Feb. 1, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jim Graham, 603-224-9945, ext 330;
Kelly Whalen, Calypso Communications, 603-431-0816
HONKALA FAMILY HELPS PROTECT LAND IN RICHMOND
Local Logger Gives Gift for Future Generations
RICHMOND, N.H. – In a generous holiday gift, Mike and Melinda Honkala donated a conservation easement to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests on their property in Richmond. Mike Honkala, a well-know logger who works with the Forest Society to support forestry management, placed a 90-acre easement on his land along Monument Road in late December.
The Honkalas own two parcels totaling 260 acres, and have plans to donate the remaining 170 acres.
“We are committed to conserving our land for future generations, to proper forestry management, and to protecting New Hampshire’s valuable land resources,” Mike Honkala said.
The land slopes in a westward direction from the road to a large wetland located at the end of the property. Most of the forestland in the conservation easement is dominated by beech and oak trees, with a significant white pine and hemlock population near the wetlands. The Honkalas also have reclaimed a seven-acre field that they plan to use as pasture for cattle.
“The property is strategically located within one of the designated focus areas for the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Collaborative,” said Paul Doscher, vice president of land conservation for the Forest Society. “Additionally, the property is in an area that is relatively undeveloped and with a high likelihood for future conservation projects.”
A conservation easement allows private landowners to protect land while maintaining ownership. Easements provide permanent protection from land uses that could damage or destroy its scenic, recreational, ecological, and natural resource values. Other protected land in the area includes the Morgan Reserve Association Open Space, Rhododendron State Park, and Richmond Town Forest.
Founded in 1901, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is a 10,000-member, nonprofit organization that has helped protect more than one million acres across New Hampshire. Visit www.forestsociety.org for more information, or call (603) 224-9945.
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