June 2019 - This summer the Piscataquog Land Conservancy completed its acquisition of the Meadowsend property - 205 acres of forest and pristine wetlands in the town of Weare. PLC had worked for more than a year to raise all the funds needed to purchase the property. Now that PLC owns the land, we will manage it in perpetuity to protect water quality and wildlife habitat, provide public recreation and support sustainable forestry. The land is a true gem, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who came together to make its protection possible.
Located almost a mile into the woods from the nearest paved road, the property is thickly forested, with a string of beaver ponds and wetlands running north-south running down the center of the property. Water flows north through the wetlands to the main branch of the Piscataquog River. The land’s wetlands are home to waterfowl, otter, mink, and beaver, while its upland forests are roamed by moose, black bear and bobcat. The property also features a grove of black gum trees approximately four hundred years in age.
The newly-protected land links 473 acres of existing conservation land owned by PLC and the Town of Weare. PLC plans to extend existing walking trails on its abutting Ferrin Pond Preserve onto the new property. Snowmobile access to an existing corridor trail will also continue under a maintenance agreement with the local snowmobile club.
PLC raised a total of $296,000 for the land purchase. This funding was anchored by a $185,000 grant from the state’s Aquatic Resources Mitigation (ARM) grants program. Administered by the N.H. Department of Environmental Services, the Aquatic Resources Mitigation Fund focuses on the conservation and restoration of wetlands and other aquatic resources. Its funding comes from mitigation payments made by building or transportation projects that impact wetlands.
The ARM program’s coordinator Lori Sommer said “we were pleased to provide funding to protect this outstanding property. It contains high quality wetlands, a pristine headwater stream, mature hardwood forests, and links to other conservation land. Wildlife that will benefit include waterfowl, beaver, otter and mink as well as potential turtle species important in the area.”
Another key funder was the Weare-based Emma Sawyer Trust, which contributed $50,000 towards the land purchase. Lynda Fiala of the Weare Trustees of Trust Funds said “we were pleased to support this project because it will benefit the citizens of Weare with recreational access to the land for hiking, hunting, fishing and snowmobiling. The conservation of the property also protect acres of wetlands and numerous vernal pools that help maintain the local ecosystem. ”
Additional funding for the project came from the Fields Pond Foundation, the Merrimack Conservation Partnership, the Charles and Ethel Eastman Fund, the William P. Wharton Trust, and an anonymous foundation. Private contributions from local residents rounded out the funding mix.
PLC purchased the land from Meadowsend Timberlands (MTL), a New Hampshire-based company that owns and manages working forestland throughout the state and New England. The French family (partners of MTL) said “our late father Bob French, who was the founder of Meadowsend Timberlands and an early supporter of PLC when it was the Piscataquog Watershed Association, would be really pleased to see this project happen.” In honor of this historic connection, PLC has named the property the Bob French Woodlands Preserve.
Photo by Karen Broemme
