The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests celebrated the opening of its newest reservation along the Salmon Falls River in Milton Mills on September 4, 2008. The Forest Society purchased the property this past June and will manage the 284 acres as one of its 160 permanently conserved forest reservations. The property, which includes a mile and a half of frontage along the Salmon Falls River, has been traditionally open to public pedestrian access, hunting and fishing and will remain so.
Forest Society President/Forester Jane Difley recognized the many project partners whose efforts make the permanent conservation of this magnificent landscape possible, including:
- Dawn Evans, executive director Moose Mountains Regional Greenways, the local conservation organization that helped facilitate the project.
- Deb Turcott, executive director of the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), which contributed $325,000 toward the project.
- Charlie Bridges from the NH Fish & Game Department, which administers the Landowners Incentive Program grant program that contributed $157,122.
- The US Fish and Wildlife Service, which contributed $75,000 toward the project.
- Tom Gray, chair of the Milton Board of Selectmen. The Town of Milton contributed $25,000 toward the project.
- Howard Jappe, the former property owner who sold the land at a discounted price to the Forest Society.
- The Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust, which agreed to donate a conservation easement on 350 acres along nearby Jones Brook. A tributary of the Branch River, Jones Brook flows into the Salmon Falls River. This property features nearly 1.5 miles of shoreline and includes peatland, marsh, riverine, and forest habitats.
- Edward and Frances Orlando, who donated a conservation easement on their adjacent property that includes a half mile of additional river frontage.
- Charlie and Gail Karcher, who donated a conservation easement on their nearby property. Charlie, also a Milton Select Board member and Moose Mountains Regional Greenways board member, worked closely with the project partners to facilitate this conservation outcome.
The celebration took place on the property’s picturesque 11-acre hayfield, sited on a ridge overlooking the Salmon Falls floodplain.
New Moose Mountains Regional Greenways Executive Director Dawn Evans read a moving letter from MMRG’s Vice Chair Cynthia Wyatt, who also represents the Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust. Click here for the complete text.