The Hraba Forest is an active acquisition project located off Brackett Road in Wakefield, NH. The Hraba Forest is 129 acres in size and has over 1900 feet of undeveloped frontage along Brackett road. Brackett Road parallels Lovell Lake. Lovell Lake is one of the region's most scenic and pristine water bodies and enjoys the support of long-time families with ownership in and around the lake and from the Wakefield community as well. Protecting the lake water quality is of high importance for MMRG  on this project and it can be accomplished at least in part, through the increased conservation of the surrounding watershed. Limiting development opportunities proximal to the lake like limiting additional sources of erosion and runoff. 

 

The Wakefield community and its visitors will also benefit from access to the local conservation area. Once purchased by MMRG, a kiosk and small parking area will be established and the over 1.5 miles of trail will be reopened for passive recreational purposes. This infrastructure will allow for local residents to recreate outdoors as well as to take advantage of MMRGs educational opportunities and events on the property such as forestry walks and ecology workshops. MMRG hopes to deepen its relationship with Lovell Lake residents and association members as we conserve and care for this special space.

 

The property itself is host to key natural resource values that are important to protect. Approximately 79 acres of the property  is ranked as high priority wildlife habitat by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Wildlife Action Plan. The entirety of the property is underlain with valuable forest soils which will be very important to help with the filtration of water runoff into the lake.  MMRG's recent Conservation Action Plan update shows that 59 acres of the property falls within our Tier 2 priority conservation focus area. The Nature Conservancy's Resilient mapping tool shows that nearly 50% of the property has above average resilience to climate change in part due to the nearly 500 acres of other conserved lands that the property abuts, including the MMRG Schlenker Conservation Easement.