WAKEFIELD, NH — More than 30 people attended a guided walk of the recently
conserved Barbour property along Wakefield’s Union Meadows.
Visitors followed members of Moose Mountains Regional
Greenways and the Wakefield Conservation Commission
through the wooded 116-acre conserved area. Part of
a 1,300-acre unfragmented forest block, the land features
many trees species that are characteristic of young
forests, including beech, birch, pine and hemlock. UNH
Cooperative Extension Educator Matt Tarr described the
forest flora and explained how how this healthy forest
helps sustain a thriving wildlife community.
Closer to the water, UNH Cooperative Extension Educator and
Moose Mountains Regional Greenways Board Member Bob Craycraft
described some of the water resources that make the property
“conservation worthy.” Recently identified as
a core conservation priority in the NH Coastal Watershed Plan,
the property features more than 1,000 feet of frontage along
Union Meadows.“This area is part of the high quality
stream watershed associated with the Branch River,”
said Craycraft. “The Branch River is considered the
most pristine segment of the upper Piscataqua watershed.”
The 280-acre wetland associated with Union Meadows overlies
a high yield stratified drift aquifer that provides drinking
water for the communities of Milton, Wakefield and Somersworth.
Moose Mountains Regional Greenways and the Wakefield Conservation Commission invited Strafford Rivers Conservancy to hold the conservation easement on the land. The conservation easement helps ensure that the flood plains, forests, marsh, and peatland associated with this exemplary natural system remain intact. The easement will also ensure that the land will remain open to the public for recreation and that future timber harvesting is conducted according to best management practices.
Moose Mountains Regional Greenways is a non-profit organization that works to conserve and connect the most special natural areas of New Hampshire's northern Strafford and southern Carroll counties. For more information, call 603-817-8260
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