2024 was another action-packed year for Five Rivers, including the conservation of four significant new properties, permanently protecting over 623 additional acres! Your support made these achievements possible, so we want to reflect on the milestones of 2024 together:

FOUR CONSERVED PROPERTIES

Kathryn Lane Property in Dunbarton – On August 1, Kathryn Lane generously donated a 134-acre conservation easement to Five Rivers. In addition to protecting the land and important wildlife habitat, conservation of the Layne property contributes to a large block of over 750 mostly-contiguous acres protected by Five Rivers in Dunbarton: the Koerber Family Forest; Stone Farm; and the Farley property.

Potter Farm in Concord – On August 12 we conserved the 90-acre Potter Farm on Oak Hill Road that abuts Turtle Pond. Five Rivers’ executive director Liz Short noted “Conserving Potter Farm has been a long time in coming through the efforts of many individuals and several critical national, state, and community funding partners. Through it all, Cynthia Potter Johnson was really the driving force that got us across the finish line. Her vision and determination to see her family’s farm permanently protected underlies everything we’ve done.”

Foster Meadow Farm in Boscawen – In October, we were delighted to receive another donated easement, this time the 90-acre Foster Meadow Farm, currently an equestrian center owned by Pam Goodrich in Boscawen. 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 across the road is an unobstructed view of Mt. Kearsarge.

Joseph and Barbara Colby Conservation Area in Boscawen – What a way to conclude 2024! In December, we announced the permanent conservation of 309 acres along High Street (Rte. 4) in Boscawen. Growing up in a family with a long history in the forestry and lumber business and now living in the Colby family farmhouse on High Street, Joe appreciates the value of working forest, agricultural lands, and the recreational opportunities available. His generous donated conservation easement ensures that future generations will benefit from the same values and opportunities that he has long enjoyed.

FIVE RIVERS SIGNAGE PROJECT

Although Five Rivers has conserved over 80 properties, lack of identifying signage has meant that we are often an unseen part of the local conservation landscape. In January, the Rotary Club of Concord provided a generous gift of $5,000 to support our efforts to purchase and install signs on our most widely-used properties. To date we have installed signs at Carter Hill Orchard, Dimond Hill Farm, Marjory Swope Park, Winant Park, Bohanan Farm, Ransmeier Woods, and several others. Later stages of the project will include installation of signs on conserved Five Rivers properties across our entire 17-town service area.

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 2025!

February – At Pint Night and Trivia at Feathered Friend Brewery in Concord, Five Rivers benefited from every draft bought over the course of the evening. We also connected with new members of our community and are grateful to everyone who stopped by.

March – In early March we explored the 477-acre Janeway property, our largest conserved property. The exploration at the Janeway property is becoming an annual event, and this year our walk expanded to new areas of the property, including venturing through the woods down to the Blackwater River.

June – Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Guided Forest Immersion event at Ransmeier Woods in Hopkinton. We are grateful to Kirke Olson who donated his time and expertise for this event.

July – Five Rivers Board Chair Jamie Robertson of Contoocook Creamery at Bohanan Farm hosted a farm-to-table benefit dinner for Five Rivers. Held at Bohanan Farm, the event helped raise money for our critical mission – to conserve land in New Hampshire’s Capital region. We spent the night laughing and eating in excellent company and enjoyed celebrating local land conservation!

July – Also in July we held our annual summer Volunteer Easement Monitor Cookout for past, present, and first-time volunteer monitors. Jamie Robertson again hosted this cookout at Bohanan Farm. In September, we had a great time orienting our new and returning easement monitors to Gaia GPS! 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!

August – Five Rivers staff and volunteers joined Project STORY for a walk at Winant Park. We spent an hour and a half exploring trails near the heart of Concord and taking in the view from the top. While the walk began with a healthy fear of bugs, it ended with an enthusiastic approach to frog catching. Experiencing the woods with 20 energetic and engaged kids, including some first-time hikers, lifted everyone’s spirits.

October – Our Annual Celebration brought together many Five Rivers friends at the Dunbarton Elementary School! From sharing conservation successes over the past year to exploring the Dunbarton Elementary School trails and enjoying the beautiful weather, it was a special time connecting with everyone.

November – Thank you to everyone who joined us in Hopkinton on November 17th for a walk from Bohanan Farm to the Dustin Woods (conservation in progress). We were joined Dave Dustin, landowner and avid historian, who regaled us with stories of the Dustin family’s history in Hopkinton and about the conservation process.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

Name: Kelly Buchanan

Town: Concord, New Hampshire

Why you value Five Rivers: Five Rivers has an enormous role to play in what the greater capital region will look and feel like in the future. I'm thrilled to support Five Rivers because we are committed to conserving a landscape that adds richness to the lives of both residents and visitors.

Best part of your volunteer role: I love being a part of protecting our most valuable natural landscapes in the greater capital region – especially as it relates to agriculture and local food. I get excited about making sure we protect land while finding opportunities to support responsibly developed resources, like affordable housing. 

Favorite Five Rivers property, and why: Marjorie Swope Park is minutes down the road from my downtown Concord home. I love zipping out for a quick walk in the woods with my dog. It's such a nice lunch break activity, especially since I work remotely.

Favorite thing about living in the greater capital region: I love the downtown Concord walkable lifestyle and how close we are to incredible recreation opportunities and conserved land! Concord's central location means that it's easy to get down to Boston, too. 

Favorite thing to do outdoors: Anything with my mini-Aussie, Pete! 

The year 2022 was another exciting and fulfilling one for Five Rivers Conservation Trust. Conservation successes include the addition of three major properties – The Vegetable Ranch in Warner, Wyman Farm in Loudon, and Sloping Acres Farm in Canterbury. Our 2022 news includes the addition of Jeff Evans as our first Director of Conservation and the awarding of a significant LCHIP grant to conserve Blue Moon Berry Farm in Warner. Read more details below.

January – Sloping Acres Farm in Canterbury was conserved. The Canterbury community has a long history of conservation and interest in agriculture and the town’s Conservation Commission strongly supported this project. With the farm conserved, brothers Peter and Eric Glines, the fifth generation of Glines farmers, can continue to raise their cattle, provide milk wholesale to Hood in Concord, and sell their sustainably raised beef directly to customers and through the Canterbury Country Store.

February – Jeff Evans became our first Director of Conservation. Jeff earned his Ph.D. in Entomology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Michigan State University. His research on the biology and management of invasive species and agricultural weeds gives him a valuable perspective on the conservation challenges and opportunities on Five Rivers’ conserved lands.

March – On a beautiful day in March, members of Five Rivers’ Events and Land Protection/Stewardship Committees strapped on their snowshoes to lead a group on a trek through the Janeway Conservation Area in Webster. A huge thank you to Betsy Janeway for welcoming our group onto her property.

April – Conservationist Chris Kane completed an ecological inventory of the Armstrong Family Forest in Concord, which identified flora, fauna, natural habitats, and cultural features. Having an ecological inventory report will help us plan how to manage the property going forward — where to site potential trails and identify the many features we may highlight for education.

August – Wyman Farm in Loudon was conserved. Judith Wyman Merrow was the sixth generation of the Wyman family to own the property since 1780. It was Judy’s wish that the farm be conserved, and on her passing in January, son Jim Polley worked with Five Rivers to honor his family’s longtime stewardship for the land and ensure its integrity is upheld in perpetuity.

September – Five Rivers hosted our 2022 Annual Celebration, this year at the unique, beautiful, and historic Sanborn Mills Farm in Loudon. The afternoon featured updates from Five Rivers, live music by Celtic fiddler Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki, and tours of the grounds, sawmill, grist mill, and blacksmith shop.

September – After a multi-month rain delay, Five Rivers held another Evening Yoga event at Dimond Hill Farm. About 40 people at various levels of experience and ability experienced an evening of gentle flow yoga taught by David Breen and Laurie Farmer of Sharing Yoga in Concord.

November – The 118-acre Vegetable Ranch in Warner was conserved. This organic farm was founded by Larry Pletcher, who passed away before the was completed. Larry’s daughter, Jenn, continued to work with Five Rivers to complete the conservation process. Jenn now owns and operates the Vegetable Ranch, feeding people throughout the Merrimack River Valley, from the Concord Farmer’s Market to Concord Hospital, Warner Local Market, and Whole Foods in Bedford and Nashua.

December – Five Rivers was awarded a $118,000 grant from LCHIP to help conserve Blue Moon Berry Farm. This property, perched on Waldron Hill in Warner, has been in continuous operation as a u-pick berry farm since the 1960s. It is a treasured local resource, well-known and loved by residents and surrounding communities.

Five Rivers offers both Event Sponsorships and Media Sponsorships, outlined below.

Event Sponsorship Opportunities & Benefits 2019

Five Rivers events introduce community members to conserved lands, outdoor activities and the natural world. Our Event Sponsors make it possible to offer these events and to spread the word about local land conservation. Typically, events draw between 40 and 100 participants. Following are the levels of sponsorship available for the upcoming events listed on the reply form. If you are interested in reaching a conservation minded audience and supporting local land conservation, consider becoming a Five Rivers event or media sponsor.

$250 – Up to 4 available per event

• Name in Annual Report as Sponsor
• Thanks at event and on event handouts

$500 – Up to 3 available per event

• All of the above, plus:
• Logo on all event materials – postcards (600+), posters (in 7-10 towns), website, email (900+)
• Logo on Annual Report back cover

$1000 – Only 1 per event available

• All of the above, plus:
• Your materials available to event participants
• Link on web site and email announcements for event

$2500 Overall Event Sponsor – up to two available (sponsor for 6 or more events)

• All of the above for 6 or more Five Rivers Events, plus:
• Display table at any or all events
• Invitation for 1-2 representatives to attend the Conservation Leaders Society Event

Media Sponsorship Opportunities & Benefits 2019

Five Rivers uses a variety of Media to spread the word about our activities and successes. We regularly communicate with our members and other constituents. Our Media Sponsors make it possible to stay in touch with community members interested in land conservation, outdoor activities and the natural world. Following are the sponsorship levels available for different media with information about the audience size. Please help us share good news about local land conservation in the Greater Capital Area.

Fall Newsletter Sponsor $500 – only two available (900 print copies, plus posted on website)

• Name in Annual Report as sponsor
• Logo on Newsletter and Annual Report Back Cover

Annual Report (spring) Magazine Sponsor $500 – only two available (900 print copies, plus posted on website)

• Logo on Annual Report as sponsor
• Name in following Annual Report as sponsor
• Logo on following Annual Report Back Cover

E-Blast Sponsor: $600 – up to 3 available (None left in 2019!)

• Logo with thanks on e-blasts for 12 months – at least 18 e-blasts per year reach 900+ people each time
• Link to your website on our e-blasts
• Name in following Annual Report as sponsor
• Logo on following Annual Report Back Cover

Website Sponsor: $1500 – up to 3 available (None left in 2019!)

• Logo and link to your website on Website for 12 months
• Name in following Annual Report as sponsor
• Logo on following Annual Report Back Cover

Overall Media Sponsor: $2500 – Only one available

• Logo and link to your website on Five Rivers’ website for 12 months
• Logo and link to your website on e-blasts for 12 months (at least 18 e-blasts per year reach 900 people each time)
• Name in following Annual Report as sponsor
• Logo on Newsletter and Annual Report Back Cover

Credit Card or US Mail Options

To become a business sponsor, call us at 603-225-7225 to specify the sponsorship you would like and learn about the events we are planning.  We can take credit card payment over the phone OR you can download and print our sponsorship slip and mail it in with your check to:

Five Rivers Conservation Trust
10 Ferry St. Suite 311-A
Concord, NH 03301

Your business sponsorship is tax-deductible. If you have questions, please contact us at 603-225-7225 or at info@5rct.org. Thank you for your support!

November 19, 2020 – Five Rivers Conservation Trust has received an anchoring grant of $215,000 from LCHIP (Land and Community Heritage Investment Program) towards the permanent protection of the 118-acre Pletcher Farm (Vegetable Ranch) in Warner.

Competition for LCHIP funding this year was intense, but the Pletcher Farm has great agricultural, wildlife, water and forestland features that made it a very competitive project.  “We are grateful for LCHIP’s investment in conserving the Pletcher Farm” said Beth McGuinn, Five Rivers Executive Director. “The LCHIP award is a critical component in conserving this important local food system for generations to come.”

Larry Pletcher, owner of the Vegetable Ranch is a wizard at coaxing nutritious, appealing, tasty organic food from the soils on the side of Mt. Kearsarge. He’s improved the soil over decades through organic practices of building organic matter and nutrients in the soil. His farm products feed people throughout the Merrimack River Valley, from the Concord Farmer’s Market to Concord Hospital, Warner Local Market, and Whole Foods in Bedford and Nashua.

Conserving the Pletcher Farm, through sale of a conservation easement, will allow Larry to make the Vegetable Ranch more accessible to the next generation of farmers. The conservation easement, a perpetual legal restriction on the use of the land, will prevent future development of the property and ensure the land is always available for high quality farming and forestry.

This easement also protects:

• The upper reaches of Stephens and Willow Brooks, prioritized for conservation by the Warner Conservation Commission.
• 70 acres of the highest ranked wildlife habitat in the state/biological region.
• Forestland adjacent to the Warner Town Forest, and part of a 10,000 acre complex of conserved land.
• Three house lots on North Road, subdivided by a former owner and ready to sell unless conserved.

You Can Help Conserve the Pletcher Farm

Larry has offered to conserve his land with Five Rivers at a deeply discounted price. To purchase the conservation easement, survey the property, and take care of all the details, we must raise $354,000. The anchoring LCHIP grant and several smaller grants cover most of the costs.  As of today, we need to raise an additional $25,000 in private donations to finish the project.

Every private donation will be matched dollar for dollar, by the Thomas W. Haas Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation, doubling each donation!

Click here to make a donation today. If you prefer to donate by check, please print this form. We are also happy to accept your PLEDGE to make a gift to the project before March 31, 2021; accept your gift of appreciated stock or accept a Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA – just call the office at 225-7225 for details. 

Thank you for supporting local agriculture!

 

CERTIFIED ORGANIC PRODUCE SINCE 1988

The Vegetable Ranch has grown certified organic produce of exceptional quality for more than twenty years. In 1988, Larry Pletcher’s 125-acre home on the slopes of Mt. Kearsarge became a successful, diversified farm melding traditional organic methods with contemporary knowledge to carry sustainable agriculture forward to new generations.

The farm’s produce is sold at favorite markets, retailers, and restaurants including the Concord Farmers’ Market, the Concord Food Co-op, Dimond Hill Farm, the Warner Public Market, Sweet Beet Market, Whole Foods Market, and Revival Kitchen & Bar.

Vegetable Ranch is a participating farm in the Local Harvest CSA, sells weekly veggie bags through Concord Hospital and Local Baskit, and provides fresh produce to the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program of the Belknap-Merrimack Counties Community Action Program.

STATUS OF THE CONSERVATION PROJECT

In 2020, Five Rivers Conservation Trust and Larry Pletcher began collaborating to place a conservation easement on his property. Conserving the farm will prevent future development and make agricultural use more financially viable for future farmers. In addition to protecting an important local food source, conserving Larry’s 118 acres provides protection for streams, wildlife, and forestland.

The Five Rivers community was saddened to learn that Larry Pletcher passed away on May 12, 2021. The Concord Monitor featured a front-page story that week, is found here. Larry’s obituary is found here.

How does Larry’s passing impact the final stages of the project to place a conservation easement on the 118 acres? Larry’s wife, Carol, and daughter, Jennifer, are eager to keep pace with the original project timeline to the extent that we all can. We are so glad to be continuing to work with Carol and Jenn. Their commitment to see this land remain in agricultural production and be protected from future development is admirable and unwavering.

What are the next steps in the project, and when will the land be officially conserved? There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into officially conserving land by purchasing a conservation easement. The conservation easement is the legal instrument that protects conservation values – in this case, such as keeping the productive farmland available for agriculture, supporting forest management, and conserving water quality. Our staff and board volunteers have been hard at work on this project since 2019. Much of the heavy lifting is already complete, and work remains to survey parts of the property and finalize legal documentation. There may be some issues out of our control that could extend the timeline, but we are aiming to keep as close to the original timeline as we can.

How did your fundraising efforts go to conserve the Vegetable Ranch? In 2020, we were very successful raising funds through grants, including a significant grant from NH’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program. Then we began a community fundraising effort to raise the final $40,000 needed. Larry was a big part of this, and helped us to distribute flyers to his customers. He was a willing (and eloquent!) spokesperson on the video that we created to help tell his story. He posed for photos, including the one above taken at the farm this past March. This community fundraising effort brought so many people together, and we were incredibly touched by messages that we received from donors about why they were giving. Larry has been an inspiration and a hero to many in the organic farming and local food communities.

Do you need any additional funding for the project? Will Five Rivers Conservation Trust accept memorial gifts in memory of Larry Pletcher? We are in a strong financial position to close out the project. That said, it is difficult to estimate exactly how project costs will end up when the actual project closing is still months out. We expect to have a small fundraising gap (to finalize the conservation easement on the 118 acres), and we can always use additional funding for the ongoing costs associated with stewardship of the land.

Yes, Five Rivers can accept donations in memory of Larry Pletcher for this project specifically or Five Rivers’ work in general. Thank you for supporting local agriculture!

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The boundary between science and politics is precarious. The integrity of scientific research is based on an assumption of neutrality: observe, document and report data on subject areas. Scientists can be reluctant to introduce their research into policy debates for a legitimate reason: they risk being charged with predetermined conclusions driven by political bias.

But what if their studies can provide a foundation for reversal of environmental damage, and even better, inform public policy that will prevent further destruction? This is the tightrope that environmental scientists walk, including those at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF).

The HBEF, a 7,800-acre northern hardwood forest situated in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, is the location of one of the longest running and most comprehensive ecosystem studies in the world. It is a unique public-private partnership involving the USDA Forest Service, the National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological Research program, the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, and scientists from research institutions throughout the country. The collaborative, multidisciplinary research efforts include long-term studies of air, water, soils, plants, and animals.

Five Rivers Conservation Trust was privileged to have Anthea Lavallee, Executive Director of the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, as the featured speaker at our 2019 Annual Gathering. In her audience-interactive presentation, Lavallee introduced us to the broad range of watershed studies that have been conducted at the HBEF since its beginning in 1955, leaving us with a deep appreciation for the intersection of environmental policy, practice, and ecosystem science. Two examples are worth noting.

Example 1

In the early 1980s, alarm bells were ringing across the Northeast. From New York’s Adirondack Park, to Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest and Baxter State Park in Maine, alpine forests were dying, sugar maples were declining, and fish were disappearing from lakes. The chemistry of entire watersheds was experiencing radical change. What was going on?

It turned out that most of us were just slow on the uptake. Lavallee explained that these were symptoms of a phenomenon that had been recognized in the 1960s by a team of scientists who founded the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES), a collaborative approach between academic research and the U.S. Forest Service. From the study’s inception, rain and snow inputs to the HBEF were unusually acid. These scientists had identified what would soon become a household word: acid rain.

But documenting unusual ecosystem acidity begged several questions: what was causing it? Was it a problem? If so, was it reversible and ultimately preventable? The team set out to probe deeper into the implications of ecosystem acidity.

Ultimately, the primary source of the pollution was traced to the combustion of fossil fuels at manufacturing hubs hundreds of miles away in the Midwest.

Enter a coalition of environmental groups including the Appalachian Mountain Club and The Society for the Protection of NH Forests, who approached members of the congressional delegations from the most threatened states, including former US Senators Judd Gregg (NH), Robert Stafford and Jim Jeffords (VT), and Olympia Snowe (ME). The Hubbard Brook team, duly alarmed by the conclusions of their studies, provided the legislators and environmental lobbyists with indisputable scientific data that justified amending the Clean Air Act to limit pollution at the stack, initiating new technology such as “clean coal” and “stack scrubbers”.

Was the risk of leaping the chasm between pure science and politics worth it for the Hubbard Brook scientists? Indeed. As Lavallee noted, continued ecosystem monitoring has shown that it paid off handsomely for the Northeast.

Over a period of eighteen years subsequent to the newly enacted federal regulations to reduce SO2 emissions, the HBEF team documented about an 80% decline in acidity at HBEF. This reinforced the value of continuous long-term scientific measurements and data collection, and demonstrated the critical role of ecosystem science in development of effective environmental policy.

But there was more to the story. What about the havoc acidification had wreaked on the natural and built environment? In addition to identifying the cause of acid deposition, the HB studies suggested that not only could further damage be prevented, but existing damage could be reversed by restoring the natural (preindustrial) ecosystem chemistry that acid deposition had altered. The Hubbard Brook data had identified a correlation between acid deposition and leaching of the natural levels of calcium in the affected ecosystem. In 1999, wollastonite (a calcium silicate mineral) was added experimentally to an entire watershed in an amount roughly equivalent to the quantity estimated to have leached in the previous 50 years. When calcium was replaced, the forest showed accelerated levels of recovery, such as positive survival and growth responses in sugar maples. Lavallee concludes that through science, there are solutions, emphasizing its role in protecting the air we breathe and water we drink every day.

Example 2

On a frigid January night about two decades ago, many of us woke to what sounded like random gunshots in our neighborhoods. Far from it. A look out the window showed that we were in the midst of what came to be known as The Great Ice Storm of 1998 and tree limbs were cracking like toothpicks under the weight of a heavy coating of ice. It caused unprecedented damage to trees and electrical infrastructure all over the area, leading to widespread long-term power outages. Millions were left in the dark for periods varying from days to several weeks, and in some instances, months. It led to 35 fatalities, a shutdown of activities in major cities such as Montreal and Ottawa, and an unprecedented effort in reconstruction of the power grid. In Canada, the ice storm led to the largest deployment of military personnel since the Korean War. In the US, it took months for power companies and state and municipal workers to clean up the damage and fully restore power to thousands of residents.

Such extreme weather events cannot be prevented, but what if we were able to predict their impacts in order to prepare for them effectively? Lavallee explained how the ecosystem scientists at HB approached the problem.

Ice storms are an important natural disturbance in the forest ecosystems of the “ice belt” that covers a broad area extending from east Texas to New England. These glazing events (defined as 0.25 in. of ice accretion or more) are often perceived as rare occurrences, even though the return interval is as short as 2-5 years in the most ice storm prone northeastern U.S. Historically, ice storms have been hard for meteorologists to predict, and despite their influential role in shaping forest ecosystems and the services they provide, knowledge of their impacts on the natural and built environment has been relatively limited.

In 2016 and 2017, to shed light on these poorly understood weather events, HBEF conducted the first-ever controlled, experimental ice storm manipulation in a forest ecosystem. Using a suite of tools to create artificial ice storms, water was pumped out of Hubbard Brook and sprayed over the forest canopy during subfreezing conditions to simulate a glaze ice event. The falling water froze on contact, resulting in 0.4 in. of ice accumulation, which is comparable to measurements at Hubbard Brook during the major ice storm of 1998. Through this experiment, researchers could see when and where damage started to happen (between 1/4 and 1/2 inch of ice accretion), and followup continues to document the rate of forests and wildlife recovery. The data have also provided predictive models for the effects on the power infrastructure, the most effective tree pruning techniques around power lines, and how to best mobilize personnel and equipment to prepare for and respond to storms. Results of this research will provide land and emergency managers and the concerned public greater insight on the impacts of these powerful, frightening, and curiously aesthetic extreme winter weather events on ecosystem dynamics in northern hardwood forests.

What can a land trust learn from the HBEF?

Lavallee encourages what she calls “building a culture of everyday inquiry.” In other words, you don’t have to be a credentialed scientist to contribute to have a scientific appreciation of the landscape. In a very real sense, the collective conserved acreage in the Five Rivers service area – though largely non-contiguous – is similar to the giant petrie dish of HBEF. Just as the scientific community is monitoring the Hubbard Brook watershed, we have the potential to contribute to a database for ecosystem changes as we monitor our conserved landscape. Operating within a dynamic natural system, our monitors could combine a love of the land with a scientific understanding of it, which can ultimately reinforce its protection. For example, easement monitors tend to be people who appreciate the multiple attributes of a landscape. In addition to the traditional checklist of changes to a property that monitors are required to document to maintain the legal requirements of the easement, they could record observations of bird and animal populations, the occurrence of plant species, and changes in growth patterns. Or, Five Rivers could initiate a new volunteer team of “citizen scientists” to accompany the existing easement monitors.

When asked about the immediate priorities for Hubbard Brook, Lavallee identifies climate change as a huge research thrust which could benefit from such local data collection. For example, Hubbard Brook could provide us with simple monitoring protocols to identify how much carbon a parcel of land contains which in turn identifies an added value to the land. Various ecosystem services can be targeted and managed, beyond, for example, timber or agricultural production. These include drinking water filtration, flood abatement, carbon sequestration, erosion mitigation from catastrophic weather events, wildlife habitat preservation, and other climate change resilience attributes.

And all this from a little experimental forest in NH. Who knew? Five Rivers is grateful to Anthea Lavallee for her fascinating and thought provoking presentation at Annual Gathering. Anthea expressed how much she enjoyed speaking to us, through her presentation but also informal mingling before and after the program. A great conversationalist, she is eager to share information and available at The Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, alavallee@hubbardbrookfoundation.org or (802) 432-1042. Visit the Hubbard Brook website: hubbardbrook.org

Visiting Hubbard Brook

Can people visit Hubbard Brook? Absolutely. We are fortunate to have Sarah Thorne as a Five Rivers board member, who is also on staff as an educator at Hubbard Brook and enthusiastic about taking interested people on a tour. Hubbard Brook is public land, and there is even an App for a self-guided tour.

Pumpkin Hill and Bartlett Loop Roads
9 acres of forest, stream, and wetland habitats
Public access, no formal trails
January 2019

In Warner, a 50 year tradition of taking children outdoors each spring at the Warner Fishing Derby indicates that the location of the derby is a special place in town. Willow Brook, also known as Children’s Brook, has always been the Derby location. Families come with their children, fishing poles and bait to help their kids learn the thrills of spending time outdoors and taking a chance at bringing dinner home. The faces of children and their parents express the importance of this event. It is a bonding experience for everyone.

So, when Scott and Joan Warren and the Warner Conservation Commission asked Five Rivers Conservation Trust to help conserve land along Children’s Brook, we were excited. “Community Conservation is about conserving the places important to the people in the Community,” says Beth McGuinn, Executive Director of Five Rivers Conservation Trust. After two years of working toward the goal, the project has been completed, with the Town and the Warrens each conserving the land they own along the brook. Now, nearly ½ mile along the brook is conserved and will always be open for children who want to take a chance at catching the big one.

Nancy Martin, Chair of the Warner Conservation Commission, says her boys Chip and Andy participated in the derby from ages 5 to 16, back in the 60’s and 70’s. “We hope to instill a love of fishing in our grandchildren, beginning just like their Dads did, with the Warner Fishing Derby.”

In an era when the lure of technology means children (and parents) spend less time outdoors, Children’s Brook is a very important place for introducing children to the inspiration of nature. With the area conserved, future generations of parents and children will have access to this special place – Children’s Brook.

Five Rivers Conservation Trust guided the Warrens and the Town of Warner through the Conservation process. The Town and the Warrens generously donated conservation easements, which limit the use of their land and allow future generations of children to fish on this section of the brook. The Town donated funds to cover all transaction expenses. Five Rivers will monitor the property to ensure that it is used only for conservation purposes in the future.

Five Rivers celebrated a very successful year with an Annual Gathering on June 14, 2017. Tim Britain toasted accomplishments and Beth McGuinn highlighted those accomplishments, including:

• Four new conserved properties in Loudon, Concord, Boscawen and Dunbarton, bringing us over the 4000 conserved acre mark
• National recognition as an Accredited Land Trust
• Completion of a new strategic plan that charges us to increase the pace and strategic nature of land conservation and improve stewardship of conserved properties
• Our resulting campaign to raise funds to hire a Land Conservation Specialist to help us achieve the goals set forth in the strategic plan

More than 70 members and not yet members also enjoyed a presentation about getting involved in wildlife conservation, delivered by Emily Preston, a wildlife biologist at NH Fish and Game. Click here or the image below to view Emily’s slideshow presentation (PDF format).

Thank you to our event sponsors Revision Energy, Ransmeier & Spellman and Second Wind Water Systems!

Registration Update — We’re very sorry, but we have reached our capacity for this event. We hope you can join us for another Five Rivers event in the future. If you don’t receive them already, please sign up to receive our emails and be one of the first to know about our next event.

Join Five Rivers at our first conserved property in Boscawen and explore John and Barbara Keegan’s 81 acres of well-managed woodlands and the amazing wetlands that make this property a magnet for wildlife, including moose, bear, coyote, bobcat, nesting red-shouldered hawks, turkeys, red and gray foxes, otter, barred owls, pileated woodpeckers, weasels, beaver, fisher, and many more.

Presenters: Ruth Smith, Environmental Educator and Concord Monitor columnist; and Amanda Stone, Cooperative Extension’s Land Conservation Specialist, will help us learn how the woodlands and wetlands combine to attract wildlife habitat on the property.

The Keegans live sustainably on this land, producing maple syrup, firewood, and other wood products. They conserved their land in 2016 as part of their commitment to sustainable living. Five Rivers coordinated the conservation process and holds the responsibility to monitor land uses to ensure that the property remains conserved – forever. The Keegan’s property is adjacent to the Woodman Forest, conserved by the Forest Society, creating a block of nearly 200 conserved acres.

Participants will meet at a central location and Five Rivers will provide a shuttle to and from the property.

This is a family friendly event, but please leave your pets at home due to the shuttle arrangements and at the request of the landowners.

Refreshments will be available after the tour.

Registration Update — We’re very sorry, but we have reached our capacity for this event. We hope you can join us for another Five Rivers event in the future. If you don’t receive them already, please sign up to receive our emails and be one of the first to know about our next event.

Suggested donation: $5 at the event.

Thanks to our hosts John and Barbara Keegan, and co-host – Town of Boscawen and Town of Boscawen Conservation Commission.

Thank you to our event sponsors!

E-News is a great way to stay in touch with Five Rivers. You’ll hear about the latest properties we’ve conserved and receive notice of our events and successes. We aim to send 12 – 24 messages each year, so we won’t overload your in box.

Please sign up today. Thank you!

Five Rivers Conservation Trust is fortunate to have a dedicated, passionate group of volunteers who put in tireless hours. But, we can always use more… whether for one day or long-term, we invite you, your family or your group to get involved.

Volunteer Opportunities

Maybe you enjoy planning events, or talking to people about your passion for the outdoors. Perhaps you’d like to help maintain one of our properties or help out in our office. You may belong to a club that is looking for a fun outdoor project.

Do you have an interest in becoming a board or committee member? An ideal candidate will have a background in accounting or finance, law, marketing, or business management.

Learn More About Volunteering With Us!

When you volunteer with Five Rivers, you know you’re making a lasting difference in our part of New Hampshire. Interested in learning more? Please contact us by calling 603-225-7225 or emailing us at info@5rct.org.

We look forward to hearing from you!

If you would like to support Five Rivers Conservation Trust through a major financial gift or gift of land, please contact us to discuss options and opportunities. Your support will allow us to protect more land, manage and steward our protected lands, and connect people to these special places. This is truly a legacy of land conservation for generations to come!

If you have an interest in supporting Five Rivers in a significant way, we would like to speak with you and hear more about your ideas. We know the funding priorities of our organization and will be able to create a giving opportunity tailored to fit your needs. Contact us at 603-225-7225 or email our Executive Director, Beth McGuinn.

Major Financial Gifts

Giving at a major gift level ($5,000 or more) to Five Rivers Conservation Trust is not a decision that can be made over night. There are many questions that you need to ask yourself, for example:

• What do I want to support?
• How can I help?
• What are my tax implications?
• What makes me want to support Five Rivers?
• A special place?
• A memory?
• My future generations?

Donate/Gift Land

Five Rivers COnservation Trust gratefully accepts outright gifts of land (sometimes referred to a “fee title” gifts). Donating ownership in land may be an excellent way to make a major tax-deductible contribution to Five Rivers. A donation of land allows the donor to realize immediate income tax benefits, eliminates the need to pay property taxes, and reduces future estate tax liabilities by removing the property from the donor’s estate.

Route 140
20 acres & xx acres
Public access, no formal trails
2007 & 2009

Two Conserved Properties

Christie Forest

On the north side of Peaked Hill, near the heart of Gilmanton village, lies a 20-acre mixed-hardwood forest frequented by deer, bear, and other wildlife. Thanks to the vision and conservation ethic of its owner, Nancy Christie, it will forever remain intact, a legacy to its former owner, Nancy’s father Walter Steenstra.

Protected via a conservation easement donated to Five Rivers Conservation Trust in 2009, Nancy’s land is the second Gilmanton property that she conserved in as many years. This hillside property, lined by stone walls, rises 400 feet in elevation to a point with extensive westerly views.

The land will remain as is, with no timbering, save for the creation of nature trails that would be used for all to enjoy.