In the Fall 2022 round of grant-making, the Quabbin to Cardigan Land Conservation Grants Program awarded grants totaling $35,000 to five projects that will conserve a total of approximately 802 acres of land. 67% of the acres protected are located within areas identified as conservation priorities in the Q2C land conservation plan – falling within either “core conservation focus areas” and/or critical “Connectivity Corridors.” The total value of the projects funded in 2022 (land and easement value plus transaction and other costs) is conservatively estimated at more than $1.49 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. The funded projects are:

Bradford Bog Watershed Protection in Bradford, NH

Applicant: Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
Acres to be Conserved:  73
Protection Method:  Land Purchase
Q2C Grant Award: $6,859
Total Project Costs: $198,275

A conservation buyer purchased this property to protect it from development while Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust (ASLPT), with partners the Bradford Conservation Commission and the Rural Heritage Connection of Bradford, raised money to purchase the fee interest. ASLPT will hold the fee as conservation land and anticipates closing the project in June of 2023. The wetlands and stream on this property flow into the 177-acre Bradford Bog. It is the former site of the historic Bradford Springs Hotel, whose foundation is still present. By making use of existing woods roads, ASLPT is planning future trail development, providing access for low impact recreation, including hunting. This part of Bradford is highly ranked for wildlife habitat and this project has the potential to lead to further conservation in the area.

Gentl Property in Wendell, MA

Applicant: Massachusetts Audubon Society
Acres to be Conserved:  28
Protection Method:  Land Purchase
Q2C Grant Award: $3,864
Total Project Costs: $72,190

Massachusestts Audubon will acquire the fee and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation will hold a watershed protection restriction on this parcel abutting the 2,000+-acre Whetstone Wood Wildlife Sanctuary. Public access on the parcel will be limited as the adjacent Wildlife Sanctuary largely restricts access to specific times and places to minimize human impact on local flora and fauna. Acquisition of this property will protect several wetland areas and a wildlife corridor northwest of the Quabbin Reservoir.

Maynard Forest Addition in Keene, NH

Applicant: Monadnock Conservancy
Acres to be Conserved:  259
Protection Method:  Land Purchase
Q2C Grant Award: $10,000
Total Project Costs: $352,945

The Monadnock Conservancy manages its 281-acre Maynard Forest in Keene as a demonstration and research forest, studying beech regeneration and blight-resistant American chestnut trees. They seek to expand the Forest with the purchase of a 259-acre property, which will then link to the 1,044-acre Goose Pond Forest owned by the City of Keene. This corridor will help the Monadnock region adapt to climate change by ensuring plants, animals, and their habitats can shift northward as the climate warms. The land will be a permanent conservation area that will be open to the public and will be managed for sustainable forestry, education, and research.

River Run Conservation Easement in Gilsum, NH

Applicant: Monadnock Conservancy
Acres to be Conserved:  181.5
Protection Method:  Donated Conservation Easement
Q2C Grant Award: $10,000
Total Project Costs: $104,525

A landowner in Gilsum is donating to Monadnock Conservancy a conservation easement on a forested parcel of land with more than ½ mile of frontage on the Ashuelot River. The property sits along the eastern flank of Surry Mountain and multiple streams drain into the Ashuelot and Hammond Brook. There are more than 2 miles of streams, a small pond, and more than 13 acres of wetlands. There are also 4 acres of fields that provide pasture for sheep, ducks and chickens. This parcel abuts the French-Harris Memorial Forest which, in turn, is adjacent to more than 3,000 acres of conserved land which reaches east toward an enormous block of conservation land including the Andorra Forest (10,000 acres) and the Harris Center Super Sanctuary (36,000 acres). This project will not guarantee public recreational access.

Lake Monomonac Forest Project in Winchendon, MA

Applicant: North County Land Trust
Acres to be Conserved:  260
Protection Method:  Purchased Land
Q2C Grant Award: $4,277
Total Project Costs: $765,750

The Lake Monomonac Forest Project, a landscape scale project, will permanently protect 260 acres in three parcels of land using a combination of fee ownership and conservation restriction. The project will take place in two phases. In the first phase, North County Land Trust (NCLT) is working with a conservation buyer to acquire existing lots. In Phase Two, NCLT will acquire the fee on the 210-acre parcel known as the Big Lot, which will also be protected by a conservation restriction. The 52-acre South Lot, adjacent to the Winchendon Springs Wildlife Management Area, will be sold to Massachusetts Fish and Game and permanently protected. Existing hiking trails will be maintained on all three parcels, and creation of a small parking area for the Big Lot will be retained as a reserved right within the conservation restriction. The reserved right of snowmobile use will also be retained.

The Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership (Q2C) today released a request for applications for its Land Conservation Grant program. In 2022, the Partnership has $35,000 to re-grant for this program. The grant program is privately funded and administered by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests on behalf of the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership. Non-profit land trusts, municipalities, and state agencies that have land conservation as a primary function are all eligible to apply for Q2C grants.

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

Launched in 2003,the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership is a collaborative effort of more than twenty private organizations and public agencies working on land conservation in the Q2C landscape. The partners share a vision of conserving (on a strictly willing-seller/donor basis) the region’s most ecologically significant forests and key connections between them for wildlife passage and human recreation. Over the past eighteen years, the Q2C partners have helped to permanently protect thousands of acres.

In 2009, the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership launched its Land Conservation Grants program, which underwrites transaction costs—appraisals, surveys, title research, staff time, etc.—on conservation transactions that protect land identified in the Q2C conservation plan.

Before applying for a Q2C grant, applicants should carefully review the request for proposals and application materials. These are available on the “Grants” page of the Q2C website, www.q2cpartnership.org.  The website also includes information on the Quabbin-to-Cardigan region and conservation plan, maps, a list of towns in the region, etc.

Projects must be located in the following towns to be eligible to apply for funding:  IN NEW HAMPSHIRE:  Acworth, Alexandria, Alstead, Andover, Antrim, Bennington, Bradford, Canaan, Chesterfield, Croydon, Danbury, Deering, Dorchester, Dublin, Enfield, Fitzwilliam, Francestown, Gilsum, Goshen, Grafton, Grantham, Greenfield, Groton, Hancock, Hanover, Harrisville, Hebron, Henniker, Hill, Hillsborough, Jaffrey, Keene, Lempster, Lyme, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson, Newbury, New Ipswich, New London, Newport, Orange, Orford, Peterborough, Richmond, Rindge, Roxbury, Rumney, Salisbury, Sharon, Springfield, Stoddard, Sullivan, Sunapee, Surry, Sutton, Swanzey, Temple, Troy, Unity, Warner, Washington, Wentworth, Wilmot, Wilton, Winchester, Windsor. IN MASSACHUSETTS:  Ashburnham, Athol, Barre, Erving, Gardner, Hardwick, Hubbardston, Leverett, Montague, New Salem, Northfield, Orange, Pelham, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Shutesbury, Templeton, Warwick, Wendell, Westminster, Winchendon.

Completed applications must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 15, 2022. Completed applications may be submitted electronically to ccolton@forestsociety.org. Completed applications may also be sent by mail and must be postmarked no later than September 15, 2022. Mail applications to:  Connie Colton, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, NH  03301. Successful grant applicants will be notified by October 31, 2022.

For all questions regarding the grant program and the application process, please contact Brian Hotz at (603) 224-9945 x 316 or bhotz@forestsociety.org.

In its fifteenth round of grant-making in the fall of 2021, the Quabbin to Cardigan Land Conservation Grants Program awarded grants totaling $35,000 to five projects that will conserve a total of approximately 856 acres of land. 85% of the acres protected are located within areas identified as conservation priorities in the Q2C land conservation plan – falling within either “core conservation focus areas” and/or critical “Connectivity Corridors”. The total value of the projects funded in 2021 (land and easement value plus transaction and other costs) is conservatively estimated at more than $1.1 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. The funded projects are:

Woodburn-Scott, Warwick, MA

Applicant: Massachusetts Audubon
Acres to be Conserved:  64
Protection Method:  Land Purchase
Total Project Costs: $96,895

Mass Audubon will acquire the deed to this property protected by a Conservation Restriction held by the Warwick Conservation Commission and will manage the property as a Wildlife Sanctuary. It abuts the Warwick State Forest and fills a gap in connected open space. This land has been managed as a wildlife sanctuary by its owners of 45 years; and there is evidence of much wildlife including moose. Rum Brook traverses the length of the property and joins Black Brook and then Gales Brook. It provides a great walk in the woods, with hills to climb, boulders to appreciate and links to trails through the Warwick State Forest to the north.

Dennett, Alstead, NH

Applicant: Monadnock Conservancy
Acres to be Conserved:  65.4
Protection Method:  Donated Conservation Easement
Q2C Grant Award: $5,300
Total Project Costs: $74,650

This landowner is donating a permanent easement to Monadnock Conservancy on 65 acres of entirely forested land with intermittent streams. With 370 feet of frontage on Camp Brook Road, designated by the Town as a scenic road, the property would be developable if unprotected. Along with neighboring conservation easements of 304 acres to the south and 77 acres to the north, this will create one block of connected conserved land containing approximately 446 total acres.

Kroka Expeditions HQ, Marlow and Alstead, NH

Applicant: Monadnock Conservancy
Acres to be Conserved:  75
Protection Method:  Donated Conservation Easement
Q2C Grant Award: $7,000
Total Project Costs: $26,806

The Monadnock Conservancy will receive a conservation easement on 75 acres of land which will permanently protect a 4-acre wet meadow, an 8-acre beaver pond, and 56 acres of woodland with a trail network used by the Kroka Wilderness Expedition School and which is open to the public for passive recreation, including cross country ski trails in the winter. This land abuts an undeveloped 1,184-acre parcel to the east, which in turn abuts 450 acres of wildlife sanctuary land. Kroka has an informal arrangement which enables their trails to connect to trails on that neighboring property, giving access to students and the public. The easement also includes 7 acres of agricultural land which is used for livestock grazing and growing crops which support the school’s programming.

Little Mountain Forest, Salisbury, NH

Applicant: Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Acres to be Conserved: 579
Protection Method:  Purchased Conservation Easement
Q2C Grant Award: $10,000
Total Project Costs: $511,205

The Forest Society and the NH Fish & Game Department jointly acquired the conservation easement on this 579-acre property on the easterly side of Mt. Kearsarge. This property is open to the public for hiking, hunting, and fishing. The land is an important linkage between the 5,000 acres of conserved wetlands and riverine communities associated with the Blackwater River and the Leonard Wildlife Management Area in the valley below Mt. Kearsarge and the more than 9,000 acres of conserved land including upland forests on and around the mountain. Mt. Kearsarge is one of the most popular mountains in the state, climbed by thousands of visitors each year and viewed by many more.

Willard Book Riparian Corridor, Antrim and Hancock, NH

Applicant: Harris Center for Conservation Education
Acres to be Conserved: 74
Protection Method:  Land Purchase
Q2C Grant Award: $10,000
Total Project Costs: $392,000

The Harris Center for Conservation Education (HCCE) will purchase the fee interest in this 74-acre critically unprotected piece in the 5-mile riparian corridor between Willard and Norway Ponds. This property, featuring mostly upland forest with wetlands along the Willard Brook corridor, connects to more than 6,000 contiguous, protected acres. The property will be open to low-impact outdoor recreation activities, but will not allow ATVs, snowmobiles, or trapping. HCCE hunting permits will be required in addition to state licenses.

For more information about the Q2C Partnership, please contact Brian Hotz at (603) 224-9945 or bhotz@forestsociety.org.  Information is also available at http://merrimackconservationpartnership.org.

The Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership (Q2C) today released a request for applications for its Land Conservation Grant program. In 2021, the Partnership has $35,000 to re-grant for this program. The grant program is privately funded and administered by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests on behalf of the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership. Non-profit land trusts, municipalities, and state agencies that have land conservation as a primary function are all eligible to apply for Q2C grants.

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

Launched in 2003,the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership is a collaborative effort of more than twenty private organizations and public agencies working on land conservation in the Q2C landscape. The partners share a vision of conserving (on a strictly willing-seller/donor basis) the region’s most ecologically significant forests and key connections between them for wildlife passage and human recreation. Over the past eighteen years, the Q2C partners have helped to permanently protect thousands of acres.

In 2009, the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership launched its Land Conservation Grants program, which underwrites transaction costs—appraisals, surveys, title research, staff time, etc.—on conservation transactions that protect land identified in the Q2C conservation plan.

Before applying for a Q2C grant, applicants should carefully review the request for proposals and application materials. These are available on the “Grants” page of the Q2C website, www.q2cpartnership.org.  The website also includes information on the Quabbin-to-Cardigan region and conservation plan, maps, a list of towns in the region, etc.

Projects must be located in the following towns to be eligible to apply for funding:  IN NEW HAMPSHIRE:  Acworth, Alexandria, Alstead, Andover, Antrim, Bennington, Bradford, Canaan, Chesterfield, Croydon, Danbury, Deering, Dorchester, Dublin, Enfield, Fitzwilliam, Francestown, Gilsum, Goshen, Grafton, Grantham, Greenfield, Groton, Hancock, Hanover, Harrisville, Hebron, Henniker, Hill, Hillsborough, Jaffrey, Keene, Lempster, Lyme, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson, Newbury, New Ipswich, New London, Newport, Orange, Orford, Peterborough, Richmond, Rindge, Roxbury, Rumney, Salisbury, Sharon, Springfield, Stoddard, Sullivan, Sunapee, Surry, Sutton, Swanzey, Temple, Troy, Unity, Warner, Washington, Wentworth, Wilmot, Wilton, Winchester, Windsor. IN MASSACHUSETTS:  Ashburnham, Athol, Barre, Erving, Gardner, Hardwick, Hubbardston, Leverett, Montague, New Salem, Northfield, Orange, Pelham, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Shutesbury, Templeton, Warwick, Wendell, Westminster, Winchendon.

Completed applications must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 15, 2021. Completed applications may be submitted electronically to ccolton@forestsociety.org. Completed applications may also be sent by mail and must be postmarked no later than September 15, 2021. Mail applications to:  Connie Colton, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, NH  03301. Successful grant applicants will be notified by October 30, 2021.

For all questions regarding the grant program and the application process, please contact Brian Hotz at (603) 224-9945 x 316 or bhotz@forestsociety.org.

The Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership (Q2C) today released a request for applications for its Land Conservation Grant program. In 2020, the Partnership has $50,000 to re-grant for this program. The grant program is privately funded and administered by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests on behalf of the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership. Non-profit land trusts, municipalities, and state agencies that have land conservation as a primary function are all eligible to apply for Q2C grants.

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

Launched in 2003, the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership is a collaborative effort of more than twenty private organizations and public agencies working on land conservation in the Q2C landscape. The partners share a vision of conserving (on a strictly willing-seller/donor basis) the region’s most ecologically significant forests and key connections between them for wildlife passage and human recreation. Over the past ten years, the Q2C partners have helped to permanently protect thousands of acres.

In 2009, the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership launched its Land Conservation Grants program, which underwrites transaction costs—appraisals, surveys, title research, staff time, etc.—on conservation transactions that protect land identified in the Q2C conservation plan. Over the past eleven years, the lands grant program has awarded more than $1,028,000 to 100 separate land conservation projects that have conserved more than 34,000 acres of land in that region. Continue reading →

In its eighth round in the fall of 2019, the Q2C Trail Grants program awarded 8 grants to projects totaling $48,144.85.  Grants were awarded to projects including maintenance, bridge construction, and trail guides, both in print and online.  The projects awarded grants in round eight were:

Project: Website and Online Mapping Enhancements for New England National                          Scenic Trail and the NH Metacomet-Monadnock Trail
Sponsor: Appalachian Mountain Club
Award:  $8,000.00

The websites and online maps for these trails are unable to keep up with user demand and do not have the functionality that most users expect. This project would redesign the website to create a more streamlined layout and map, and a new page for long-distance hiking, which will increase use and enjoyment of the trail for both local communities and visitors. Community Center for GIS, participation from volunteers and long-distance hikers, and the AMC’s New England Trail Assistant will provide accurate information for the update. And both AMC and the Connecticut Forest & Park Association will keep the website updated with accurate maps, events calendars, facility reservations, etc.
Continue reading →

In its thirteenth round of grant-making in the fall of 2019, the Q2C Land Conservation Grants Program awarded grants totaling $39,850 to five projects that will conserve a total of approximately 1,615 acres of land. 95 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 2019 (land and easement value plus transaction and other costs) is conservatively estimated at nearly $1.4 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. 90% 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 a “Connectivity Corridor” that connects the core focus areas. The funded projects are:
Continue reading →

The Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership (Q2C) today released a request for applications for both its   Land Conservation Grant and Trail Grant programs. In 2019, the Partnership has $50,000 for its Land Conservation Grant program and approximately $25,000 for its Trail grant program to re-grant. The grant program is privately funded and administered by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests on behalf of the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership. Non-profit land trusts, municipalities, and state agencies that have land conservation as a primary function are all eligible to apply for Q2C grants.

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

Launched in 2003, the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership is a collaborative effort of more than twenty private organizations and public agencies working on land conservation in the Q2C landscape. The partners share a vision of conserving (on a strictly willing-seller/donor basis) the region’s most ecologically significant forests and key connections between them for wildlife passage and human recreation. Over the past ten years, the Q2C partners have helped to permanently protect thousands of acres.

In 2009, the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership launched its Land Conservation Grants program, which underwrites transaction costs—appraisals, surveys, title research, staff time, etc.—on conservation transactions that protect land identified in the Q2C conservation plan. Over the past ten years, the lands grant program has awarded $943,000 to 95 separate land conservation projects that have conserved more than 33,000 acres of land.

In 2013, the Q2C Partnership began offering small grants to support the development, improvement, and maintenance of hiking trails in the Q2C region. More than 47 trail projects have been funded and some $271,000 has been awarded to partners to improve 93 miles of trails within the region, conduct trail planning, develop parking areas, signs, trail maps, and trail guides, and even purchase important trail lands. As with our land conservation grants program, the trail grants are awarded through a competitive process and are available for projects in both the New Hampshire and Massachusetts portions of the Q2C.

Before applying for a Q2C grant, applicants should carefully review the request for proposals and application materials. These are available on the “Grants” page of the Q2C website, www.q2cpartnership.org.  The website also includes information on the Quabbin-to-Cardigan region and conservation plan, maps, a list of towns in the region, etc.

Projects must be located in the following towns to be eligible to apply for funding:  IN NEW HAMPSHIRE:  Acworth, Alexandria, Alstead, Andover, Antrim, Bennington, Bradford, Canaan, Chesterfield, Croydon, Danbury, Deering, Dorchester, Dublin, Enfield, Fitzwilliam, Francestown, Gilsum, Goshen, Grafton, Grantham, Greenfield, Groton, Hancock, Hanover, Harrisville, Hebron, Henniker, Hill, Hillsborough, Jaffrey, Keene, Lempster, Lyme, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson, Newbury, New Ipswich, New London, Newport, Orange, Orford, Peterborough, Richmond, Rindge, Roxbury, Rumney, Salisbury, Sharon, Springfield, Stoddard, Sullivan, Sunapee, Surry, Sutton, Swanzey, Temple, Troy, Unity, Warner, Washington, Wentworth, Wilmot, Wilton, Winchester, Windsor. IN MASSACHUSETTS:  Ashburnham, Athol, Barre, Erving, Gardner, Hardwick, Hubbardston, Leverett, Montague, New Salem, Northfield, Orange, Pelham, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Shutesbury, Templeton, Warwick, Wendell, Westminster, Winchendon.

Completed applications must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on August 30, 2019. Completed applications may be submitted electronically to ccolton@forestsociety.org. Completed applications may also be sent by mail and must be postmarked no later than August 30, 2019. Mail applications to:  Connie Colton, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, NH  03301. Successful grant applicants will be notified in late October 2019.

For all questions regarding the grant program and the application process, please contact Brian Hotz at (603) 224-9945 x 316 or bhotz@forestsociety.org.

In its seventh round in the fall of 2018, the Q2C Trail Grants program awarded 4 grants to projects totaling $24,785.33.  Grants were awarded to projects including trail feasibility studies, bridge construction and trail maintenance.  The projects that were awarded grants in round seven were:

Project:  Connecting the Gaps, Phase 2
Sponsor: Appalachian Mountain Club
Award:  $5,880.00

AMC seeks to conduct a feasibility study for building two trail sections to create a continuous North-South Trail in NH. Project goals include: 1) creating a new outdoor recreation resource that will enhance the identity of this part of the Quabbin-to-Cardigan region and highlight its significant natural resources; and 2) establishing a new long-distance hike through NH. This study is Phase 2, looking at closing the northern gap from Cardigan Mountain State Forest to the Appalachian Trail and/or the White Mountain National Forest trails network. This study would identify possible trail routes, approximately 15 -20 miles in length, to connect a number of existing conservation lands and trail corridors with other landownerships. Continue reading →

In its twelfth round of grant-making in the fall of 2018, the Q2C Land Conservation Grants Program awarded grants totaling $45,000 to six projects that will conserve a total of approximately 2,498 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 2018 (land and easement value plus transaction and other costs) is conservatively estimated at nearly $2 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.

Continue reading →