As the daylight stretches longer and the sun shines a little warmer, spring’s renewal is upon us.  Of course, this year, everything has been a little scrambled – sap ran early, snow came late, streams kept running even under several feet of snow.  We are living in a time of adaptation to change.

Whether it’s land conservation or forestry or education, the work we do at the Forest Society is a matter of taking action now as a long-term investment in the future of our state.  It is thanks to investments made by our predecessors that we enjoy places like Mount Monadnock, Mount Sunapee, Mount Kearsarge, the Belknap Range, and the White Mountain National Forest.

Today, the sense of urgency for this work seems especially acute.  The choices we make today will have impact well into the future.  And we know that the best thing we can do to help our natural environment adapt to change is to make sure that the essential components of clean water, clean air, and connected natural areas of forest, wetlands and streams, are conserved.

We hope that by making a gift to the Forest Society's Annual Fund, you will join us in making some truly exciting investments.  

For example, you can:

• Help conserve 3,700 acres that stretch from the banks of the Androscoggin River to the Appalachian Trail as it traverses the Mahoosuc Range in Shelburne.  Located just east of Gorham, this magnificent landscape includes hiking trails, kayaking and angling spots, and special habitat for wildlife from black bears to peregrine falcons;
• Help improve nearly a mile of the main trail at Mt. Major in Alton, where decades of footsteps up and down the mountain have carved out deep areas of erosion.  A new sustainable trail will improve drainage, reduce harmful runoff toward Alton Bay, and create a better hiking experience; and
• Help create a new North Country hub for conservation, recreation, education, and forest stewardship.  This year, the 1884 Carriage Barn at The Rocks in Bethlehem will be re-opened as a net-zero program center featuring exhibits, trails, outdoor amphitheater, and the return of popular programs at our working Christmas tree farm.