Conservation Initiatives in Hanover and Orford, NH

Creating the Tunis District Conservation Area

In December, 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.”

Coordinating the Tunis purchase meant bringing together funds from state and local sources, including a significant grant (~$300,000) from the New Hampshire Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) Fund and 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 ARM Fund grant. 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 for less than appraised value.”

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 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.” UVLT is ready to help landowners and able to work with communities to look forward strategically.  We see individual properties in their regional context, their ecological connections and the way they contribute to the economy and community life.

 

Brackett Brook: A Hill Farm Looks Forward

“Brackett Brook Farm is a quintessential New Hampshire hill farm,” says Conservation Project Manager Megan Chapman, “it is a prime example of what steadfastness and an intense love of the land, can do. Those qualities of the Pease family have kept this farm in agricultural protection for over 150 years. It’s important to protect our rural heritage so that where we have come from can inform our future. With the help of the Upper Valley Land Trust, the future is bright for Brackett Brook Farm.” 

Brackett Brook Farm, off Route 25-A in East Orford, is one of the last family hill farms in the area. The 103 acre farm has been in the Pease family since 1866 and has been worked and cared for by five generations. In the past the farm had been a subsistence dairy with fields of potatoes. In 2008 Harry and Linda inherited the farm from Harry’s grandmother Theda. Before she passed away she told Harry that she was worried about what would become of the farm. Harry promised her that he would do right by it.

Today, Brackett Brook Farm consists of lush hayfields and pasture land for beef cows. Hidden in the forest is a small but productive sugarbush. From the north summit of Mount Cube, visitors can see the rolling farm fields and wooded hillsides of Brackett Brook Farm in the foreground, where it makes up much of the iconic viewshed. The farm is also adjacent to the federally protected Appalachian Trail corridor and near several hundred more acres of conserved land in Orford and Wentworth.

“Hill farms are growing in importance both economically and environmentally,” says UVLT President, Jeanie McIntyre. “Once the backbone of a rural way of life, today we are finding that small diversified farms can produce the local food that people want, they are resilient and adaptive to weather and climate changes, and emphasis on grass-based pasturage and hayland can be good for carbon sequestration, and protection of soil and water resources.”

With Theda’s words about the farm in mind Harry and Linda sought the help of the Upper Valley Land Trust to ensure that the land they care so deeply about remains open and available for agricultural use for generations to come. With its good soil and well-managed forest, there are many possibilities for future agriculture, and Harry is confident that the farm will remain productive as his grandmother had hoped. UVLT is grateful to Harry and Linda for their excellent stewardship of the land and forethought for the future of agriculture and forestry in the Upper Valley.

“Linda and I are thrilled to have conserved this beautiful old hill farm that has been so important to both of our families for generations. We want to thank the Upper Valley Land Trust and the other organizations and individuals who helped make our dream a reality.” Said Harry after signing the conservation easement that protects his farm.

Brackett Brook Farm is the 13th property UVLT has conserved in the town of Orford. The Orford Conservation Commission has done a fantastic job with its natural resource inventory work,” says Jeanie McIntyre. “The Commissioners listen to community priorities, provide educational and outdoor opportunities for the public, and are ready to act when there’s an opportunity to conserve an important land resource."

With strong support and funding from the Orford Conservation Commission, grants from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership Action Fund, a successful local campaign that brought gifts from 36 households, and a significant contribution from UVLT’s Fund for Conservation Action, UVLT has raised the funds needed to conserve Brackett Brook Farm and signed the conservation easement with the Pease’s on Wednesday, January 22nd.

The Upper Valley Land Trust and the Orford Conservation Commission will be hosting a joint celebration of the conservation of this property in the spring.