Skip to main content

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests

Get our e-news!

Sign up

small nav

  • About Us
    • Staff
    • Board of Trustees
    • Our History
    • Contact Us
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Partners
    • Business Members
    • Annual Reports
    • Bylaws
    • Policies
    • Conservation Center
    • Employment
  • log in
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Main menu

  • What we do
    • Land Conservation
    • Education & Events
    • Advocacy
    • Forestry & Recreation
    • News & Features
    • Forest Notes & More Publications
  • Current Projects
    • Mount Major Stewardship Fund
    • Forest Society North at The Rocks Campaign
    • Clay Brook Forest, Hampton Falls
    • Stillhouse Forest Addition, Northfield
    • Moose Mountains Expansion
    • Merrimack: River at Risk
    • Morrill Dairy Farm, Boscawen
    • Weeks Woods - Rene and Elizabeth Gilbert Tract, Gilford
  • Visit & Explore
    • The Rocks
    • Conservation Center
    • Forest Reservation Guide
  • Get Involved
    • Upcoming Events
    • Membership/Renewal
    • Support Our Work
    • Take Action
    • Volunteer
    • Subscribe to E-news
  • Search

Search form

Donate
Menu

News

  • Together, we made it through 2020

    Anna Berry
    December 31, 2020

    We hope you’ll take a few minutes to view a short slideshow of some highlights from our year of conserving, enjoying and caring for forests.

  • Press Release: Forest Society Protects 1.8 Miles Along the Ammonoosuc River in Bethlehem

    December 2, 2020

    The new reservation, called the Ammonoosuc River Forest, abuts the White Mountain National Forest.

    Read more
  • Wildflowers in Our Backyards

    Stacie Hernandez
    May 26, 2020

    Spring ephemeral is the term used for many of New Hampshire's wildflowers that show off in the spring and then move on to a different life cycle where they wither away back underground after going through a reproductive phase. The short definition is growing over a short amount of time.

LCHIP Grant Lifts Moose Mountains Project Past the Half-Way Mark

December 12, 2014
Land Conservation
Lakes Region

Dec. 11, 2014 – A 150-acre bastion of excellent wildlife habitat and scenic woodlands in Middleton is much closer to being conserved now that the state's Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) has granted $112,500 to the effort to protect it from development. 

            The Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests (Forest Society), in partnership with the Moose Mountains Regional Greenways (MMRG), is raising $361,000 to buy the land in order to keep it undeveloped and open for recreation, wildlife habitat and forest management. The grant brings the effort past the half-way mark, with $173,000 yet to be raised.

            “We are grateful that the LCHIP committee has thrown its critical support behind protecting this property. Since it abuts other conservation land with extensive trail systems, its addition will increase recreational access while keeping the working forests and wildlife protected from future development,” said Jane Difley, the Forest Society’s president/forester.

            The LCHIP committee named the Moose Mountains project last week among 35 others to win a matching grant. LCHIP  is the state program that provides grants to communities and non-profits to conserve and preserve New Hampshire's most important natural, cultural and historic resources.

            The Moose Mountains property is located off New Portsmouth Road in Middleton. Once purchased, it will become part of the Forest Society’s Moose Mountains Reservation, a 2,325 acre area in both Middleton and Brookfield that is popular with hikers, hunters, snowmobilers and cross-country skiers. Adjacent to the 1,400-acre Ellis R. Hatch Jr. Wildlife Management Area owned by N.H. Fish and Game, the Moose Mountains Reservation was first protected in 2008 through the efforts of the Forest Society, MMRG and other conservation partners.

            “This project is a great opportunity for us to provide more open land for roaming wildlife like moose, bear and bobcats to securely cross an undeveloped landscape,” said Brian Hotz, vice president of land conservation for the Forest Society. “That benefit, plus the access this property provides to trails and timber, makes this project really exciting.” 

“It is great to again partner with the Forest Society on a project in the Moose Mountains.  We are happy to do all we can to help raise the needed funds to add this beautiful tract to the Reservation,” added Keith Fletcher, director of land conservation for MMRG.

            Dominated by white pine and red oak as well as other hardwoods of a variety of age and size, the addition will provide timber resources as well as habitat diversity. Vernal pools on the property are critical breeding habitats for amphibian species, and the land is part of the headwaters of the Branch River and Jones Brook, both of which drain into aquifers supplying public drinking water.

            Individual donors provided $75,000 to launch the campaign earlier this year. With the $112,500 grant from LCHIP, the effort is within $173,000 of its fundraising goal. Anyone interested in finding out more about this project or donating can visit forestsociety.org or call Martha Twombly at 224-9945, ext. 319. 

Footer menu

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests54 Portsmouth St.Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603.224.9945Fax: 603.228.0423info@forestsociety.org
Land Trust Alliance accreditation logo