Celebratory Snowshoe Outing

Saturday, January 14

10am–1pm
to the Jones Brook Fish Hatchery, Milton

Charlie Bridges and Rich Cook of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will lead a snowshoe outing from Piggott Hill to the Jones Brook Fish Hatchery in Milton on Saturday January 14 from 10 am to 1 pm. The event is held in celebration of the completion of a conservation easement on 358 acres of land along Jones Brook. This 2.5 mile round trip snowshoe will include a partial bushwhack through mixed forest. Participants are encouraged to bring lunch to enjoy at the scenic hatchery site, where trip leaders will discuss the history of the hatchery and the importance of land conservation for preservation of water resources.

The easement was donated by Branch Hill Farm/the Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department in 2008 as part of the Salmon Falls Headwaters Project, which led to the protection of nearly 800 acres valued at $1.3 million. In a recent study by the US Forest Service, the Piscataqua/Salmon Falls watershed was found to be the most at risk of degradation of any watershed within the 48 contiguous states due to the potential loss of forested land to development. Since the Jones Brook flows into the Salmon Falls River, the conserved forested land along its banks will play a crucial role in maintaining the water quality of the Salmon Falls River.

The outing is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. No pets, please. To register, please call 603-978-7125 or email info@mmrg.info. The event is co-sponsored by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

Photo: The raceway diverts water from Jones Brook to the Fish Hatchery.