With your prompt and generous support, we will conserve a 62-acre property in Sandwich with a rich array of conservation features and public benefits. The property, owned by Harry and Judy Howe, is the missing link between abutting parcels conserved by Joe and Molly Nye (494 acres) and Dick and Julie Daniels (143 acres).
Filling this conservation gap within the “Whites to Ossipees” wildlife connectivity corridor will create another arm of continuously conserved land extending southerly from the White Mountain National Forest in the vicinity of the Sandwich/Tamworth town line. Especially important in the face of climate change, expanding areas of connected conserved land will enhance mobility for plant and animal species.
The property is mostly forested with 1,500 feet of frontage along Mill Brook. Its diverse wildlife habitat includes mixed forest of conifer and northern hardwood species, peatlands, forested wetlands, and stream frontage with beaver flowages. This well-managed tree farm also has soils of good quality for both forests and agriculture.
Conservation of this property will help protect the quality of drinking water drawn by neighbors from an aquifer underlying the property. The entire property drains into Mill Brook, which then flows into the Bearcamp River and eventually into Ossipee Lake, where it helps recharge the much larger Ossipee Aquifer. It is for all of these reasons that a coalition of conservation groups and agencies identified this property as “highest priority” for conservation in the Lakes Region Conservation Plan.
This conservation easement will guarantee pedestrian public access throughout the property. Those exploring the property will be treated to an impressively large yellow birch tree, believed to be the second largest in Carroll County. The easement will also guarantee continued snowmobiling access along an established trail running through the southern part of the property and maintained by the Ossipee Valley Snowmobile Club.
We have $9,000 left to raise for our goal of $58,000 to conserve this property and provide for its ongoing stewardship. Your gift will bring us one step closer to protecting this significant gem.