Foster Meadow Farm in Boscawen Protected Forever
October, 2024 – Five Rivers Conservation Trust is pleased to announce the permanent conservation of the 90-acre Foster Meadow Farm on Water Street in Boscawen. Foster Meadow Farm is a well-known equestrian facility that specializes in training horses and riders in dressage.
The 90-acre conservation easement was donated to Five Rivers by Pam Goodrich, who purchased the property in 1996 and built the equestrian facility. She has been a noted instructor and trainer of dressage for almost 40 years and has been long- and short-listed for the United States Equestrian Team.
Having no children or relatives interested in owning the farm, Pam began thinking about donating it to conservation. “I didn’t know much about land trusts,” says Pam. ” But a good friend’s son who is an expert in conservation easements introduced me to the concept, and my attorney recommended that I get to know Five Rivers. My idea simmered for many years, and when I contacted them, everything went very smoothly. Ken (Stern, volunteer project manager) and Jeff (Evans, Director of Conservation) were great to work with.”
Pam was particularly keen on preserving the scenic road frontage with a stone wall running along Water Street. Behind the stone wall are beautiful open fields lined by mature trees, and beyond the fields a distant wooded hillside can be seen. Across the road is an unobstructed view of Mount Kearsarge.
The land beyond the equestrian center and fields is forested, and beyond the forested area is a large wetland complex and a portion of Tannery Brook, a stream that winds into the Merrimack River. The open fields, vast wetlands, and mixed forest provide a wide diversity of habitat that supports most of the animal species known to be present in the area. Observed species include coyote, deer, moose, bear, beaver, weasel, skunk, racoon, porcupine, turkey, songbirds, numerous hawks, and an occasional bald eagle.
Pam loves the farm, with its beautiful fields and forest and views of hills and mountains. For her there is great satisfaction in knowing that this land will be protected forever. A hundred years from now people walking, biking, or driving along Water Street in Boscawen may see the same historic stone wall and all manner of wildlife will call the same fields, forest, and wetlands home.
