In its eleventh round of grant-making in the fall of 2017, the Q2C Land Conservation Grants Program awarded grants totaling $30,000 to five projects that will conserve a total of approximately 3,234 acres of land. 91 percent of the acres protected are located within areas identified as conservation priorities in the Q2C land conservation plan – falling within either “conservation focus areas” ranked as the most ecologically critical lands in the region, or “supporting landscapes” that buffer and connect the core focus areas. The total value of the projects funded in 2017 (land and easement value plus transaction and other costs) is conservatively estimated at over $3 million.  The projects are briefly summarized below.

The two-state Quabbin-to-Cardigan region spans one hundred miles from the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts northward along the western spine of New Hampshire to the boundary of the White Mountain National Forest. Encompassing approximately two million acres, the region is one of the largest remaining areas of intact forest in central New England and is a key headwater of both the Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers.

The Q2C conservation grants are guided by a strategic plan that prioritizes the region’s most ecologically significant forests and key connections between them for wildlife passage and human recreation. All projects are on a strictly voluntary, willing-seller/donor basis. Sixty-two percent of the acres protected in the latest grant round are located within areas identified as conservation priorities in the Q2C land conservation plan – falling within either “conservation focus areas” ranked as the most ecologically critical lands in the region, or “supporting landscapes” that buffer and connect the core focus areas. The funded projects are:

Lake Project, Keene and Gilsum, NH

Applicant:  Monadnock Conservancy
Acres to be Conserved:  181
Protection Method:  Land Purchase
Q2C Grant Award: $5,000
Total Project Costs: $271,301

This project will add 180 acres of forested land to the 100-acre Maynard Forest, which is managed as a demonstration and research forest in partnership with Antioch University and the American Chestnut Foundation. It has been under the management of a forester for many years and has good standing oak. This property’s woods roads will be open to the public.

Kimball Hill Highlands, Groton, NH

Applicant: The Nature Conservancy
Acres to be Conserved: 2709
Protection Method:  Land Purchase
Q2C Grant Award: $10,000
Total Project Costs: $2,200,000

In combination with 8,300 acres of exiting protected land to the north and south, protection of this property will significantly advance conservation of a large block of connected forest in the area. The property has been sustainably managed as a working forest over the past 13 years and currently contains a 25-acre example of old-growth forest.  It will also protect a significant portion of the headwaters of the Cockermouth River, an intact natural watershed, which promotes water quality and maintains recreational opportunities. There is extensive recreational use of the tract, particularly along its many trails and woods roads.

Borden Easement #2, Salisbury, NH

Applicant: Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Acres to be Conserved: 38
Protection Method: Donated Conservation Easement
Q2C Grant Award: $4,000
Total Project Costs: $108,729

David and Nancy Borden plan to donate a conservation easement on 35 acres of land, which they bought specifically to conserve from any possible future development. It is adjacent to a 290-acre property they own and on which they donated a conservation easement in 2004. The property has a well-managed oak, hemlock, white pine forest and is bisected by Mill Brook, with over 250 feet of frontage on both sides. The Borden’s have an extensive trail system on their existing land and will extend it onto this new land in the future. The land is open to the public and used by many local residents.

Fernald Corporation, Templeton, MA

Applicant: Town of Templeton
Acres to be Conserved: 106
Protection Method: Land Purchase
Q2C Grant Award: $2,000
Total Project Costs: $271,150

The Town of Templeton, in partnership with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, will conserve 4 parcels of primarily wooded and wetland areas, in an effort to maintain them as open space and connect with 1600 acres of open space landscape held by the Commonwealth and open to public access. Each of the 4 parcels will be open to public passive recreational access, including bird-watching, hiking and hunting as part of the conservation restriction language. Overall, the partnership helps ensure the vital wildlife habitat and passive recreation opportunities continue in to the future, expanding the landscape-scale impacts for wildlife diversity and recreation.

Stonehouse Mountain, Orford, NH

Applicant: Upper Valley Land Trust, Inc.
Acres to be Conserved: 200
Protection Method: Donated Conservation Easement
Q2C Grant Award: $9,000
Total Project Costs: $100,996

This project provides the exciting opportunity to add to already protected land in a multitude of ways. UVLT will assume responsibility for a conservation easement held by the town of Orford and an additional 99.7 acres will be added to it, which will help to create a connected block of over 1300 acres of UVLT protected land. The trail currently deeded on the premises will be rerouted to make it safer, more accessible, and linked to Mountain View Farm. Public access will be improved by allowing motorized travel along the private road to a designated parking area. It is hoped that this project will be a catalyst for protecting more undeveloped lots in the Town of Orford.

 

For more information about the Q2C Partnership please contact Brian Hotz at (603) 224-9945 or bhotz@forestsociety.org.