A 2025 FIVE RIVERS YEAR IN REVIEW
A new year brings fresh energy—and a chance to celebrate the impact we made together in 2025. Thanks to your generosity, two properties were conserved and our community came together through memorable hikes, farm dinners, and gatherings. Your support continues to move this work forward, and we’re grateful to have you alongside us.
Newly Conserved Land
In March, Five Rivers announced the conservation of the 106-acre Blue Moon Berry Farm, a pick-your-own blueberry farm located near the top of Waldron Hill in Warner. Comprised of both important farmland and rich, stream-laden forests, Blue Moon Berry Farm is a highly visible and much-loved family business in our region. Conservation of the farm also helps expand a large, contiguous block of other important conservation land in the Mink Hills of Warner, which now totals over 2,200 acres.
In addition to the landowners’ generous donation of over half the value of the conservation easement, this project was made possible by significant contributions from the Town of Warner Conservation Commission; grant awards from the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), the New Hampshire Farm Future Fund, and the Thomas W. Haas Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation; as well as over $11,000 in donations from community supporters.
And in December Five Rivers Conservation Trust was proud to announce the permanent protection of Dustin Woods, a 39-acre property along the Warner River in Hopkinton that has remained in the Dustin family for more than 200 years. Completed in partnership with the Town of Hopkinton, conservation of Dustin Woods ensures the land will remain undeveloped and publicly accessible for generations to come. As part of the conservation agreement, the Town of Hopkinton and its Conservation Commission have been granted the right to create formal trails and establish a new parking area for convenient access from the road. Trail work takes time and resources, so please stay tuned for updates!
This project was made possible with support from the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), the NH Department of Environmental Services Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund, the NH DES Local Source Water Protection Grant Program, the Hopkinton Conservation Commission, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Local Land Conservation Fund, along with generous community support.
Five Rivers Events and Activities
We hope many of you were able to join us at an event or activity this past year, and we look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events planned for 2026!
May – Twenty local bird watchers, from novice to expert, joined Five Rivers Conservation Trust for a spring bird walk at the Janeway Conservation Area in Webster. The weather was not ideal, to say the least. We banked on a break from the heavy rain that the Capital Region had been experiencing and we were lucky that Mother Nature was on our side that morning. Highlights of the day were a Louisiana Waterthrush and a Kingfisher dipping in and out of sight. Expert naturalist Linden Rayton led the way.
June – During 37 years of conservation action, nearly a hundred people have served on Five Rivers’ Board of Trustees! On a summer evening in June, about half of all current and past board members (and friends) attended a Trustee Reunion in Concord. Longtime colleagues and new friends shared memories, laughter, and Five Rivers updates. Thanks to all our Trustees and volunteer alums… it’s a group of committed conservationists and an organization well worth celebrating!
July – Five Rivers Board Chair Jamie Robertson of Contoocook Creamery at Bohanan Farm hosted his second annual farm-to-table benefit dinner for Five Rivers. More than 130 attendees supported Five Rivers and enjoyed this wonderful event, dining on delicious local food and the company of other like-minded conservationists. A huge thanks to everyone who attended this event and to all the volunteers from Bohanan Farm and Five Rivers who worked long and hard to make this farm-to-table dinner so enjoyable and memorable.
August – Jamie Robertson again played host – this time with a cookout to honor our volunteer easement monitors. Five Rivers is deeply grateful for the monitors who walk property boundaries, build relationships with landowners, and safeguard conservation for future generations. Thank you to all the Five Rivers volunteer easement monitors who spent the evening with us. We need more volunteers to help us steward the land conserved by Five Rivers, so please contact us if you are interested!
November – Five Rivers welcomed a full group of walkers for a crisp fall afternoon exploring the well-managed Ames Road Forest in Canterbury. Former landowner and longtime forester Ned Therrien led the event, sharing stories from his decades of caring for the 117-acre property he and his wife, Jean, conserved with Five Rivers in 2013. Participants enjoyed an easy walk through a thriving forest and wetlands while hearing first-hand how thoughtful forest management supports wildlife habitat, addresses invasive species, and maintains the health and resilience of the land.
Thanks to your steadfast support in 2025, Five Rivers continues to protect some of our area’s most beloved and ecologically important places, like Blue Moon Berry Farm and Dustin Woods. We are moving into 2026 with excitement and momentum and hope you’ll join us!
