Moose Mountains Regional Greenways Leads Tour of Farmington Project

WAKEFIELD, NH — Moose Mountains Regional Greenways and the NH Department of Fish and Game led a walk through the recently conserved Dubois property in Farmington, NH. With 178 wooded acres sloping down to the Mad River, the land is home to a variety of creatures that live on both land and in water.

The land features 2,700 feet of frontage along the pristine Mad River, a favorite fishing haunt of local anglers for decades. Fish Habitat Biologist John Magee of NH Fish and Game described the importance of the river environment. “What you do on the land directly affects water quality downstream,” said Magee. “Water trickles down the slopes and is absorbed into the ground before it drains into the river. This process filters the water and keeps it cold.” The trout and salmon that inhabit the Mad River’s deep pools need cold water to survive. The canopy of trees and other vegetation covering the river also keep the water temperature down.

The property mirrors, on a smaller scale, the greater Piscataqua Coastal Watershed, which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean up as far north as Wakefield, Brookfield and New Durham. All rivers and streams to the south of the Moose Mountains eventually drain into the ocean, just as the small streams that trickle down the slopes of the Dubois land feed into the Mad River. Brook trout and spring salamanders that grow up to eight inches long live in these streams, many of which are little more than one foot across wide.