, thanks to many, but especially thanks to Will’s strategic direction and perseverance. His dedication has been constant, and with the completion of Forest Society North at The Rocks on the horizon, we finally get to say thank you to a valued and dear colleague and friend.”

10 | FOREST NOTES Autumn 2023

During his speech, Savage announced that the Forest Society North campaign had received several generous gifts recently, including the largest gift to date, an anonymous $1 million pledge. As this issue goes to press, the Forest Society is only $1.3 million short of achieving its $8.5 million milestone. In other conservation success news, Savage was excited to report that just the day before, the Forest Society had closed on the acquisition of 3,700 acres in Shelburne, the Mahoosuc Highlands Initiative.

The completion of this project brings the Forest Society’s land ownership to more than 63,000 acres. Combined with more than 135,000 acres in conservation easements, the Forest Society now protects 198,000 acres across the state. For more on this project, turn to page 12.

Turning from conservation projects to conservation leaders, Savage formally dedicated the Jane A. Difley classroom at The Rocks in honor of the Forest Society’s former president/forester.

He was joined by past board chairs Deanna Howard and Bill “Tuck” Tucker and current board chair Drew Kellner for the unveiling of a sign to be placed over the entrance of the classroom. The Forest Society received $500,000 in gifts from donors who wanted to honor Jane’s 23 years of dedicated service. “I remember Jane bringing me to The Rocks during my first few days at the Forest Society in 2005 and telling me that it was among her very favorite Forest Society reservations,” Savage said. “So as the Carriage Barn nears completion, this sign will be installed to remind all that enter of Jane and her contributions to keeping forests as forests in New Hampshire.”

Savage went on to present the Conservationist of the Year Award to Midge and Tim Eliassen of Sunapee in recognition of their longtime activism, leadership, and support of conservation and recreation in the Lake Sunapee and Mount Kearsarge region.

“Midge and Tim are literally and figuratively trailblazers,” Savage remarked. “They devote countless hours to helping to strengthen and prepare local and statewide conservation, advocacy, and recreation organizations to chart a greener future in New Hampshire.

Both have contributed in so many ways, not only to the Forest Society, but to the lakes and forests of New Hampshire.”

Next up, The Rocks Senior Outreach Manager Nigel Manley presented the 2023 Trish Churchill Volunteer of the Year award to Sam Chase and Savage presented the President’s Award to Will Abbott, former Forest Society vice president of public policy and reservation stewardship. Since 2020, Abbott played a pivotal role as project manager for construction at The Rocks as the campus was re-envisioned and the Carriage Barn underwent renovations for a year and a half.

During the business meeting, members approved two nominees for their first three-year terms on the Board of Trustees: Susan Arnold of Strafford and Jameson (Jamey) French of Portsmouth.

“Both Jamey and Susan share a passion for our forests, and their

Howard Mansfield looks on as Ben Cosgrove plays a song from his 2017 album Salt. collective expertise and advocacy will truly be an asset to our board and our organization as we conserve and manage a diversity of lands across New Hampshire with the challenge of addressing climate change and its impacts on our forests,” Savage said.

Members also approved the nominations of Don Floyd of Concord (second 3-year term), Deb Buxton of Greenfield (third 3-year term), and Peter Fauver of North Conway (third 3-year term). Board chair Kellner honored Bill Crangle of Plymouth and Andy Smith of Twin Mountain who are retiring from the board. According to Forest Society by-laws, the members elect the secretary and the Board of Trustees. As a result, the Leadership and Governance Committee nominated trustee Allyson Hicks of Concord to the office of secretary and the members approved the nomination.

To round out the day’s program, author Howard Mansfield and musician Ben Cosgrove presented A Journey to the White Mountains in Words and Music in The Rocks’ new amphitheater.

It was a fitting end to a spectacular day spent in the company of many Forest Society supporters from near and far.

THANK YOU TO OUR ANNUAL MEETING SPONSORS Badger Peabody & Smith Realty BCM Environmental & Land Law PLLC Leigh B. Starer, LLC Landscape Architect Milestone Engineering & Construction New England Private Wealth Advisors ReVision Energy Samyn-d’Elia Architects PA

Online

To read the FY23 Annual Report, visit forestsociety.org/annual-reports.

Autumn 2023 FOREST NOTES | 11

The Mahoosuc Highlands A Collective Journey of Conservation

By Sally Manikian

F

ifteen years ago, I crawled out to the middle of a ledge on the slopes of Cascade Mountain to reach a stubborn, skinny tree with a yellow blaze on it that needed more paint. One foot on public land, one foot on private land, I stood on the boundary line of the Appalachian Trail. With the Lead Mine Brook valley spilling out below me, I visualized the map and topography, the narrow, vulnerable band of the Appalachian Trail surrounded by the unknown. I wish I could tell that version of myself how much was possible, the part I would play

12 | FOREST NOTES Autumn 2023

and the power I would have. I wish I could tell her, as she stood muddy and dirty and utterly alone, that she was exactly where she needed to be—feet on the ground of the land in need.

Since the early 2000s, through no single person or organization, a mosaic of conservation projects have helped to protect lands formerly owned by the Brown Paper Company in the Mahoosuc Range and Androscoggin River Valley. What was once a big white space on a map has slowly turned green, nearly 75,000 acres through the effort of different conservation

“The mosaic of conserved lands the Highlands now joins is one of the best examples of persistence, effective partnerships, and good teamwork.”

The Androscoggin River flows beside the Shelburne Valley Forest.

Autumn 2023 FOREST NOTES | 13

Pursued thanks to a lead from Larry, the acquisition intended to widen the Appalachian Trail’s corridor, ultimately rendering boundary lines I had once maintained unnecessary. Not long after, I walked Bald Cap with Larry, and he spoke about the possibility of new trails created by the nascent Shelburne Trails Club. I also met with the then-members of the Conservation Commission, interviewing them for the local paper about their desire to cultivate a conservation vision, faced with a recognition that what Shelburne had long loved and enjoyed was not forever guaranteed to stay the same.

Starting in 2005, Ginger Lawson and Larry Ely drew together a partnership with multiple landowners, Mahoosuc Land Trust, and The Conservation Fund to protect their family lands. Pictured from left: Shelburne residents Katie Stuart, Ginger Lawson, Sally Manikian, and Larry Ely. ownerships from federal and state agencies to community forests. These conserved lands are one of the best examples of persistence, effective partnerships, and good teamwork.

Years before I encountered those steep Mahoosuc ledges, my predecessor at The Conservation Fund (TCF), Nancy Bell, had her first encounters with Larry Ely, her “conservation stalker.”

A part-time resident of Shelburne, N.H., Larry analyzed the land ownerships across the vast forests of the town and persistently approached Nancy at every meeting or conference to say, “You have to come see Shelburne; you have to come see what is worth protecting.” In 2005, Larry and his wife Ginger Lawson invited Nancy to their front porch to see their prized view. What Larry and Ginger saw in the slopes of the Mahoosucs was an extraordinary conservation opportunity for small local family landowners and large industrial timberland ownerships.

Since Shelburne’s founding in 1769, the landscape had largely remained unchanged, but increasing pressures from changing landowners and interests in development posed a real threat.

Nancy was convinced, and through TCF she launched a decadeslong partnership that continues today. The foundation of this partnership was built on Larry and Ginger’s local skill and understanding of landowners, TCF’s expertise in landowner negotiations and leveraging conservation funding, and Mahoosuc Land Trust (MLT) as a local conservation group. Leveraging a donated conservation easement on their own lands on First Mountain Forest, by 2013, three easements totaling 1,000 acres closed in Shelburne resulting in the first conservation lands to be established in the town in more than 15 years.

Simultaneous to these conservation efforts, in 2008 TCF purchased Bald Cap Peak Forest, 1,300 acres bordering Dream Lake, Page Pond, and containing Giant Falls and Middle Mountain.

14 | FOREST NOTES Autumn 2023

Following these early conservation successes, the next phase within Shelburne resulted in a strong and cohesive community understanding and vision of what conservation could and should look like. As the Shelburne Trails Club reclaimed old treadway, developed new routes, and gained volunteers, they also cultivated appreciation for protecting trails and recreational opportunities as residents held tools in their hands and put their feet on the ground.

Later in 2009, the Shelburne Conservation Commission held an open house to hear residents’ concerns about the natural resources. Outside of a normal Master Plan process, meeting participants showed strong support for conservation in the face of the most imminent concerns and threats: community support for shoreland protections matching concern about development along the Androscoggin River, conservation of working lands matching concerns about the future of industrial timberland ownership, and support for a town forest as a solution. These same themes appeared again in the 2016 Master Plan, and two years later a 2018 Public Attitudes Survey by the Shelburne Conservation Commission set the stage for the next phase of large-scale land conservation: exploration of creating a town forest, protection of access to trails, protection of scenic beauty, and maintaining access to the Androscoggin River. In 2019, the Shelburne Selectboard approved the formation of a Shelburne Community Forest Committee to explore conservation and possible formation of a town forest.

At the same time, I had transitioned to my current role at TCF, and actively pursued conservation of the lands I stood on near Cascade Mountain 15 years before. Bayroot LLC, a private timber company, was ready to release a mix of lands in Shelburne for sale for conservation, an 880-acre array of 22 parcels of islands and shorelands on the Androscoggin River, and 2,700 acres of upland forest hugging the highest elevations of the Mahoosucs.

The islands would be first, giving me time to figure out the solution for the uplands—it was time to talk to Larry, Ginger, and Katie Stuart.

Katie Stuart had long been behind the scenes in the many aforementioned conservation efforts, and by 2019 she had assumed the role of Chair of the Shelburne Conservation Commission. When faced with this enormous opportunity to realize the vision long developed, Katie and the commission thought long and hard about the “how.” Shelburne is a small town, barely 350 residents, with a modest operating budget. Was there a way to achieve some of the most important benefits of a

(OPENING SPREAD) RYAN SMITH; (OPPOSITE PAGE) TIM BUXTON; (THIS PAGE) RYAN SMITH

community forest, without the town absorbing the responsibility of owning that much land?

The conservation of the 880-acre Shelburne Riverlands in 2021 served as a pilot for how that might be possible. MLT stepped forward expressing interest in owning the Riverlands, the islands, intervales, and wetlands spread across the valley of Shelburne, representing the most wild and scenic portion of the Androscoggin River in New Hampshire. With the support of the Shelburne Selectboard and the Conservation Commission, MLT acquired the properties after fundraising more than $1.2 million in less than one year, resulting in the conservation of the vast majority of Shelburne’s river frontage, long a conservation priority for the town. MLT created a local stewardship subcommittee comprising Shelburne residents and landowners to guide the management and use of the Riverlands, ensuring that local voices were involved in management decisions, an important component of a community forest. The subcommittee developed a 10-year plan that reflected the wishes of Shelburne residents, and management will continue to be guided by the subcommittee. The success of this model, pairing high-capacity stewardship of a land trust with genuine engagement with local communities, led to the next big thing: the Mahoosuc Highlands.

Rising from the Androscoggin River to the ridgeline of the Mahoosucs, an enormous sweeping swath of Shelburne’s mountains could be protected by combining the 2,700 acres from Bayroot with the 1,030 acres from TCF’s Bald Cap parcel. In my role at TCF, I had long been talking with Forest Society Vice President for Land Conservation Brian Hotz about the Forest Society’s land conservation priorities in the North Country, and these lands together perfectly fit the Forest Society’s goals. Like the meetings with conservation groups almost 20 years before, Brian came to Larry and Ginger’s front porch to meet with residents and learn about what Shelburne needed from the Forest Society, and what they could do for Shelburne. This project would be a major expansion of the Forest Society’s presence beyond its 82-acre Peabody Forest in Shelburne, which the two properties would surround. With the full support of the Selectboard, the Forest Society, with assistance from TCF, moved forward in the acquisition of the Mahoosuc Highlands. “These 3,700 acres are the result of years of local leadership and volunteerism, into which the Forest Society is thrilled to be a new and important partner,” Brian said. “This is a working forest that the community wanted to keep in the timber base but under conservation management. Significant recreational resources and water and forest resources coincided with our ramping up our North Country staffing at The Rocks in Bethlehem while working with an enthusiastic and committed community to build on two decades of collaborative conservation.”

In September 2023, the 2,700 acres known as the Shelburne Valley Forest and the 1,030 acres known as the Bald Cap Peak Forest—together the Mahoosuc Highlands—were purchased by the Forest Society and protected forever. Many local, state,

Giant Falls, Bald Cap Peak Forest.

“These 3,700 acres are the result of years of local leadership and volunteerism, into which the Forest Society is thrilled to be a new and important partner.”

—Brian Hotz, Vice President for Land Conservation

national organizations, and funding programs came together to provide the funds and support needed to facilitate the conservation project, including the federal Community Forest Program, the state’s Land and Community Heritage Program and the NH Department of Transportation mitigation program, in addition to grants from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Wild East Action Fund, the Randolph Area Conservation Opportunity Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and gifts and grants from 160 individuals and organizations.

I am so grateful to the Forest Society for holding the ledges, valleys, and mountains of the wild Mahoosucs in permanent stewardship. When I drove past the hulking ridge of Bald Cap for the first time after the project closed, I was struck with relief, love, joy, and excitement knowing that this enormous community-wide effort had paid off. There are other unprotected mountains and valleys in the Mahoosucs, though. There is more to do—and there are so many good people poised to make that happen. Let’s keep going.

Sally Manikian is the New Hampshire and Vermont representative for The Conservation Fund.

Thanks to Larry Ely and Katie Stuart for contributing to this article.

Online

To learn more about the Mahoosuc Highlands Initiative, visit forestsociety.org/mahoosucs.

Autumn 2023 FOREST NOTES | 15

ON OUR LAND

Forester Steve Junkin marks butterfly milkweed plants in preparation for a timber harvest.

Saving a Sun-Loving Plant in Hollis

By Sophie Oehler

O

n the north side of Dunklee Pond in Hollis, the Forest Society’s 283-acre Millicent Scott Gardner Memorial Forest is full of white pines, stone walls, and thickets of lowbush blueberries.

The protected land is also home to an increasingly rare species of milkweed in the state, butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), which Forest Society foresters have been monitoring for the past two decades.

16 | FOREST NOTES Autumn 2023

Butterfly milkweed, so named for the colorful winged insects it attracts, looks like a daintier version of its cousin common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) with long and slender leaves in an alternating pattern around a thin stem. In the spring, it sprouts clusters of bright orange and red blossoms, and in late summer and early fall it develops long, pointed seed pods covered in tiny hairs that extend upward from the stem.

Also named orange milkweed or chigger weed, butterfly milkweed has many medicinal uses and was eaten by the Omaha and Ponca Indigenous tribes to treat bronchial and pulmonary ailments. It is an attractive plant species for pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and various beetles.

The plant is common nationwide. But New Hampshire is at the northern extent of its range and only nine populations

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Top: A monarch butterfly polinates a butterfly milkweed plant.

Bottom: In 2021, after a timber harvest that was intentionally designed to support the growth of the butterfly milkweed, foresters identified milkweed seed pods growing at the Gardner Forest—a sign efforts are paying off to protect and expand the plant’s population. exist in the state, including the one at Gardner Forest. In 2009, Forest Society foresters first discovered a total of 28 individual butterfly milkweed plants growing beneath large pine trees on the property.

In 2016, that number dropped to 16 plants. In 2020, it dwindled to just nine.

The plant’s steady decline motivated foresters to manage the property in a more effective way to better support the species.

The shade cast by large white pines provided very little opportunity for growth

for plants on the forest floor, including butterfly milkweed. In 2021, when it was clear the population was at risk, the forestry team carefully removed a small cluster of trees to open the canopy and provide full sun access for the milkweed.

The thinning worked; and on a recent visit to the property, foresters counted 14 milkweed plants growing in the clearing. Plus, many of the plants had started growing seed pods, which they hadn’t shown signs of doing in all the years of monitoring.

Apply by January 2024 extension.unh.edu/ womens-forestplanning-program

Autumn 2023 FOREST NOTES | 17

ON OUR LAND

Top: Proctor Hill Forestry and Logging skillfully removed over-topping white pines (pictured at right) to open up the fields at the Gardner Forest to assist the sun-loving butterfly milkweed in populating the open space.

Bottom left: Managing Forester Wendy Weisiger (left) and Field Forester Steve Junkin point out new milkweed plant growth; right: An open butterfly milkweed pod.

To help this population thrive and expand, staff foresters developed a plan to clear the former field area of the enormous over-topping pines and turn it into a managed wildlife field. In the fall of 2023, this work was accomplished as part of a larger 15-acre sustainable forestry project. Staff foresters implemented a planned thinning in the surrounding area and used the opportunity to also clear the remaining 18 | FOREST NOTES Autumn 2023

pines that were shading out the mikweed plants. Foresters flagged each plant and the loggers at Proctor Hill Forestry and Logging developed a harvest plan to carefully cut and remove these pines without disturbing the plants. This work was completed in October and the next steps will involve grinding the large stumps so that the new opening can be periodically mowed so the milkweed can thrive.

“This is only the beginning of this rehabilitation project,” Managing Forester Wendy Weisiger says. “We’ve set the stage for this plant to thrive, but it will require annual monitoring and maintenance of the fields and non-native competing plants to ensure success. We will work with ecologists to respond to the plants’ needs moving forward.”

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nhpbs.org/travel Autumn 2023 FOREST NOTES | 19

CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

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Tradition of Generosity and Conservation Continues in Cornish

By Kelly Whalen

RYAN SMITH

T

he Forest Society has extended the protected lands in Cornish by working with generous landowners, Wally and Jerri Cole, who donated a conservation easement of 214 acres, known as Paget Farm, directly abutting the southern boundary of the Forest Society’s Yatsevitch Forest.

In 1995, Mike Yatsevitch had a vision for conserving his family lands in Plainfield and Cornish. The Michael M. and Claudia Yatsevitch Forest was first established with an 800-acre donation of land to the Forest Society. “If only Mike could see the Yatsevitch Forest today,” Forest Society President Jack Savage says.

“Through a series of land and conservation easement donations and purchases, and thanks to collaborations between the towns, land trusts, private landowners, and philanthropic donors, more than 1,300 acres of contiguous forestland has been conserved surrounding that original 800 acres, creating a block of 2,172 acres.”

The Coles’ land, nestled between Dodge Hollow Road and Paget Road, extends down the southern slope of Fernald Hill, and consists of a mixed northern hardwood forest of sugar maple, oak, beech, and birch. The soil type on part of Yatsevitch Forest is contiguous to the Cole’s property and contains a similar unique, rich habitat more common across the Connecticut River in Vermont than in New Hampshire.

Large, interconnected blocks of forested habitat are important to the movement and migration of wildlife, including wide-ranging species like black bear and moose. And the woodlands, fields, and winding dirt roads of Cornish are fundamental to the character of this beautiful Connecticut River community that has inspired so many writers and artists.

In this aerial photograph, Mount Ascutney in Vermont can be seen on the horizon with part of the 214-acre Cole Conservation Easement pictured in the foreground.

The conservation easement prevents future subdivision of the 214 acres and will not allow further development, but it does allow recreational use and sustainable forestry, and protects water resources and other natural attributes on the property.

“Our property is a unique part of Cornish,” Jerri Cole says. “Integral to our decision to conserve our property was to address climate change. We wanted to conserve, protect, and enhance a forest capable of carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change and to enhance biodiversity. Along with the recreational values and the protection of open space, growing and maintaining a mature forest that maximizes the amount of carbon sequestered from the atmosphere and stored in the soils or plant biomass across Paget Farm’s landscape will be a primary consideration for future forest management plans.”

Eighty-eight individual donors and the Cornish Conservation Commission were instrumental in providing for the

long-term stewardship of the property as well as project costs.

“We ensured that our partnership with the Forest Society was established through the Cornish Conservation Commission because we first wanted the Town of Cornish to be fully aware, engaged, and supportive of our vision for the future of Paget Farm,” Cole adds. “The Cornish Conservation Commission’s involvement was integral to the seamless working relationship between the Forest Society, the commission, and ourselves and we thank them for their support.”

“This is a truly special property that satisfies all of our land conservation priorities,” says Corey Fitch, chair of the Cornish Conservation Commission. “We are grateful for the Cole family’s generosity and the Forest Society’s dedication to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy all that it has to offer.”

Autumn 2023 FOREST NOTES | 21

PUBLIC POLICY

Sustainable Forest Management in the White Mountains

By Matt Leahy

T

he Forest Society has long practiced and advocated for the sustainable management of the forests in New Hampshire. We believe it is important to support practices that will result in more diverse and resilient forests. As such, the Forest Society supports the proposed Lost River Integrated Resource Project in the White Mountain National Forest.

Lost River Integrated Resource Project Background The U.S. Forest Service has proposed management work in the Elbow Pond and Franconia Notch Habitat Management Units of the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF). The Lost River Integrated Resource Project is located in the towns of Woodstock and Lincoln. One of only two national forests in New England, the WMNF is deeply tied to the history of the Forest Society and so we continue to take a strong interest in the management of this special place. Described as the “Land of Many Uses,” the WMNF offers benefits ranging from outdoor recreation to wildlife habitats to water resources to the raw materials for the wood products industry. The foundation for all those valuable uses is the presence of a healthy, diverse, and resilient forest. With thoughtful planning—the kind practiced by the Forest Society and the U.S. Forest Service—land owners and managers can achieve those goals.

Online:

For more information on the project, visit www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=63401.

22 | FOREST NOTES Autumn 2023

Editor’s Note: To show support for the proposal, the Forest Society sent these comments to the U.S. Forest Service highlighting the importance of sustainable forestry.

Dear Ms. Brown: Thank you for accepting these comments in support of the White Mountain National Forest’s Lost River Integrated Resource Project Resource Project.

As you know, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is a 121year-old land trust and forestry organization whose mission is to perpetuate the forests of New Hampshire through their wise use and their complete reservation in places of special scenic beauty. We were formed by a group of citizens concerned with the rapid and poorly planned timber harvesting occurring in the White Mountains in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century.

Since the establishment of the White Mountain National Forest, we have considered the U.S. Forest Service to be a key partner in the protection and management of the forest resources in this state. As such, we have engaged with the agency in the development of past forest plans dating back to the original passage of the National Forest Management Act in 1976, including the current WMNF Land and Resource Management Plan (WMNF Plan).

The Forest Service’s responsibility to steward the White Mountain National Forest for multiple purposes and uses is similar to that of the Forest Society as we manage our reservations. Forest products, outdoor recreation, opportunities for public education and the protection of water and soil resources are some of the many benefits all of us receive from the forests in New Hampshire, including those in the White Mountains.

The current WMNF Plan details these multiple goals and objectives, which the Forest Service must balance. The 2005 Forest Plan was the product of several years of public engagement, ultimately resulting in a consensus plan that balanced many interests and perspectives and was implemented without legal challenge.

Far from being conflicting goals, sustainable forest management and the permanent conservation of forests are closely linked. This point is succinctly made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Climate Change which states: “Sustainable forest management can prevent deforestation, maintain and enhance carbon sinks and can contribute towards GHG emissions-reduction goals. Sustainable forest management generates socio-economic benefits, and provides fibre, timber and biomass to meet society’s growing needs.”

The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests concurs with the IPCC statement. We believe sustainable forest management can help all landowners, both public and private, reach the long-term outcomes the IPCC describes as well as promote improvements to wildlife habitats and outdoor recreation opportunities.

Of course, management activities require a careful and thorough planning process.

The Forest Society has long been committed to such a process. That is why we recognize and support other forest landowners, including our partners at the U.S. Forest Service, who are also committed to the long-term stewardship of their forest stands.

We look forward to reviewing the analysis of potential effects of the proposed action when the Forest Service releases the project’s draft environmental assessment.

We anticipate submitting additional comments at that time.

Sincerely, Matt Leahy

Together Making New Hampshire a Great Place to Live, Work, and Explore The Forest Society thanks our business partners for their generous support Forest Society North at The Rocks – CDFA President’s Circle (continued) Tax Credit Program Frog Hollow Forestry Badger, Peabody & Smith Realty, Inc. Bassinger Limited, PC Grappone Management Co., Inc. Lumbard & Kellner, LLC Mascoma Bank Meredith Village Savings Bank Merrimack County Savings Bank Milestone Engineering & Construction, LLC Nathan Wechsler & Company Northway Bank ReVision Energy Union Bank Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank

Garden Life, LLC GMEC, Inc. Lumbard & Kellner, LLC Messina’s Flooring & Carpet Milestone Engineering & Construction LLC New England Private Wealth Advisors, LLC NH Conservation Real Estate Ransmeier & Spellman, P.C. ReVision Energy Rockywold-Deephaven Camps, Inc. Samyn d’Elia Architects PA Target Corporation

Summit Circle ($5,000 and up)

Devine, Millimet & Branch, P.A.

Altus Engineering Badger, Peabody & Smith Realty, Inc. J and M Morse Trucking, LLC Mainstay Technologies Merrimack County Savings Bank Nathan Wechsler & Company Newburyport Bank Northland Forest Products, Inc. Seaboard International Forest Products, LLC St. Mary’s Bank Summit Wealth Group LLC Whalen Public & Media Relations, LLC

Trustees’ Circle ($2,500 to $4,999) J Group Hospitality Northeast Delta Dental The Secret Agency, LLC

President’s Circle ($1,000 to $2,499) Bangor Savings Bank BCM Environmental & Land Law, PLLC Bensonwood & Unity Homes Capital City Subaru Checkmate Payroll Services Chinburg Properties EOS Research Ltd.

Steward ($750 to $999) Partner ($500 to $749) Arcomm Communications Corporation Blue Mountain Forest Association Capitol Craftsman, LLC Durgin and Crowell Lumber Co., Inc. Eastern Mountain Sports Half Moon Enterprises Harbor Group Leigh Starer Landscape Architect The Lyme Timber Company LP Meadowsend Timberlands Limited The Music Mill Pine Springs R.M. Piper, Inc. Whole Wealth Management, LLC

Colleague ($250 to $499) Ballentine Partners C&S Wholesale Grocers Gideon Asen LLC Great Brook Veterinary Clinic, LLC Innovative Natural Resource Solutions, LLC J.M. Tree Service Joyful Yoga NH Kozikowski Properties, LLC

Colleague (continued) Mulligan Forest, LLC Rek’-Lis Brewing Company, LLC Robbins Lumber Sunset Park Campground Tri-State Iron Works, Inc. Twin State Sand & Gravel Co., Inc. Zachary Berger Associates, Inc..

Matching Gift Companies ADP, LLC Ameresco, Inc. American Biltrite, Inc. Amgen, Inc. Autodesk, Inc. Bank of America Bank of New Hampshire Bose Corporation Boston Scientific Citizens Bank Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation, Inc. Dell, Inc. Erie Insurance Gartner, Inc. General Electric Gilead Sciences, Inc. Google, LLC Gradient John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. Liberty Mutual Insurance Lincoln Financial Group MassMutual Microsoft Corporation Novartis Oracle Corporation Pfizer, Inc. Raytheon Technologies Corporation Shell Oil Company Silicon Laboratories, Inc. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. The Travelers Companies, Inc. Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. VMware, Inc.

We are grateful to the many businesses that support the Forest Society with gifts of less than $250.

The Forest Society…Where Conservation and Business Meet For information about business memberships, sponsorships, or to initiate a gift membership program for your clients or employees, please contact Anne Truslow at (603) 224-9945 or atruslow@forestsociety.org.

Autumn 2023 FOREST NOTES | 23

PROJECT IN PROGRESS

Farming for the Future: Help Protect Morrill Dairy Farm and the Merrimack River

By Anne Truslow

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he Forest Society is fortunate to be working again with the Morrill Family of Penacook to conserve the land base that supports their fourth-generation farm. In 2021, the Forest Society acquired a conservation easement over the family’s 124 acres of farm fields in Boscawen—a spectacular site with views of Kearsarge.

Now we have the opportunity to conserve the “home farm” of the Morrill Dairy Farm, located along the main stem of the Merrimack River just north of Sewall’s Falls and the Concord-Penacook border.

Started by Rob Morrill’s grandfather in 1925, the Morrill Dairy Farm is approaching its centennial and has provided milk to the Hood plant on North Main Street in Concord for its entire history. The family continues to breed award-winning red and black Holsteins, while also diversifying their farm business. In recent years, they have added more grain to their crop rotation, producing wheat, barley, and corn, some of which becomes local stonemilled flour, and some that supplies New Hampshire-based distillers and brewers.

While cows, milk, hay, and beef remain the heart of the farm’s business, the 208acre home farm also offers abundant natural benefits. The Morrills’ property follows a winding oxbow of the Merrimack River’s main stem for 1.2 miles, along with an additional 1.3 miles of frontage on what is known as Oxbow Pond. This placid stretch of river just north of Concord is easily accessed from public boat launches, where an afternoon kayak or canoe trip can take a paddler on a journey surrounded by silver maple forests and rolling fields that feel far from the Capital City.

1,900 Feet

Brian Hotz , Forest Society

June 17, 2022 Source: GRANIT and Forest Society Data

to reduce impact by cattle to both riparian habitat and water quality. According to the NH Natural Heritage Bureau, at least

13 species, with a classification ranging from rare to threated to species of concern, rely on the habitat provided by the Morrill Dairy Farm. And along its course, the Merrimack supplies drinking water to more than 700,000 people.

The Forest Society is deeply committed to conserving land along the Merrimack and throughout its upper watershed. The Morrill Dairy Farm conservation easement could be our 14th conservation parcel with direct frontage on the Merrimack in the stretch between Franklin and Concord, amounting to 2,000 acres and miles of riverfront. In 2024, the Forest Society will seek to acquire a conservation easement over the 208-acre farm, which will protect the land from subdivision and development while allowing for agricultural uses and recreation, including fishing, hunting, and paddling. The Morrills will continue to own and farm the land, while the Forest Society will ensure it is protected in perpetuity.

To complete this project, we must raise a total of $263,000. The NH Land and Community Heritage Investment Program has already committed funding, and we are pursuing other sources of grant funding, but private donations will be essential to match those funds and secure this land in perpetuity. Gifts to this project before

The fields of Morrill Dairy Farm in Penacook.

March 1, 2024, will help us demonstrate to funders a broad base of support for protecting these lands for farming, water quality, and recreation.

We must raise at least $100,000 in private donations to support the purchase

of the conservation easement, associated costs, and stewardship of the conservation easement for generations to come. Please join us to support local farming, protect water quality, and conserve the Merrimack River’s natural and historic values.

YES, I WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT THE MORRILL DAIRY FARM CONSERVATION PROJECT Name: Address:

Town/City:

Telephone:

Email:

State:

Zip:

Enclosed is my tax-deductible contribution of $_____________ VISA

MasterCard Number: ________________________________ Exp. date: ________ Security code: _______

Please mail the completed form to:

BRIAN HOTZ

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, NH 03301

Or donate online at forestsociety.org/morrill-farm For more information, call Anne Truslow at 603-224-9945 or email atruslow@forestsociety.org.

Thank you for your help!

4104T251/ MLF23BFN

SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FORESTS 54 Portsmouth Street Concord, NH 03301-5400

Nonprofit Organization US Postage Paid Manchester, NH Permit No. 0494

Address Service Requested

THE MANY FACES OF CONSERVATION

Seaboard International Forest Products, LLC Nashua, N.H. Member since 2010 Pictured: SIFP President Jim Dermody and his wife, Jen

LOCKE&LOAD PHOTOGRAPHY

MEMBERS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE! Seaboard International Forest Products is among the 10,000 members who help the Forest Society protect and manage critical lands for wildlife, water quality, wood, and wellness across the state.

O

ne of the reasons our family moved to New Hampshire forty years ago was for the peace and tranquility that it offers. The natural beauty of our state is second to none, and our forests and waters are a significant part of that.

While I did not foresee a career in the forest products industry while studying at the University of New Hampshire, I could not be more grateful for the path that has unfolded. My company was founded in 1983 by Lorin Rydstrom, a long-time lumberman, landowner, Forest Society member, and the Forest Society’s 2022 Conservationist of the Year. He instilled in me the importance of proper forest management and the supportive role that Seaboard International Forest Products plays in the chain. Our

sawmill suppliers in New Hampshire perform a vital part in sustainable forestry by providing value to the great natural resources in the state as well as contributing to the thousands of jobs that are offshoots of their products. We sell these finished goods across the country and around the globe with pride.

Seaboard is honored to be a long-standing contributor to the Forest Society, most recently with the Forest Society North at The Rocks campaign. I am a firm believer in educating residents that conservation, recreation, and working forests go hand in hand. It has been a privilege to be a supporting member and comforting to know that New Hampshire’s forests are sustainable for generations to come due to the tireless work of the Forest Society.”