Families' Generosity Adds 166 Acres to Tamworth's Conservation Lands

June 23, 2014

TAMWORTH – June 24, 2014 –The Tamworth Conservation Commission and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (Forest Society) are celebrating the conservation of two properties in Tamworth totaling 166 acres of land that will be protected forever from development and kept open for wildlife habitat, pedestrian access and timber management.

“The conservation of this land expands the Gilman Forest conservation area in the center of Tamworth, protecting more recreation land and wildlife habitat while preserving the scenic and rural character of this beautiful region of New Hampshire,” said Jane Difley, Forest Society president/forester.

One of the properties is a 63-acre parcel on Hackett Hill Road. In partnership with the Tamworth Conservation Commission, the Forest Society purchased the parcel at a discounted price from the Freeto family and has added it to the 139-acre Gilman Forest (similarly purchased from the Freeto family in 2010.)

The second, adjacent property is a 103-acre certified tree farm on Durrell Road owned by brothers Donald and Robert Reich of Massachusetts. The Forest Society, again in partnership with the conservation commission, purchased a conservation easement on the tree farm on June 16. The easement forever protects the property from development and assures public pedestrian access while allowing the landowners to maintain ownership and continue to manage the land for timber.

Both newly conserved parcels are important ecologically because they abut and enlarge 15 other contiguous, conserved tracts, totaling over 900 acres, and they add more connections for wildlife to safely navigate between the White Mountains to the north and the Ossipee Mountains to the south.

"A decade ago, local conservationists envisioned a swath of protected lands stretching through western Tamworth from the Sandwich Range to the Ossipee Mountains,” said Ned Beecher, vice chair of the Tamworth Conservation Commission. “Now, because of the foresight and caring of the Freeto and Reich families, another central part of 'Whites-to-Ossipees' wildlife connectivity is a reality."

Conserving these properties provides guaranteed pedestrian access to woods roads and trails, preserves the seamless forested landscape viewed from Cleveland Hill Road and protects the water quality in the Mill Brook area.

Major funding support came from the Tamworth Conservation Commission, the Tamworth Foundation, The Fields Pond Foundation, the N.H. Charitable Foundation and private individuals.

“The Conservation Commission is thrilled with all of the community support that has made this and other local conservation projects possible over the past five years,” Beecher said. “We have depended heavily on the cooperation of so many organizations and people, and we thank them all. In particular, we thank the Forest Society for taking the lead on expanding the Gilman Forest, covering technical details and fundraising. We thank the Tamworth Foundation for funding support and encouragement. And we thank the Tamworth selectmen for their consistent support over many years."