PLC once again completed on-the-ground monitoring of every one of our conservation properties and easements in 2019. Annual property monitoring is a fundamental responsibility of all land trusts, and PLC couldn’t do it without the support of an incredible group of volunteers. In 2019 sixty-eight volunteer monitors collectively put in more than 600 hours walking and documenting our lands. Our volunteers are the eyes and ears of PLC, and we are truly grateful for the time, effort and passion they put into watching over these special places.

The Piscataquog Land Conservancy celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2020. As we approach this milestone, we can take pride that an organization founded by a handful of citizen volunteers in 1970 has grown to become one of New Hampshire’s most effective and respected land trusts. As a loyal member and supporter of the Piscataquog Land Conservancy, we hope you will take a moment to make a tax-deductible year-end gift to PLC by December 31st. PLC is truly a community – each of us contributes what we can, every membership matters, and it all adds up.

At PLC’s 49th Annual Meeting in November, the membership elected three new members of the Board of Trustees: Jordan Bailey, Dave Butler and Mike Thomas.

The Piscataquog Land Conservancy’s effort to purchase 274 acres of forest, streams and wetlands in Mason has received a big holiday boost from two state grant programs. In late November, PLC was awarded a $300,000 grant towards the land acquisition we are calling the Nissitissit River Headwaters project from the Aquatic Resources Mitigation (ARM) fund. On December 4th, PLC was awarded a $200,000 grant for the project from the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). We had applied to both grant programs this past summer after securing a purchase agreement with the land’s current owner.

In one of our most ambitious conservation projects to date, the Piscataquog Land Conservancy has signed a purchase agreement to buy 274 acres of forest, streams and wetlands in the town of Mason. The property is a top conservation priority for the town, and its protection is crucial to completing a decades-long effort to protect the headwaters of the Nissitissit River. The Nissitissit is a main tributary of the Nashua River that flows through Brookline and Hollis, and was given National Wild and Scenic River status in 2018. PLC has previously worked with the Town of Brookline to conserve key parcels along the river’s mainstem.

On October 16th PLC accepted a conservation easement on 36 acres of forestland in the town of Weare. The easement was donated by Carolyn Sheehan and Pat Myers, who had lived on the property for more than three decades. When the couple decided that the time had come to sell their house, they approached PLC about the possibility of first donating a conservation easement on the wooded portion of the property. “We had built our house on an old log landing on an otherwise forested forty acres of beautiful woodlands,” says Myers, “over the years we came to know the animals that live on the land as our neighbors.”

The Piscataquog Land Conservancy celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2020. As we approach this milestone, we can take pride that an organization founded by a handful of citizen volunteers in 1970 has grown to become one of New Hampshire’s most effective and respected land trusts. The last fifteen years have seen tremendous growth in our reach and impact. In 2003, PLC’s lands and easements totaled about 1,300 acres. That year the organization hired its first paid staff person — a do-it-all executive director. In 2012 PLC added a dedicated land protection position, and in 2014 a stewardship staff person.

Does marking trails, clearing debris, constructing kiosks, and trekking through the woods sound fun and exciting to you? If it does, contact Hailey Nase at hnase@plcnh.org. Once on the email list, you will be notified with upcoming trail days and other opportunities to get involved with PLC. Experience with trail maintenance and/or property monitoring is not required, however, you must be physically able to hike on uneven terrain. We are hoping to schedule two trail days this fall. The first is happening at our Rose Mountain Preserve on Veteran’s Day Monday, November 11th.

We hope you will come enjoy the company of your friends and fellow PLC members at PLC’s 49th Annual Meeting on Saturday, November 2nd at the New Boston Library. The business meeting will include a report on achievements over the past year, the treasurer’s report, and the election of new trustees and officers. After that we’ll enjoy homemade soups, breads and desserts. This year’s featured speaker is David Brooks, science reporter for The Concord Monitor, blogger at Granite Geek, contributor at NH Public Radio, and PLC volunteer property monitor!

PLC’s 5th Annual Rose Mountain Rumble (RMR) hits the dirt roads of Lyndeborough and surrounding towns on Saturday, August 24th, 2019. The RMR welcomes riders of every ability, offering a variety of loops from a 20-miler for more casual riders to a full 100K course to challenge the most hardened gravel grinder. The ride begins and ends at Lyndeborough Center Hall. Net proceeds benefit PLC. The ride is just a month away, so don’t wait to register!