A Great Season for Land Conservation

Last week, Jeanie McIntyre, President of the Upper Valley Land Trust, signed a deed to acquire 352 acres of forest land in east Hanover. The land was added to UVLT’s Tunis District Conservation Area, which now encompasses over 500 acres of wetland and woodland habitat in the Goose Pond watershed and the viewscape of the Appalachian Trail and Moose Mountain. “It feels wonderful to wrap this up,” said McIntyre, “This land is really special, serving to connect several important habitat blocks. UVLT is excited to take ownership and begin our role as steward.”

For UVLT, the purchase of the Tunis land on December 23 capped off a month that saw six properties conserved in five Upper Valley communities. “It really has been a remarkable several weeks,” McIntyre said. “So many people are involved in making land conservation happen — landowners, volunteers, donors, partner organizations — and some of these efforts have been underway for many months. All of this has come to fruition in the season of thanksgiving and celebration.”

(Vice President of Conservation Peg Merrens at one of the Tunis District Conservation Area wetlands)

McIntyre said she doesn’t think there’s any one reason why so many conservation transactions culminated at once. “For some landowners, this was when their attorneys were available to finish up work, for other transactions, this is when agency reviews were completed,” she said. Robert Parker, a Norwich resident, donated a conservation easement to protect a meadow that was once part of his family’s farm. In Sharon, the owner of a seasonal camp conserved 92 acres of gorgeous high land in the area that had been targeted for development by the New Vistas project. More than 200 acres in Canaan that includes a large wetland, long frontage on the Northern Rail Trail, and farm fields and forest on South Road was conserved by the family that has owned it for three generations.  Two Pomfret landowners donated conservation easements to extend a conservation initiative in the Old Dana Road area.

(The Parker Meadow Closing. L to R: Robert Parker, Peg Merrens, Andy Williams)

The unique qualities of the properties UVLT has conserved demonstrate the importance of having a regional land conservancy available to work with landowners and community groups, says McIntyre. “The Upper Valley Land Trust was created by the people of the Upper Valley more than 30 years ago to address the priorities and meet the needs of the Upper Valley,” she said. “Our region’s landscape is a patchwork of forest and productive farmland, habitat and water, different elements of scenery. All these resources contribute to the sense of peace and natural beauty, the rural character and outdoor enjoyment that makes the Upper Valley a great place to live.

(Looking across Goose Pond toward Moose Mountain, the view in the foreground is the Tunis District Conservation Area)

The Upper Valley Land Trust is a private, non-profit organization funded by donations for area households and local businesses. Volunteer trustees and committee members guide the conservation and stewardship work of UVLT. “Hundreds of people make annual contributions,” said McIntyre, “and these people are the real heroes of conservation. Because of them, UVLT is ready to help landowners and able to work with communities to look forward strategically. We can see individual properties in their regional context, their ecological connections and the way they contribute to the economy and community life. It’s annual gifts that make this possible.”

(Recently conserved land, with meadows full of milkweed and monarchs, in Sharon, Vermont)

Coordinating the Tunis purchase meant bringing together funds from state and local sources, including a fundraising campaign to which dozens of area households contributed. Over the past ten months, in addition to fundraising, UVLT staff managed a natural resource inventory and survey, contracted for an appraisal, and worked to satisfy the grant conditions of the various supporting agencies. Peg Merrens is UVLT’s Vice President for Land Conservation. “Landowners Keith Quinton and Barbara Fildes were very supportive throughout the process,” she said, noting that the pair had originally purchased the property to protect it from an excessive timber harvest. “They stepped in at a critical point several years back, and then, about a year ago, sought out the Upper Valley Land Trust, seeking a way to protect it forever and offering the land trust the opportunity to purchase the property at a price below its appraised value.”

(Barbara Fildes, Peg Merrens, and Keith Quinton at the completion of the Tunis District Conservation Area project)

Early in 2020, UVLT anticipates completion of the Brackett Brook Farm conservation project. The purchase of a conservation easement will protect this 103-acre Orford Farm, owned by the Pease family since 1866. Like the Tunis project, the conservation of Brackett Brook Farm has involved grants from public agencies and private foundations as well as a local fundraising campaign. “We look forward to celebrating with the community in January,” said McIntyre. “This is the best part of our jobs, seeing the deep and generous spirit of neighborliness and helping people realize their goals for the places they love and future of their communities.”