On August 5th, 2021 the Town of Deering and Piscataquog Land Conservancy signed a conservation easement on three properties, totaling just under 25 acres.
On April 28th the Piscataquog Land Conservancy (PLC) and the Town of New Boston signed the conservation easement on the town’s five Town Forests, which together total 470 acres. The idea of placing an easement on the land had been discussed on and off for the better part of two decades, and New Boston voters overwhelmingly approved a warrant article authorizing the easement in March 2020. The conservation easement held by PLC now ensures the properties are protected in perpetuity.
Later this spring the Piscataquog Land Conservancy will accept a conservation easement from the Town of Deering on four town-owned properties totaling about ninety acres. Three of the lots are in the central part of town on the northeastern side of Deering Reservoir. The three properties comprise about 25 acres and include approximately 1,800 feet of frontage on two streams that empty directly into the reservoir. The fourth lot to be protected by the new easement comprises 65 acres at the western end of Deering.
On June 30th the Piscataquog Land Conservancy closed on our purchase of 267 acres of forest, streams and wetlands in Mason. PLC’s acquisition helps complete a decades-long effort to protect the headwaters of the Nissitissit River, a main tributary of the Nashua River which was given National Wild and Scenic status in 2018. PLC will manage the land for water quality and wildlife habitat, public recreation and sustainable forestry.
Culminating two years of effort, the Town of Brookline has donated a conservation easement on 439 acres of town-owned conservation land to the Piscataquog Land Conservancy. Known to local residents as Hobart-Fessenden Woods, the land had been acquired by Brookline piece by piece over a period of years, at a total cost of $1.5 million. Until now the land was not subject to any easement or other outside restriction that guaranteed its permanent protection. The conservation easement held by PLC ensures the public’s investment is protected in perpetuity, and that a future town vote cannot change the land’s open space status.
On June 27th, PLC purchased a conservation easement on 41 acres of fields, forest, streams and wetlands along Paige Hill Road in Goffstown. The land is owned by Fred and Sylvia Jennings, who have farmed and lived on the historic property for decades.
On June 27th the Piscataquog Land Conservancy completed its acquisition of the Meadowsend property – 205 acres of forest and pristine wetlands in the town of Weare. PLC had worked for more than a year to raise all the funds needed to purchase the property. Now that PLC owns the land, we will manage it in perpetuity to protect water quality and wildlife habitat, provide public recreation and support sustainable forestry. The land is a true gem, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who came together to make its protection possible.