PROJECT IN PROGRESS
From the top of the Morse Preserve’s Pine Mountain, hikers can take in heavenly views of Lake Winnipesaukee and the White Mountains. Two new proposed additions to the property would protect land to the north and south of the summit.
Blueberries With a View Help Expand the Morse Preserve in Alton
T
he Evelyn H. & Albert D. Morse, Sr. Preserve in Alton is “as close to heaven as one can get without actually being there,” according to Mary Jane Morse Greenwood, who donated the 457-acre property to the Forest Society. She may have been partial, but on a clear day, a moderate hike to the top of Pine Mountain offers heavenly views as far as Mount Monadnock and Mount Washington. Open blueberry barrens at the summit provide excellent berry picking in the summer and offer stunning views of colorful foliage blanketing the Lakes Region in the fall. Now, the Forest Society has the opportunity to expand the Morse Preserve by conserving lands to the north and south of the existing reservation. To the south, a 220-acre parcel includes the ridgeline that 24 | FOREST NOTES Autumn 2021
travels south from Pine Mountain and links to the 203-acre Alton Bay State Forest. The landscape features diverse topography and wildlife habitat, including a large beaver pond and great blue heron rookery, southwesterly facing cliff and rock ledges with talus slope below, and a black gum–red maple basin swamp. The landowner has offered to donate this land to the Forest Society as an addition to the Morse Preserve. To the north, another adjacent landowner has offered to donate a conservation easement on 270 acres that stretches from the Morse Preserve to Jesus Valley Road. It also contains diverse habitat, including a large beaver wetland that drains directly into Alton Bay. The conservation easement will permit pedestrian public access for people to explore the property.
Together, the conservation of these properties, when connected to Alton Bay State Forest, would create a block of 1,250 acres of conserved forest land at the southern end of the Belknap Range. Although not connected, this block of conserved land comes close to linking up with the Forest Society’s Mount Major holdings just to the north. The Forest Society will be working to complete both of these projects over the fall and winter. Even though the land and easement will be donated, we must raise a total of $164,000 to support transaction expenses such as surveys, legal work, and staff time, as well as the stewardship expenses of managing and monitoring these lands forever. Please join us in conserving this southern reach of the Belknap Range and protecting water quality in Alton Bay.
