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New Durham, NH - New Durham residents Don and Gail Holm recently donated a conservation easement on 33 acres to the Town of New Durham.
The generous couple has kicked off what the town’s conservation commission hopes will become an ongoing land conservation program.
"The Holm’s generous donation of this conservation easement gave the Town of New Durham the incentive to gear up for the long-needed
task of stewarding its public lands," said New Durham conservation commission member Bill Malay. Malay was the project’s local champion.
"A great deal of the credit for completion of this easement belongs to Clay Mitchell of Moose Mountains Regional Greenways and the
initiative of the Holms themselves," he said. "Their efforts made this idea a reality. Many thanks."
For the past two years, Moose Mountains Regional Greenways has provided project management services to support the Town of New Durham’s
conservation efforts. The property of Don and Gail Holm provided the first link in what will be a greenway between the already preserved
areas at Copple Crown, Moose Mt, and Beaver Brook Wildlife Management Areas. The town of New Durham holds the easement and Strafford Rivers
Conservancy holds the executory interest.
The Holm property has 1,300 feet of frontage on 62-acre Shaw’s Pond, a water body that has approximately half of its shoreline
undeveloped. The land is mostly forested with some wetlands, including a bog pond and scrub shrub swamp. Its conservation will protect much
of the headwaters of Beaver Brook, which drains into and out of Shaw’s Pond and continues into the adjacent Beaver Brook Wildlife
Management area.
This variety of land cover provides excellent habitat for wildlife. Owls, woodpeckers and cardinals are year-round residents on the
property, as are many other birds, frogs and turtles. Summer residents include wood ducks, herons, kingfishers and sandpipers. The pond and
associated wetlands also provide significant protection for the underlying water resources that supply private well water to the abutting
landowners. The landowners are having downed and damaged trees removed by a certified forester who is working with the forestry class in
the town school.
"This is the first land conservation project in New Durham that we’ve completed," said Moose Mountains Regional Greenways Director of
Land Conservation Clay Mitchell. "It has been a pleasure working with Don and Gail Holm and the town."
Moose Mountains Regional Greenways looks forward to more collaborative efforts with the town of New Durham. Don Holm said, "We have
been working on this for 15 months and have learned an enormous amount about this process which we would be happy to share with others who
are considering a conservation easement on their land."
If interested in placing all or part of your property into a conservation easement please contact MMRG or your conservation commission
for information. Moose Mountains Regional Greenways is a nonprofit land conservation organization that works to conserve the most
important natural resources of northern Strafford and southern Carroll counties. For more information email
www.mmrg,info, or call 603-817-8260.
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