Five Rivers Receives LCHIP Grant for Koerber Family Forest in Dunbarton
Left to right: Rep. Mary Beth Walz; Gov. Chris Sununu; Amanda Merrill, LCHIP Board Chair; Dijit Taylor, LCHIP Exec. Dir.; Alison Scheiderer, 5R Land Conservation Specialist; Ken Koerber; Beth McGuinn; 5R Exec. Dir; Sue Koerber (photo: Perry Smith)
On December 4, 2019, Five Rivers Conservation Trust received an anchoring grant of $100,000 from LCHIP to permanently protect the 133-acre Koerber Family Forest in the center of Dunbarton. This significant grant, along with generous donations from the landowner, the Dunbarton Conservation Commission, funding from several other sources, and several significant donations means that we have met our fundraising goal for this project.
The forest is adjacent to the Dunbarton Elementary School, and its conservation will ensure that students and teachers can continue to use the property as an outdoor classroom to foster conservation ethics and outdoor literacy among the student body.
Ensuring public access will allow the Town of Dunbarton to build on the trails that already exist on the property, creating the opportunity to connect to nearby conserved land and develop a future hub for pedestrian recreation and outdoor engagement. Conserved land nearby includes Five Rivers’ protected Stone Farm.
The Koerber family is thrilled that the woods they have stewarded for over 40 years will remain available to students and families for generations to come.
Additional Information About the Koerber Family Forest
What resources will be conserved?
- 133 acre forested property in the center of Dunbarton
- Includes three headwater streams
- Four acre forested wetland
- Recreational trails connecting the property to the Dunbarton Elementary School
- Productive forestland and the soils that produce quality forest products
- Habitat for a state endangered species and other wildlife
- Stone walls and a historic barn site
What are the benefits to the community?
- The opportunity to create a trail network that connects to nearby conserved properties, including Five Rivers’-protected Stone Farm
- Natural area accessible to elementary school for use as an outdoor classroom with cross country ski opportunities
- Clean water – from the headwaters streams that feed the Kimball Pond conservation complex
- Enlarges a block of conserved land to 750 acres
Who are the funders of the property so far?
- Landowner donation (50% of conservation easement value)
- LCHIP $100,000
- Town of Dunbarton Conservation Fund
- State Conservation Committee Moose Plate grant
- Merrimack Conservation Partnership
- Local Land Conservation Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation
- Private Donations
- Funding still needed: $18,000. One grant pending, additional private funds still needed.
NH State Conservation Committee Moose Plate
Koerber Family Forest photos to the right are by Barb Beers, LCHIP
