Bartlett, N.H., Dec. 22, 2012 — The Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests has accepted a conservation easement protecting 17 acres of land along the Saco River in Bartlett from development.
The property’s owners, Chet and Lydia Lucy of Conway, granted the easement as part of a mitigation agreement, adding it to the easement they donated to the Forest Society in 1988 on 110 acres.
The additional 17 acres feature prime wildlife habitat ranked as “tier 1,” or best of its kind in the state, by the N.H. Fish and Game Dept.’s Wildlife Action Plan. The N.H. Natural Heritage Inventory has identified three exemplary natural communities on the property: silverling river channel, red pine-white pine forest, and sugar maple-ironwood-short hush floodplain forest.
“The Saco River passes right through the property, so conserving it adds scenic value for those recreating on the river,” said Ryan Young, the Forest Society’s director of conservation easement stewardship. “The floodplain forest is pretty beautiful in itself, and there are incredibly scenic views of the White Mountain National Forest from the property as well.”