Bartow Family Donates Conservation Easement on 219 Acres in Lancaster
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests recently accepted a conservation easement from Anna “Nan” Bartow and her two daughters, Laura and Jennifer, on 219 acres in Lancaster.
Nan’s land lies next to 218 acres that her sister Betsy Campen recently conserved. Their father Sam Bartow assembled the land over his lifetime. Nan and her sister inherited their love for the land from their parents, and Nan has clearly passed that same love along to her daughters.
“If there is such a thing as sibling rivalry, this family has turned it into a beautiful thing,” said Forest Society President/Forester Jane Difley.
The old apple trees growing along the top of the ridge testify to the agricultural history of this land. The bear “sign” below the apple trees is in turn a sign of the rich wildlife habitat that Nan’s land provides. Parallel to the ridge runs a series of wetlands that have been created by some very ambitious beavers. These beavers have also created foot-wide “haul roads” along the lateral slopes for moving their construction material from forest to pond. These impressive wetlands have been ranked as best in state by the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game’s Wildlife Action Plan.
Peeking through the maple, beech, and birch forest along the top of the ridge over the spruce/fir forest in the valley below, one sees fleeting glimpses of the Kilkenny Range. While a three-story McMansion on this land would have provided spectacular views for the owners, Nan and her daughters were thinking more of the view of the land than from it.
A small part of this conservation easement extends the protection of the Otter Brook shoreline, also recognized by the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game as best in state in terms of stream habitat condition. The brook flows into the Connecticut River a few miles downstream. Upstream, it runs through undeveloped land into its headwaters in the White Mountain National Forest, thus serving as a link to this larger unfragmented natural landscape.
Founded in 1901, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is the state’s oldest and largest non-profit land conservation organization. Supported by 10,000 families and businesses, the Forest Society’s mission is to perpetuate the state’s forests by promoting land conservation and sustainable forestry. For more information, visit www.forestsociety.org.