Darrell Harvey has donated a conservation easement on 216 acres in Deering to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. This addition brings the Town of Deering’s conservation roster to more than 5,800 acres – almost 30 percent of the town’s land area.
Located along the Piscataquog River, the Harvey property offers dramatic views to the north and include scenic frontage on both sides of Homestead Road. Several members of the Harvey family vacation own the property and even rent it out for weddings. In addition, the Harvey family once owned the land along Deering Lake that is now the Forest Society’s Wilkins-Campbell Forest.
Current owner Darrell Harvey has been coming to Deering all his life and feels strongly about conserving the community’s natural beauty and resources. “I believe that the Piscataquog watershed is one of the treasures of the town,” he said. “I’m delighted to help preserve at least a portion of it in perpetuity.”
Part of a large, connected forest block in southern Deering, the land is a focus area of the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Conservation Plan. The property contains more than 2,000 feet of frontage along the Piscataquog River and adjacent wetlands that make it a haven for creatures like moose, bear, and deer. It also includes a well managed oak-white pine forest crossed by woods trails, including a snowmobile trail. The entire property lies within a designated Source Water Protection Area.
“This has been a great project to finish the year with,” said Forest Society President/Forester Jane Difley. “In addition to Mr. Harvey’s generous donation, we also received an $8,500 grant from the Russell Piscataquog River Watershed Foundation to cover the cost of a new survey.”