Keegan Easement – Boscawen NH
December, 2016 – Congratulations to John and Barbara Keegan, who in December 2016 fulfilled their dream of conserving 81 acres of wetlands, forests, and field on their Boscawen property with Five Rivers Conservation Trust.
The Keegans manage the property for sustainable living and as a tree farm, producing maple syrup, firewood and wood products from the land. Conserving this land is an extension of the Keegans’ sustainable living ethic.
John and Barbara built their home on the property in 1980 from trees harvested from their certified Tree Farm. The area around their home provides fresh garden produce, eggs and meat from chickens, ducks and geese; and maple syrup from sap collected in their woodland. The field is managed for wildlife and is filled with flowering plants which attract pollinators. The woodland is an actively managed, certified Tree Farm that provides maple sap, sustainably harvested firewood.
The Keegan land is adjacent to the already conserved Woodman Forest, owned by the Forest Society, creating a block of nearly 200 conserved acres. The property is primarily forested with a large wetland, making it a magnet for wildlife.
New Hampshire’s wildlife action plan identifies this land as among the highest ranking habitats in the state. The Keegans have observed moose, bear, coyote, bobcat, nesting red-shouldered hawks, turkeys, red and gray foxes, otter, barred owls, pileated woodpeckers, weasels, beaver, and fisher and have at times experienced wildlife contemplating or taking a free meal of domestic poultry!
The Keegan easement is Five Rivers’ first conservation project in Boscawen. “The 81-acres around the Keegans’ homestead will never be subdivided or developed and the property will be sustainably managed, providing valuable wildlife habitat and abundant water resources. The Keegans will continue to own the property and can transfer it to another owner in the future. Five Rivers will monitor the land and ensure that conservation restrictions placed on it keep the land undeveloped in the future,” states Beth McGuinn, Executive Director of Five Rivers. Special thanks to the Keegans for their dedication to land conservation and to the Boscawen Conservation Commission for providing funding to make it possible.
