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Nature Conservancy Conserves Two Key Tracts in the Ossipee Pine BarrensSen. Gregg: The country's No. 2-ranked Forest Legacy project is critical to conserving New Hampshire's most endangered forest ecosystem.MADISON, N.H. — Aug. 14, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy has acquired two important properties in the Ossipee Pine Barrens, adding further protection to this globally rare forest ecosystem. Joining The Nature Conservancy in celebrating the protection of the two tracts today was U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg, who has supported the Conservancy’s proposal to conserve additional pine barrens habitat through the U.S.D.A.’s Forest Legacy Program. The project is one of 14 Forest Legacy projects nationally that have been included in the budget now being considered by Congress.
“The Ossipee Pine Barrens is one of New Hampshire’s most unique ecosystems, containing numerous rare species, wildlife habitat, wetlands and providing excellent recreational opportunities,” Sen. Gregg said. “The fact that the Nature Conservancy’s Forest Legacy application ranked this project No. 2 in the country is testament to the importance of this conservation project. The Nature Conservancy once again has stepped up to the plate, working in partnership with local communities and groups to make the preservation of this tract possible.”
The first property recently acquired by The Nature Conservancy is a 25-acre parcel in Madison at the intersection of Route 41 and East Shore Drive. It is directly across East Shore Drive from the Conservancy’s Ossipee Pine Barrens Preserve, and includes significant frontage on Route 41. The second tract is a 100-acre parcel in Ossipee, south of the Windsock Village development and on the west side of the West Branch River. This tract has long been identified as a conservation priority by the Conservancy because it contains exemplary flood plain forest along the river, a portion of an uncommon pitch pine heath swamp, and high-quality pine barrens habitat. This parcel also links three adjacent tracts already owned by The Nature Conservancy. The Ossipee Pine Barrens is a globally rare forest ecosystem of pitch pine and scrub oak that harbors rare plants, declining songbirds (such as whip-poor-will, Eastern towhee, brown thrasher, and nighthawk) and 17 rare moth and butterfly species. The Ossipee Pine Barrens is recognized as a top priority “conservation focus area” and “highest quality habitat” in the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's recently completed Wildlife Action Plan, and is formally designated by New Hampshire Audubon as one of the state's Important Bird Areas. In addition to saving New Hampshire’s rarest forest ecosystem, conservation here protects clean groundwater supplies for homes and businesses in Freedom, Madison, Ossipee and Tamworth. With its intact forest cover, the Ossipee Pine Barrens serves as a natural filter, ensuring good water quality for New Hampshire's largest stratified drift aquifer. Largely flat and sandy, the habitat is highly vulnerable to residential and commercial development. The Conservancy has been conserving land here since 1988, but had to respond quickly during the last two years when a number of the most ecologically significant tracts were listed for sale. "Come December, there will be more than 5,900 acres of contiguous conservation land in the Ossipee Pine Barrens," Burtnett said. "Five years ago, we didn’t dare to dream that we could make so much progress so quickly. The Ossipee Pine Barrens is becoming a textbook case study of patiently assembling a jigsaw puzzle for lasting conservation success. With each new acquisition, we grow more confident that this conservation area will stand the test of time and continue to sustain the many imperiled species that rely on it for their survival." Recognizing the irreplaceable natural resources at stake and the immediate opportunities for conservation, the Conservancy last year applied for $2.38 million under the federal Forest Legacy Program. The program is a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service, state governments and private landowners that has among its goals the protection of ecologically important forestland that is threatened by development or conversion. The program provides funding to acquire land or conservation easements from willing sellers to protect working forests, wildlife habitat, water resources, recreational opportunities, and historic values. The Ossipee Pine Barrens Forest Legacy proposal calls for helping to fund permanent protection of four tracts: • the 25-acre, recently acquired parcel in Madison; • 170 acres in Freedom, acquired by the Conservancy in 2006; • 65 acres in Ossipee, also acquired by the Conservancy in 2006; and • 355 acres between Silver Lake and Cook’s Pond in Madison, which the Conservancy has a contract to purchase in December 2007. Through the Forest Legacy Program, the Conservancy will convey conservation easements to the state of New Hampshire on the four parcels, ensuring permanent protection of the land and its many public values. As match for the federal funds, the Conservancy will also donate to the state conservation easements on 1,649 acres, and a generous family from Madison will donate an easement on their 99-acre woodlot. In addition to the Forest Legacy funds, the Conservancy has a private fundraising goal of $1.5 million, towards which it has already raised $1.3 million. “Due to the thoughtful generosity of so many individuals, foundations and corporations, we have great momentum toward reaching our fundraising goal to protect this amazing and special place,” Burtnett said. “With strong prospects for the Legacy funding, we are growing more optimistic about achieving our goals. We're in the home stretch, but we need everyone who can support us to do so, now more than ever.” George Epstein of Madison is a member of the Conservancy’s Ossipee Pine Barrens and Silver Lake Watershed Volunteer Committee. Epstein said there are many reasons why this conservation project resonates with so many people. “One reason is that this is a fantastic place for recreation. Hiking, snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, mountain biking – these are uses that I see almost daily. The other main reason is water. It’s remarkable how the pine barrens overlays so neatly with aquifer’s critical recharge areas. And the more we can protect the pine barrens, the better we’ll be able to safeguard our water supplies for generations to come. This is a huge responsibility and it’s up to us to take on this challenge.”
### The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Since 1961 The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire has helped protect more than 265,000 acres of ecologically significant land and currently owns and manages 28 preserves across the state. For more information, visit www.nature.org/newhampshire. |
