2013 Water Quality Cruise on Lake Winnipesauke

More than fifty guests were on board on a sunny Sunday afternoon for Moose Mountains Regional Greenways’ 3rd annual “Water Quality Cruise” on the Winnipesaukee Belle Charter Boat. Participants enjoyed the scenery, refreshments and live traditional music as they cruised around the south end of the lake. When a quiet lake area was found, the boat stopped for a lively presentation by Pat Tarpey, Executive Director of the Lake Winnipesaukee Watershed Association (LWWA).

Tarpey explained the effects of phosphorus loading on the water quality of the lake. Phosphorus is naturally present in soils and undesirable algae blooms occur when phosphorus levels are elevated as a result of silt carried into the lake due to erosion. LWWA has examined land use patterns within several sub-watersheds around Lake Winnipesaukee and measured the phosphorus levels in the associated lake coves and bays. Their work reveals that areas with the greatest density of forests do the best job of controlling the flow of phosphorus into the lake. For those who wish to learn more about Lake Winnipesaukee watershed monitoring and planning, the website http://winnipesaukeegateway.org/ provides maps and interactive information.

Landowners Learned About Land Conservation at MMRG Workshop

At a free workshop offered by MMRG, approximately 25 landowners from Alton, Wolfeboro, New Durham, Tuftonboro, Middleton, Milton, and Farmington learned about the process of placing a conservation easement on their land. Keith Fletcher, Director of Land Conservation, began the workshop by describing what an easement does and why people go to the trouble of creating an easement deed. Explained Fletcher, “If you love your land, you may desire to keep it just like it is forever. A conservation easement is the best choice to legally protect your land in perpetuity. With an easement, you may maintain ownership or you may sell. Either way, the land will be preserved according to your specifications, allowing only nature’s own changes or certain uses such as agriculture or forestry.”

Fletcher went on to highlight the role of the organization that holds the easement, which might be a local land trust or a town Conservation Commission. “The easement holder has the job of making sure that your wishes, as expressed legally in the easement deed, are followed. Each year, a representative of the easement holder will walk your property boundaries with you to confirm that it is properly preserved.” For emphasis, Fletcher walked back and forth across the hall, the audience eyes on him. “Choose your easement holder carefully,” he advised. “You may spend many hours working out your easement and walking your land with them. This may sound onerous but really, these are almost always great folks you will enjoy seeing every year.”

Workshop participants were interested in the recently extended federal tax incentives for landowners who donate a conservation easement. The value of a donated easement is essentially the value of the forfeited development rights on the land. If the easement is donated in 2011, a landowner may deduct up to half of his or her taxable income, for up to 16 years in a row, until the full easement value has been deducted. Farmers may deduct up to 100% of their income and thus pay no taxes for as many as 16 years. For more information about the renewed tax incentive, visit www.lta.org/easementincentive. To learn more about conservation options for your property, contact Keith Fletcher at (603) 817-8260 or email info@mmrgnh.org.

New Durham Couple Donates Conservation Easement

New Durham, NH – New Durham residents Don and Gail Holm recently donated a conservation easement on 33 acres to the Town of New Durham. The generous couple has kicked off what the town’s conservation commission hopes will become an ongoing land conservation program.

“The Holm’s generous donation of this conservation easement gave the Town of New Durham the incentive to gear up for the long-needed task of stewarding its public lands,” said New Durham conservation commission member Bill Malay. Malay was the project’s local champion.

“A great deal of the credit for completion of this easement belongs to Clay Mitchell of Moose Mountains Regional Greenways and the initiative of the Holms themselves,” he said. “Their efforts made this idea a reality. Many thanks.”

For the past two years, Moose Mountains Regional Greenways has provided project management services to support the Town of New Durham’s conservation efforts. The property of Don and Gail Holm provided the first link in what will be a greenway between the already preserved areas at Copple Crown, Moose Mt, and Beaver Brook Wildlife Management Areas. The town of New Durham holds the easement and Strafford Rivers Conservancy holds the executory interest.

The Holm property has 1,300 feet of frontage on 62-acre Shaw’s Pond, a water body that has approximately half of its shoreline undeveloped. The land is mostly forested with some wetlands, including a bog pond and scrub shrub swamp. Its conservation will protect much of the headwaters of Beaver Brook, which drains into and out of Shaw’s Pond and continues into the adjacent Beaver Brook Wildlife Management area.

This variety of land cover provides excellent habitat for wildlife. Owls, woodpeckers and cardinals are year-round residents on the property, as are many other birds, frogs and turtles. Summer residents include wood ducks, herons, kingfishers and sandpipers. The pond and associated wetlands also provide significant protection for the underlying water resources that supply private well water to the abutting landowners. The landowners are having downed and damaged trees removed by a certified forester who is working with the forestry class in the town school.

“This is the first land conservation project in New Durham that we’ve completed,” said Moose Mountains Regional Greenways Director of Land Conservation Clay Mitchell. “It has been a pleasure working with Don and Gail Holm and the town.”

Moose Mountains Regional Greenways looks forward to more collaborative efforts with the town of New Durham. Don Holm said, “We have been working on this for 15 months and have learned an enormous amount about this process which we would be happy to share with others who are considering a conservation easement on their land.”

If interested in placing all or part of your property into a conservation easement please contact MMRG or your conservation commission for information. Moose Mountains Regional Greenways is a nonprofit land conservation organization that works to conserve the most important natural resources of northern Strafford and southern Carroll counties. For more information email www.mmrg,info, or call 603-817-8260.

Across New Hampshire, unsung heroes are working to conserve land and keep it open for outdoor recreation.

Reprinted with permission from New Hampshire Wildlife Journal, November-December 2008, www.WildNH.com.

In every corner of New Hampshire, people are at work protecting open land, improving habitat, educating communities about conservation and keeping land open for hunters and anglers. The N.H. Fish and Game Commission’s award of excellence program was created to recognize outstanding conservation efforts in support of the N.H. Fish and Game Department’s mission. It brings into focus a range of conservation activity that bodes well for the future of wild New Hampshire. This year’s winners included Cynthia Wyatt.

CONSERVATION LEGACY

Cynthia Wyatt of Milton Mills, N.H., is carrying on a legacy begun by her father, Carl Siemon. Carl would be proud. Wyatt has been instrumental in keeping thousands of acres of land open to hunting, fishing and other forms of outdoor recreation through her contributions to Moose Mountain Regional Greenways, along with the Carl Siemon Family Trust and the Branch Hill Farm. In recognition of this work, Wyatt received the Ellis Hatch Award, the Commission’s highest honor.

“Ms. Wyatt exemplifies the legacy of Ellis Hatch, a long-term advocate of the outdoor life,” said Fish and Game Commission Chair Robert Phillipson. Wyatt is a founding member of and presently co-chairs the board of the Moose Mountain Regional Greenways and has worked to conserve 2,200 acres on Moose Mountain, which coincidentally abuts the Ellis Hatch Wildlife Management Unit owned by Fish and Game. Another 3,000 conservation acres form the “Siemon Access,” of which Wyatt is the director and which is open to the public for hunting, fishing and other recreation.

In 2006, through the Moose Mountain Regional Greenways, Wyatt helped secure 197 acres of land along the Mad River in Farmington, providing 2,700 feet of river frontage managed by Fish and Game. Wyatt also has been instrumental in securing 116 acres along the Union Meadows in Wakefield for conservation, allowing sportsmen and women a quality fishery. She has been involved in the Salmon Falls Headwater project to protect 300 acres in the upper reaches of the Salmon Falls River, a large portion of which Fish and Game will manage as a fishery. The Siemon Family Trust agreed to donate 375 acres of property along Jones Brook to Fish and Game as part of the match for the Salmon Falls Headwater Project. This land is also part of the Siemon Access. The Siemon Family Trust’s 3000-acre Branch Hill Farm includes miles of multi–use trails and borders Jones Brook and the Salmon Falls and Branch rivers. Wyatt has hosted many outdoor education events at her farm, including nature walks and other conservation learning opportunities – such as the yearly Branch River Paddle and the Woods, Water and Wildlife Festival.

Wyatt’s activities build on her father’s years of conservation work. She established the Moose Mountain Regional Greenways, which today is a strong advocacy group for protecting networks of public and private land in the region of Brookfield, Wakefield, Middleton, Milton, Farmington and New Durham. She said, “My father was certain that the Greenways would help realize his vision of corridors of protected lands providing, in his words, ‘an oasis of forests, fields, wildlife, recreation, clean water and air. Perhaps these protected lands will inspire others to find ways to protect their lands – to keep New Hampshire, New Hampshire.”

In nominating Wyatt for the award, Conservation Officer Mark Hensel summed it up: “The State of New Hampshire, Fish and Game and all sportsmen owe Wyatt a debt of gratitude for her work and contributions.”

Jappe Property Conserved in Milton Mills

With support from private donations, multiple federal, state and local government sources, and a bargain sale by landowner Howard Jappe, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests acquired 284 acres adjacent the Salmon Falls River in Milton Mills. The Forest Society will manage the land as one of its 160 permanently conserved forest reservations.
The property includes a mile and a half of frontage along the Salmon Falls River. The land has been traditionally open to public pedestrian access and will remain so. The woods road leads to viewpoints along the shore, where anglers fish and birdwatchers observe the numerous waterfowl. The 284 acres also include a productive 11-acre hayfield with fertile agricultural soils located on a ridge overlooking the Salmon Falls flood plain and the White Mountains to the north.

Protecting landscapes with relatively undisturbed freshwater wetlands helps maintain biodiversity and ecological functions in New Hampshire and across the Northeast. The Salmon Falls Headwaters Forest is also part of an unusual mile-wide floodplain “bowl” encompassing both sides of the Salmon Falls River. The southern end occupies the narrow 500-foot wide outlet of the bowl. The bowl configuration, and the historic “Compromise” dam just downstream, have produced extensive wetlands that host a variety of wildlife, including many species of conservation concern.

The wetlands also act as a floodwater storage system, absorbing sediment from faster moving water entering the bowl. The combination of water treatment and storage benefits the more populated communities downstream including Milton, Rochester, Dover and Portsmouth. From Milton, the river flows southerly to its confluence with the Cochecho River near Dover. At this point the combined rivers are renamed the Piscataqua, which influences the water quality of the Great Bay estuary and then drains into the Gulf of Maine at Portsmouth.

The 284-acre Jappe parcel is part of the larger Salmon Falls Headwaters conservation project coordinated by the Forest Society. Even with the generous bargain sale granted by Jappe, this project would not have been possible without additional support.

The Forest Society applied for and received a grant of $325,000 from New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). “The LCHIP selection process is very competitive,” said LCHIP Executive Director Deborah Turcott. “LCHIP chose to fund the Salmon Falls Headwaters project because of the property’s long history of public access and many outstanding natural resources.”

“It’s fair to say that this project would not have been possible without the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program,” said Jane Difley. “We were able to leverage the LCHIP grant into additional donations and grants from a variety of sources.”

The project also received a $157,122 grant from the NH Fish and Game’s Landowner Incentive Program (LIP), a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program created to benefit species at risk as identified in the state’s Wildlife Action Plan. “The Jappe property has several important wildlife habitats, especially along the river and adjacent wetlands,” said NH Fish and Game Land Agent Richard Cook. “This was a complex project for all involved, but we’re pleased to see the happy ending.” NH Fish and Game will hold a conservation easement on the property.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service’s North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) small grants program contributed $75,000 to the project, and the Town of Milton contributed $25,000 from the community’s conservation fund.

The Forest Society also worked closely with the local land conservation organization Moose Mountains Regional Greenways and several private landowners who are donating easements of significant acreage, importance and relevance. The Great Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited also made a cash donation toward the project.

Jappe’s land is located less than two miles away from more than 1,500 acres of land owned by the Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust.

The Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust agreed to donate a conservation easement on 350 acres along Jones Brook. A tributary of the Branch River, Jones Brook flows into the Salmon Falls River. This parcel buffers nearly 1.5 miles of shoreline and includes peatland, marsh, riverine, and forest habitats.

“I have enjoyed walking and cross-country skiing on Mr. Jappe’s woodland trail along the Salmon Falls River since I moved here in 1991,” said Cynthia Wyatt, Director of the Siemon Trust. “Our farm’s conservation lands are only a few miles away, and I envision a greenway connecting our properties.”

Jappe neighbor, Milton Selectman, and Moose Mountains Regional Greenways Board Member Charles Karcher will donate an easement on a nearby 80-acre parcel, while the Orlando family has generously chosen to donate an easement on their seven-acre parcel adjoining the Jappe property.
The whole conservation package, involving several conservation organizations and private landowners, comprises 787 acres and is valued at $1.3 million.

Moose Mountains Regional Greenways Conserves 100+ Acres in Brookfield and Wakefield

Wakefield, NH — Moose Mountains Regional Greenways recently conserved a reclaimed gravel pit on 103-acres that straddle the towns of Brookfield and Wakefield. The land overlays a stratified drift aquifer and the source water protection area surrounding two wellheads. These wells supply drinking water to approximately 1,500 Wakefield residents, businesses, churches, municipal buildings and the Paul School. The aquifer also overlies the groundwater supplying the private wells of many Brookfield residents.

The conservation of this critical water resource came about through a creative collaboration between Moose Mountains Regional Greenways, the Town of Wakefield, a private foundation, the NH Department of Environmental Services, a local land trust, and some good neighbors.

Last year Moose Mountains Regional Greenways purchased the property for $335,000 from the former owner, holding it in trust until full financing could be arranged. A private donor contributed nearly $41,600 toward an easement on the Brookfield portion, while the Town of Wakefield stepped up with $90,050 toward a conservation easement on the Wakefield side.

“By conserving this land, the town was able to ensure that we would have an option for locating a new public well on this site in the future,” said former Wakefield Select Board Chairman Paul Morrill.

A NH Department of Environmental Services Land Grant paid for the remaining value of the conservation easement. The grant program provides funding for the acquisition of land or conservation easements to protect community drinking water supplies. New Hampshire municipalities and non-profit 501(c)3 organizations are eligible to apply. The subject property must be located within the Source Water Protection Area for a proposed or existing water supply.

“This project was an excellent fit for the program,” said Water Supply Land Grant Program Coordinator Holly Green. “Not only is the land very close to existing town wells, but it also overlies a stratified drift aquifer.”

A stratified drift aquifer is a layered deposit of gravel, sand and silt capable of yielding usable quantities of groundwater. Many aquifers across the state are threatened by contamination from man-made or other pollutants. Managing the land use above these critical groundwater water supply areas helps protect aquifers from pollution. A conservation easement ensures that the property will remain undeveloped, while still allowing for passive recreation, agriculture and forestry.

A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a conservation organization. The Town of Wakefield will hold the conservation easement on this property in partnership with Strafford Rivers Conservancy. The town and the land trust will work together to ensure that the land above these drinking water resources remains in its natural state.

With an easement in place, the encumbered land owned by Moose Mountains Regional Greenways had an appraised value of $80,000.

“Moose Mountains Regional Greenways never intended to retain ownership of the property,” said the organization’s Executive Director Joyce El Kouarti, who managed the project. “Now we were challenged to find a new owner for a defunct gravel pit that could never be developed.”

“It takes a special kind of individual to see the appeal in such an opportunity,” she added. Fortunately, there were two such individuals living right next door.

Tom and Dulcie Lavender purchased the land for its appraised value of $80,000. Tom manages a small farm on their adjacent property, and Dulcie is an avid horsewoman. “It was a move that made sense for us,” said Tom Lavender. “It’s easy for us to keep an eye on what happens on the property. And now Dulcie and the horses will have more room to roam.”

This successful conservation outcome depended upon the cooperation of all the project partners. The Lavenders, as the new landowners, wanted to be able to clear trails and do some limited farming on the land. The private donor who helped conserve the Brookfield side wanted guaranteed public access– particularly on the existing snowmobile trail that crosses the land. The Town of Wakefield wanted the option to drill a future wellhead, while the NH DES’s primary goal was to ensure the protection of the underlying water quality. Strafford Rivers Conservancy, the land trust that will perform most of on-the-ground easement monitoring, was looking toward what use restrictions would be practical and enforceable over the long term.

“There was a lot of compromising,” said El Kouarti. “The entire process took nearly a year to work through, but at the end of the day I think we’re all satisfied with the outcome.”

El Kouarti believes that multi-partner projects like this will be the template for successful conservation outcomes going forward. She predicts that funding from government grants, private foundations, businesses and individuals will be more limited in the immediate future than in recent years, forcing project stakeholders to team up and work together.

“There’s more competition for more limited resources,” she said. “Future conservation successes will depend upon our ability to be much more creative, flexible and cooperative than ever before.”

Landowner Donates Conservation Easement on 26 acres in Wakefield

Wakefield, NH — With help from Moose Mountains Regional Greenways, local landowner Nancy Spencer-Smith has donated a conservation easement on 26 acres in Wakefield, NH.

Located next to the Gage Hill Conservation Area already under easement, this additional 26 acres will further expand the local conservation mosaic. The land overlies a stratified drift aquifer that may serve as a future public water supply for the Town of Wakefield. It also features an orchard with excellent farming soils.

Trends toward more sustainable living are increasing locally, regionally and nationally. Spencer-Smith chose to donate the conservation easement to ensure that suitable land for farming will be available for future residents of Wakefield and neighboring communities. Local farms produce fresher foods. Purchasing foods grown locally also helps keep local dollars within the community. Plus, rising energy costs will make it more expensive to ship food to New Hampshire from other areas of the country. The majority of food in New Hampshire grocery stores is currently produced in California.

“My goal was to save these soils to support local agricultural efforts and to maintain the quality of the aquifer below,” said Spencer-Smith. “I found that a conservation easement is the most effective way to accomplish that.”

A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a conservation organization. When land is placed in easement, its development potential is extinguished. Strafford Rivers Conservancy will hold the conservation easement on the Spencer-Smith property in partnership with the Town of Wakefield. As the primary easement holder, Strafford Rivers Conservancy will work with the landowner to ensure that the conserved land remains in its natural state.

The Strafford Rivers Conservancy is a land trust dedicated to protecting and conserving the natural beauty, resources and character of Strafford County and southern Carroll County. For more information about the SRC visit www.straffordriversconservancy.org or call 603-516-0772.

Moose Mountains Regional Greenways is a non-profit conservation organization that works to conserve and connect the most special natural areas of northern Strafford and southern Carroll counties in New Hampshire. For more information call 603-817-8260.

Moose Mountains Regional Greenways Leads Initiative to Conserve 120 Acres in Sanbornville

Sanbornville, NH – In partnership with the Strafford Rivers Conservancy, landowner Darayl Remick, and the Town of Wakefield, Moose Mountains Regional Greenways has facilitated the permanent preservation of 120 scenic acres of field and forest in Sanbornville, NH.

Located just north of downtown Sanbornville on Witchtot Road, the Remick property can be appreciated by travelers as they pass the picturesque fields and forests. The land is adjacent to another 131-acre conserved parcel. With the abutting Herberich property that is also in easement, this area now contains more than 250 acres of conserved land that drains into both Lovell and Great East Lakes.

The Remick land also features excellent soils for farming and haying. In fact, more than 80 percent of the property’s soils are classified as ideal for agricultural use. This is especially unique in Carroll County, which has few soils suitable for farming compared to the soils of other New Hampshire counties.

The land provides a variety of habitat for native plant and wildlife species, including open fields, wooded areas, a beaver pond and a perennial stream.

“It has been a pleasure working with Mr. Remick to preserve this beautiful property,” said Moose Mountains Regional Greenways Director of Land Conservation Cynthia Belowski. “He truly loves his land and has a strong commitment to conservation.”

The Strafford Rivers Conservancy (SRC) will hold the conservation easement on the land in partnership with the Town of Wakefield. As the primary easement holder, the SRC will monitor the property regularly and will work with the landowner to ensure that the conserved land remains in its natural state.

“A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a conservation organization,” said Strafford Rivers Conservancy President Kevin McEneaney. “Our job is to ensure that the land remains in the natural state that Mr. Remick intended when he made the commitment to conserve his property forever.”

The SRC is a land trust dedicated to protecting and conserving the natural beauty, resources and character of Strafford County and southern Carroll County. For more information about the SRC visit www.straffordriversconservancy.org or call 603-516-0772.

Moose Mountains Regional Greenways is a non-profit conservation organization that works to conserve and connect the most special natural areas of northern Strafford and southern Carroll counties in New Hampshire. For more information call 603-817-8260.