McCarten Family Donates Conservation Easement in Lancaster
Bill and Sheila McCarten have donated a conservation easement on the 117-acres surrounding their home in Lancaster to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
With 2,500 feet of frontage along Martin Meadow Pond Road, this is an incredibly scenic property that is also visible from nearby Weeks State Park. The McCarten’s land abuts a 483-acre parcel already under conservation easement with the Forest Society, adding to the protected landscape of unfragmented forest.
The McCartens maintain openings in the forest and a historic orchard for wildlife habitat. They work with a professional forester to manage their woodlot. The property includes a mix of hardwood and softwood forest types, as well as several wetlands, hayfields, apple orchards, woods roads, and vernal pools, all of which combine to create landscape diversity and provide a significant wildlife habitat resource. The property’s wetlands, vernal pools, and brook all draining into Martin Meadow Pond.
William and Sheila McCarten have been part-time residents of Lancaster for many years. Now, after building and a new home, they will become year-round residents. Bill McCarten currently sits on the Forest Society’s Finance Committee.
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.