New Projects

 

 

Courser Phase 4 - 343 acres
visible from White Plains Road in Webster
 
The final property in the 4 Phase Courser Farm project to protect at total of 1238 acres in Webster & Warner. Click here for map of all 4 phases of the Courser project.
 
Currently 3 of 4 phases completed:
895 acres are now protected with 343 acres to be protected in this final phase of the Courser Farm project. Ausbon Sargent is leading this conservation fund raising effort with its partners: The Nature Conservancy, the Courser Family, Land and Community Heritage Program, Open Space Institute, NH State Conservation Committee, Town of Webster, and private foundations and donors.
Private fundraising needed: $80,000+ must be raised.
 
The Facts of Courser Phase 4
·      The property is visible from White Plains Road in Webster.
·      The conservation easement will protect 343 acres including 75% shore frontage on Trumbull Pond, over a mile of frontage on Schoodac Brook and its tributaries, associated wetlands, critical wildlife habitat, and well managed forestland.
·      The property includes significant wildlife habitat for NH species of special concern.
·      There are1900 acres nearby and adjacent to other conserved lands owned by the family and the NH Fish and Game Department to provide wildlife habitat for species with large home ranges including bear, moose, deer, coyote, fox and bobcat.
·      The public will have access for hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, nature observation, hunting and other similar pedestrian recreational activities.
·      It includes a snowmobile trail maintained by the local snowmobile club – the Kearsarge Trail Snails.
 
 
If you would like to donate to this project just click on the Join/Donate menu at the top of this page and go to Land Projects.If you are interested in supporting this project, please contact Executive Director Debbie Stanley at 603-526-6555 or you may email her at aslpt@tds.net .
 
 
Star Lake Farm – 1559 acres
Georges Mills Road, Springfield           

Springfield land owner, Dan Thorne, donates the single largest Ausbon Sargent conservation easement - Protecting 1559 acres in Springfield.

Star Lake Farm is located off Georges Mills Road in Springfield, but its lands border 6 public roads now protecting just over 13,000’ of frontage.  In addition to many acres of managed forest land, the property is actively farmed with over 100 acres of fields and pastureland known for its delicious locally raised beef. 

This property is vital to the region’s water resource protection as it includes the shoreline protection of all 8900’ of Star Lake, 2500’ on McAlvin Pond, 1200’ on Baptist Pond and 3900’ along Star Lake Brook.  All of these still and moving waters are vital parts of the headwaters of the Lake Sunapee watershed providing filtration of drinking water, flood control and other important benefits.

 Portions of the Star Lake property are identified in the NH Wildlife Action Plan as among the highest ranking habitat in NH, in the biological region and landscapes for supporting wildlife habitat.

There is public access for recreation on nearly 22,000’ of private roads (not including motorized wheeled vehicles) and a trail will be built to the top of Pitcher Hill as a joint project of Ausbon Sargent, the SRK Greenway and the Springfield Conservation Commission, affording the public striking views of lakes, ponds, mountains and ridgelines near and far.

And last, but certainly not least, this privately owned public asset joins over 7600 acres of conserved land both adjacent to and nearby Star Lake Farm.  This includes the private lands protected with conservation easements known as the RH Webb Preserve, CW Hayes Trust, Baptist Pond Trust, and Donovan Family Trust.  Additionally there are the State and Town owned properties knows as Gile State Forest, Royal Arch, Dutchman Pond and Morgan Pond. 

Click here for more details including a map and more pictures.  And, if you would enjoy knowing more about the history of Star Lake Farm click here to read the article from Spring 2009 in Soo Nipi Magazine www.soonipi/com . Go to articles and then click on Early Star Lake Farm.