Alan Lelchuk and his family have donated a conservation easement on 85 acres in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /??>Canaan, New Hampshire. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /??>

Located within the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Land Conservation Initiative, the property includes several small wetland seeps and a patchwork of forest canopy openings that provide great habitat for wildlife, including warblers and other migratory birds. More than 70 percent of the property has been categorized by the NH Wildlife Action Plan as “habitat of highest ranking condition as compared to all habitats in the state.” 

Abutting conservation land owned by the Town of Canaan, this well-managed Certified Tree Farm includes stands of northern hardwood, white pine, and mixed woods. The land also contains a network of trails and woods roads, including a section of snowmobile trail.

Alan Lelchuk is a writing professor at Dartmouth University and an accomplished author. His novels include American Mischief, Shrinking, Miriam at Thirty-four, Miriam in her Forties, and his personal favorite, Brooklyn Boy. In the 1970s he purchased a historic home and several parcels of land on Fernwood Farms Road in Canaan to prevent them from being developed.

“This conservation easement protects important habitat for wildlife and also offers opportunities for sustainable forestry,” said Forest Society President/Forester Jane Difley. “We’re hopeful that Mr. Lelchuk’s donation will inspire other landowners in the area to consider similar conservation measures.”