New Hampshire Takes Stewardship Of 25,000 Acres

The state of New Hampshire now owns 25,000 acres in the Connecticut Lakes area after a deal completed December 30, 2002 between The Nature Conservancy and the state. The land is part of 171,326 acres formerly owned by the International Paper Company.

The state, under the auspices of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, now owns the 25,000 acres in Pittsburg and Clarksville and will manage it as a natural area for this and future generations. The Nature Conservancy holds a conservation easement over the entire property, and will work with Fish and Game to ensure sound management that protects the property’s special natural features in perpetuity.

“I am proud to participate in today’s transfer of this unique property to the state,” said Governor Jeanne Shaheen, who along with U.S. Senator Judd Gregg co-chaired the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Partnership Task Force.

“This 25,000 acre natural area is key to the overall protection plan we have developed for the Connecticut Lakes headwaters tract,” the governor said Tuesday. “Today’s closing means another critical step has been completed in our effort to preserve the economic, environmental, and recreational attributes of this land for generations to come.”

“The transfer of the 25,000 acre natural area in Pittsburg and Clarksville from The Nature Conservancy to New Hampshire Fish and Game marks a major and successful milestone for the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Partnership Task Force and assures the region’s most sensitive ecological features will be protected for the benefit of future generations,” said Senator Gregg.

“I commend The Nature Conservancy and all of the local, state and federal officials and nonprofit organizations who have worked so diligently over the past 18 months toward the conservation of the 171,326 acre International Paper lands’ recreational, ecological and economic values for a job well done,” the senator said.

Daryl Burtnett, director of The Nature Conservancy’s New Hampshire chapter, said, “The Connecticut Lakes natural area harbors a tremendous array of wetlands, streams and ponds, mountain tops, and wildlife habitat, and a rich tradition of public recreation. Because of the foresight and action of the many dedicated people involved, these values will be protected in perpetuity.”

“The state’s ownership and management of the natural area will center on natural ecological processes and sustaining significant wildlife habitat,” says Charles Bridges, Fish and Game’s habitat and diversity programs administrator. “Not only will it help protect and preserve a vital piece of wildlife habitat for New Hampshire’s future, it will provide an excellent complement to the surrounding privately managed forestland, where timber production is the focus within the guidelines of a Forest Legacy Conservation Easement held by the state,” said Bridges.

The Fish and Game Department will manage nearly 15,000 acres of the East Inlet section as a nature preserve, in which there will be no timber harvesting and where ecological processes will follow their own natural courses to shape the landscape over time.

In the South Bay Bog and Perry Stream headwaters parcels and a small portion of the East Inlet area along Route 3, Fish and Game will practice a variety of sustainable and adaptive forest management options to optimize wildlife habitats. All 25,000 acres will be open to the public for hunting, fishing, and hiking and snowmobiling on established trails. The state has established an endowment for the long term management of these lands, toward which The Nature Conservancy will contribute an initial $450,000.
Provided by theEnvironmental News Service.