Forest Society Purchase Grows Hedgehog Mountain Forest in Deering to Almost 600 Acres
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests purchased 210 acres of land in Deering as an addition to the organization’s existing 387-acre Hedgehog Mountain Forest. The Tyrrell Foundation generously donated the funding necessary to acquire the property.
“We are deeply grateful to the Tyrell Foundation, whose generosity made this conservation effort possible,” said Forest Society President/Forester Jane Difley. “This 210-acre addition abuts and enlarges the conservation lands within the area, creating opportunities for both wildlife and public recreation.”
The eastern side of the property includes an open beaver meadow and about 20 acres of wetlands that are rich with moose, deer, fox, beaver, and other wildlife, while Hedgehog Mountain ridge dominates the western side. The land features a mixed hardwood forest with red oak and white pine, then turns to mature hemlock near the top of the ridge.
The conservation of this ridgeline and the surrounding forestlands will keep a large forest block intact, providing extended areas of connected open space that will allow individual creatures to move between populations. Keeping this land in a natural state also helps protect water quality in the watershed and allows for the opportunity to create a ridgeline trail with multiple overlooks of the Contoocook Valley and the western highlands.
Hedgehog Mountain is a priority focus area of the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Conservation Initiative and the Town of Deering. The mountain and its surrounding landscape abut thousands of acres of land already conserved by the Forest Society and the Town of Deering, including significant portions of the ridge. The Forest Society is working actively with area landowners to conserve the remaining undeveloped tracts of land along or abutting the Hedgehog Mountain ridgeline.
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.