Forest Notes, Summer 2021

THE HISTORY OF A RESILIENT RIVER | MOUNT MAJOR HIKING TIPS

Listening to Learn How Recording Devices Aid Researchers in Protecting Whip-poor-wills

SUMMER 2021

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TABLE OF CONTENTS: SUMMER 2021, No. 306

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22 DEPARTMENTS 2 FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) JERRY MONKMAN/ECOPHOTOGRAPHY, CLARA SYMMES, EMILY LORD

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Catalysts for change

4 THE WOODPILE

FEATURES 6 A Winding Story A new book revisits the Merrimack River’s history in order to renew action

10 Paddling to the Past Mapping Indigenous heritage sites in the Merrimack River watershed

12 Heald Happenings, Part 2 Forest Society Forester Gabe Roxby takes readers on a tour of the Heald Tract’s recent timber harvests

+ A staircase goes viral + Monadnock Trails Week wraps up

5 IN THE FIELD Annual Meeting field trip listings

14 THE FOREST CLASSROOM The call of the Whip-poor-will

16 VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT Two “Cornish” stones

18 NATURE’S VIEW The battle between sun and shade

20 PUBLIC POLICY UPDATES Stewardship in the time of a global pandemic

THE HISTORY OF A RESILIENT RIVER | MOUNT MAJOR HIKING TIPS

22 ON OUR LAND On our cover: The decline of whip-poor-wills in recent decades has prompted researchers to use innovative approaches to study this elusive bird and protect its habitat. Read more on page 14.

Listening to Learn How Recording Devices Aid Researchers in Protecting Whip-poor-wills

SUMMER 2021

forestsociety.org

Photo by Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren/ Creative Commons 3.0

Mount Major hiking tips

24 PROJECT IN PROGRESS Adding to Yatsevitch Forest in Plainfield

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

CHAIR Bill Tucker, Goffstown

VICE CHAIR Bill Crangle, Plymouth

SECRETARY Karen Moran, Webster

TREASURER Andrew Smith, Twin Mountain

PRESIDENT Jack Savage, Middleton

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Charlie Bridges, New Durham Deb Buxton, Greenfield Peter Fauver, North Conway Don Floyd, Concord Allyson Hicks, Concord Jason Hicks, Meredith Drew Kellner, Brookline Andy Lietz, Rye Nancy Martland, Sugar Hill Michael Morison, Peterborough Lorin Rydstrom, Hollis Tom Wagner, Campton Janet Zeller, Concord

STAFF Will Abbott, Project Manager, The Rocks Frank Allen, Building and Grounds Assistant Abraham Ames, Senior Easement Steward Dave Anderson, Senior Director of Education Anna Berry, Digital Outreach Manager Nik Berube, Maintenance Assistant Naomi Brattlof, Director of Easement Stewardship Rita Carroll, Tree Farm Administrator Tony Cheek, Finance Director Connie Colton, Land Protection and Stewardship Coordinator Andy Crowley, Stewardship Projects Manager Linda Dammann, Development Assistant Carrie Deegan, Reservation Stewardship and Engagement Director Maria Finnegan, Manager of Individual Giving Leah Hart, Land Protection Specialist Stacie Hernandez, Easement Steward Laura Holske, Finance Specialist Brian Hotz, Vice President for Land Conservation Steve Junkin, Field Forester Sarah Kern, Creek Farm Education Program Coordinator Susanne Kibler-Hacker, Senior Philanthropy Advisor Allan Krygeris, Senior Technology Specialist Sara Krzyzaniak, Data Processor Rebecca Lapitino, Policy & Reservation Stewardship Coordinator Matt Leahy, Public Policy Manager Margaret Liszka, Membership Director Nigel Manley, Director, North Country Properties Ann McCoy, Development Manager Jack Minich, Easement Steward Michelle Morse, Human Resource Director Carl Murphy, Facilities Manager Zach Pearo, Land Steward & Volunteer Coordinator Meredith Reed O’Donnell, Foundation Relations Manager Tina Ripley, Administrative Assistant Gabe Roxby, Field Forester Jack Savage, President Matt Scaccia, Recreation and Community Relations Manager Ryan Smith, Communications Manager Maria Stewart, Senior Executive Assistant Anne Truslow, Vice President for Development Brooke Vigliotta, Data Processor Wendy Weisiger, Managing Forester Harriette Yazzie-Whitcomb, Receptionist

Catalysts for Change

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n my own modest Tree Farm, there is a cemetery where two nineteenth-century stewards of the land, husband and wife, rest in perpetuity. “Our” woods, like many of the Forest Society’s conserved lands, are marked with remnants of conscious husbandry: barbed wire, stone walls, and forest that still remembers when it was field.

Each of the Forest Society’s reservations has a unique story woven with common threads. We often lead with a story of the most recent landowners, whose conservation ethic prompted them to permanently protect it through donation to the Forest Society. It was they, perhaps in concert with other generous donors, who sought to perpetuate that particular corner of forest, and we celebrate their actions.

But there are many other stories woven through the history of these lands. Sometimes, as is the case with Monson Village in Milford, the archeological record is still visible to the naked eye, giving scientists and visitors some clues into the lives of early Indigenous and colonial settlers.

Embedded in the history of these lands are the often ugly and uncomfortable facts of displacement, marginalization, and racism.

Within these stories there is triumph as well as tragedy, and it is all part of New Hampshire’s fabric.

In September, we will join forces with the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire to mark and memorialize the story of the Due family, a free Black family who owned and stewarded our Welch Family Farm and Forest in Hancock for decades prior to the Welch family. You’ll read more about the Due family in our autumn issue.

Both JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, and I recognize that telling the story of early American Black settlers can and should be a catalyst for larger conversations about race in our state.

But not the only catalyst. Also in September, our Annual Meeting features Carolyn Finney, who will join us at Creek Farm in Portsmouth. Carolyn is the author of Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors. Creek Farm was once part of the estate of a royal governor, and later the summer home of a family of wealth and privilege. Today, the Forest Society welcomes the public to enjoy the grounds along Sagamore Creek. Does everyone feel welcome? It’s a question worth discussing, and a core component of Carolyn’s scholarship.

My conversations with JerriAnne and Carolyn to date have been invigorating and enlightening. We need more such conversations, among more of us, as we seek to welcome all to our Forest Reservations and take real action on diversity, equity, and inclusion in American society. I encourage you to join the discussion.

Jack Savage is the president of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

He can be reached by email at jsavage @forestsociety.org.

WEB EXCLUSIVES

(OPPOSITE PAGE) RYAN SMITH; (THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) ELLEN KENNY, DAVE ANDERSON, CARRIE GROVER PHELPS

An Act for Animals New legislation aims to restore and protect wildlife habitat forestsociety.org/wildlifeact2021

Seeking the Source Retracing the steps of renowned nature writer John Hay forestsociety.org/seekingthesource

Make Way for Mobile Giving Forest Society launches a new way to give at reservations forestsociety.org/mobilegiving

In response to the collapse of part of the staircase at Madame Sherri Forest, Carrie Grover Phelps posted this photo (left) and wrote, “I grew up in the area and spent so much time here as a teenager with both my brothers, who have both passed. I’m now 60, so that was long ago!

I’ve been fortunate in that before the collapse I was able to introduce [the reservation] to both my children and grandchildren. To add another layer of generation, an older relative of mine entered [Madame Sherri’s home] as a teenager when it was still a home.”

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Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests A nonprofit membership organization founded in 1901 to protect the state’s most important landscapes and promote wise use of its renewable natural resources.

Basic annual membership fee is $40 and includes a subscription to Forest Notes.

Editor: Ryan Smith Design & Production: The Secret Agency Printing: R.C. Brayshaw & Company, Inc. Forest Notes is printed on elemental chlorine-free Sappi Flo paper with 10 percent post-consumer recycled content. Sappi Flo is made from pulp purchased from suppliers who document sound environmental practices and sustainable forest management.

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Copyright 2021 SPNHF. US ISSN: 0015 7457 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, N.H. 03301 | Phone: 603-224-9945 | Fax: 603-228-0423 info@forestsociety.org | forestsociety.org The Forest Society proudly supports the following organizations:

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Summer 2021 FOREST NOTES | 3

THE WOODPILE—NEWS NOT SO NEATLY STACKED

Temporary Closure at The Rocks From July 19 until mid-September, the trails and the core property at The Rocks in Bethlehem will be closed to the public to accommodate construction of a new parking lot and installation of underground utilities. The work is another phase in the Forest Society North project that started in 2020 at the reservation. Forest Society North is a restoration and renovation

project which will expand and deepen our presence in the North Country and provide educational and recreational opportunities, while also fostering a community of forest landowners and land stewards for generations to come. We hope to complete the project by the summer of 2023. For more information, visit forestsociety.org/therocks.

Stairs Give Way to Nature at Madame Sherri Forest On July 11, visitors to Madame Sherri Forest in Chesterfield discovered that part of the historic staircase that had once connected to Sherri’s summer house had collapsed as the mortar between the stones disintegrated. Lynne Borofsky of the Chesterfield Conservation Commission reported the top roman arch of the stone staircase, which had been in poor condition for many years, had given way. The staircase is currently roped off as the Forest Society continues to assess the situation. The hiking trails remain open across the 513-acre property.

The partial collapse of the stone staircase at Madame Sherri Forest attracted national attention.

Monadnock Trails Week Kicks Off With a Spirited Event On July 30, the Forest Society and New Hampshire State Parks kicked off the annual Monadnock Trails Week with a “Trails and Ales” party at the outdoor beer garden at Granite Roots Brewery in Troy. The event included a Monadnock history and Leave No Trace principles trivia game and offered the opportunity for patrons to learn more about the trail work projects on Monadnock and recognize the hard work volunteers put into maintaining the reservation’s trails. Twenty-five volunteers contributed nearly 350 hours of labor on Monadnock's White Arrow and Marlboro trails and on trails at Gap Mountain.

Thank You to Our Monadnock Trails Week Business Partners!

Brewbakers Café (Keene) Dublin Road Tap Room and Eatery (Jaffrey) Eastern Mountain Sports (Peterborough) Granite Roots Brewing (Troy) Grappelli’s Brick Oven Pizza (Peterborough) Monadnock Food Co-op (Keene) Nature’s Green Grocer (Peterborough) Post and Beam Brewing (Peterborough) Station 16 Ice Cream (Jaffrey) 4 | FOREST NOTES Summer 2021

Save-the-Date: 31st Annual Tree Farm Field Day Saturday, October 2, 2021 Come out this fall to recognize this year’s New Hampshire Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year, Charlie and Mabel Niebling, on their tree farm in Boscawen. Guided tours will be offered throughout the morning. This family-friendly event includes a kid’s scavenger hunt and our traditional pig roast barbecue lunch. Pre-registration is required by September 17.

Limited tickets are available. To register and learn more, visit nhtreefarm.org.

IN THE FIELD

Forest Society 120th Annual Meeting Saturday, September 25, 2021 | Creek Farm Reservation, Portsmouth, NH AGENDA 9 a.m.–12 p.m. – Field trips (returning to Creek Farm by noon) 12–1 p.m. – Picnic lunch 1–2 p.m. – Business Meeting and Awards 2 p.m. – Keynote Speaker: Carolyn Finney

FIELD TRIPS 1. Set Sail on the Gundalow Piscataqua Enjoy a relaxing morning on the Piscataqua River cruising through Portsmouth’s historic harbor sailing past forts, lighthouses, and the Naval Shipyard. You’ll be invited to join the crew in raising the sail and steering the ship.

Onboard educators will share their knowledge of gundalows, the cultural and natural history of the Piscataqua maritime region, and the impact of humans on the watershed over the past 400 years. You’ll have the opportunity to ask the captain, educators, and volunteers more about what you learned or just relax and take in the sights.

This field trip departs from the Gundalow dock at Prescott Park. For directions and parking information, visit gundalow.org. Trip leader: Carrie Deegan

(OPPOSITE PAGE) CARRIE DEEGAN; (THIS PAGE) EMILY LORD

2. Explore Tuckaway Farm and Powder Major’s Forest Durham, Madbury, Lee Join a moderate hike beginning at Powder Major’s Forest that leads to a new 36-acre conservation easement added to adjacent Tuckaway Farm, a three-generation family farm “tucked away” along the Oyster River. The Cox family operates an organic farm, growing vegetables, fruits, hay, mushrooms, and grains, as well as pastured lamb and eggs.

Learn about their Community Supported Agriculture and Bread Club for local residents.

The easement protects prime agricultural land, excellent wildlife habitat, and 4,000 feet of frontage along the Oyster River, which is a significant source of drinking water for the Town of Durham and the University of New Hampshire. The property also contains the stone abutments of historic “Dishwater Mill,” and the family cemetery of the Revolutionary War Captain Smith Emerson.

Trip Leaders: Brian Hotz and Matt Scaccia. Meet at Tibbetts Field (25 Lee Road, Madbury) at 9:00 a.m.

The tidal Sagamore Creek flows beside Creek Farm Reservation.

3. Tour Champlin Forest Reservation Rochester Learn about the proposed addition to Champlin Forest! Join us for a roughly 2-mile walk among the woodlands and wetlands of the Forest Society’s 185-acre William H. Champlin, Jr. Forest and 122-acre Champlin Forest addition, a parcel that the Forest Society is working to purchase and protect. Located between the busy communities of Rochester and Somersworth, this property offers walking trails, two former ponds, well-managed forests, Clark Brook, remnants of smallscale granite quarries, and wildlife habitat.

Trip Leaders: Leah Hart and Wendy Weisiger. Field trip begins at 9:00 a.m. from the Champlin Forest trailhead in Rochester.

4. Perspectives on Creek Farm Creek Farm has undergone a metamorphosis in recent years. Join Forest Society staff for a two-part tour that visits the renovated buildings and take an easy stroll on Creek Farm campus.

The group will divide into two, with both experiencing the built and natural perspectives. The trip segments include: A. Creek Farm Campus Tour With Special Guest, Carolyn Finney Join Annual Meeting keynote speaker Carolyn Finney, author of Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors, for unique perspectives and shared conversation on the role of conservation landscapes relative to racial equity and inclusion.

The tour includes easy walking along the Little Harbor Trail, which boasts views of the waterfront and passes by historic trees.

Trip leader: Dave Anderson B. Tour Historic Carey Cottage and Forest Society Education Center at Creek Farm Visit the Forest Society Education Center at Creek Farm to learn about new education programs, partnerships, and future plans.

We’ll also tour the newly renovated and restored Carey Cottage, headquarters of Seacoast nonprofit GoodWork at Carey Cottage.

Trip leader: Sarah Kern

Registration fee of $50 per person includes field trip, picnic lunch, and program.

Early bird registration fee of $40 is available before September 7.

BYO lunch registration option includes field trip and program with no lunch.

Kids under 12 join free. Registration deadline is September 20.

Visit forestsociety.org/annualmeeting for more information and to register.

Summer 2021 FOREST NOTES | 5

The Merrimack River: How Revisiting Its History Helps to Renew Action

By Brenna Woodman

6 | FOREST NOTES Summer 2021

ince French explorer Samuel de Champlain’s arrival to the Seacoast area in 1605, the Merrimack River has served as a conduit for commerce, recreation, and sustenance for most towns and cities established along its path between Franklin, N.H., and Newburyport, Mass. Prior to colonialism, Indigenous peoples living in the watershed relied on the water course for food and water resources. Today, the Merrimack remains a vital resource in providing drinking water for more than 600,000 people and offering habitats for at least 75 endangered species. So why is this seemingly reliable reserve considered one of most vulnerable rivers by the nonprofit American Rivers as well as the U.S. Forest Service?

In his newly released book, Merrimack: The Resilient River, Dyke Hendrickson walks readers through history to shed light on the Merrimack’s complicated relationship with manmade elements and provide insight on current threats. For Hendrickson—a historian, a lifelong New England reporter, and a Newburyport resident—the Merrimack symbolizes his roots and a beacon of opportunity for many over the centuries.

The health of our waters first came into focus for him when he was traveling alongside former Senator Edmund Muskie, a key founder of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as a young reporter for the Portland Press Herald in 1976 during Muskie’s reelection campaign. “He knew pollution,” Hendrickson says. As we are witnessing a new wave of environmental impacts to the river, Hendrickson was inspired to write his book to honor the waterway but also explore opportunities for a stronger future.

Merrimack: The Resilient River dives deep into the many evolutions of the river, starting with Champlain’s activities and the tragic downfall of Indigenous peoples living in the watershed, to the emergence of textile and paper mills from Franklin down to Lowell, then to the establishment of the U.S. Coast Guard in Newburyport. For Hendrickson, it’s important to ruminate on the past in order to appreciate the river’s value. “People don’t realize what a remarkable history the Merrimack has and resource it was and still is. Even today

JERRY MONKMAN/ECOPHOTOGRAPHY

S

when I speak with different audiences, most are unaware of the shipbuilding history and the birthplace of the Coast Guard,” he says. “We have half a million people that don’t understand where their water is coming from let alone the factors that are threatening that source.”

Hendrickson notes that the environmental movement is young compared to the age of the river. In prior centuries, textile mills would regularly dump dyes and chemicals into the Merrimack, turning it different colors and causing an overwhelming depletion of fish populations. As early as 1839, writer Henry David Thoreau was expressing concerns over pollution. In the 1880s, drinking water became an issue in Lawrence with outbreaks of typhoid and other diseases.

In the 1920s, 12 million gallons of sewage was entering the river in Lowell daily. When senators Muskie and George Mitchell helped launch the EPA in 1970 and the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, guidelines were finally established to implement pollution control programs that promoted biological integrity and allowed cities such as Lowell, Manchester, and Haverhill to rebound and become prosperous again.

Despite significant improvements with environmental guidelines and supportive funding over the last half century, new threats have emerged against the Merrimack: polluted stormwater runoff and development. Heavy rain events, which are expected to increase because of climate change, cause more water to flow over impermeable surfaces (think parking lots) and pick up chemicals before entering drainages. When sewage treatment plants are unable to treat these surges of water, the plants release the polluted water and raw sewage, called combined sewer overflows (CSOs), into the Merrimack.

Nearly 500 million gallons of polluted stormwater and sewage are dumped into the river every year. Additionally, rapid residential and commercial development in southern New Hampshire will only increase the amount of runoff that is already hampering treatment plants in both states. By removing more forests, the opportunity to naturally filter pollutants that harm ecosystems leading into the Gulf of Maine also decreases. “Contamination, scarcity, and climate

Summer 2021 FOREST NOTES | 7

Above: The Merrimack River flows beside the Forest Society’s Stillhouse Forest in Canterbury and Northfield.

Left: In 2011, heavy rains from Tropical Storm Irene caused large volumes of polluted stormwater runoff to spill into the Merrimack River and eventually the Gulf of Maine, as seen here.

change are significant worries when it comes to water,” says Brian Hotz, vice president for land conservation for the Forest Society.

“City and town planning is also a complicated issue right now.

Municipal planning departments often become siloed in their own work and plan specifically for their town, rather than collaborating across town borders and considering development impacts throughout their whole region,” he notes. “In the past, we have had to address significant unregulated farm work or bad forestry practices in the White Mountains; now we are mindful of urban development in southern New Hampshire. We are dealing with a lot of rapid development that not only reduces forests but leads to stormwater sewage and runoff.”

While these current realities sound daunting, Hendrickson does not want that to be the key takeaway of his book. “History 8 | FOREST NOTES Summer 2021

proves how resilient this river is. By looking back, we can learn from past collaborations and pioneers that rose to the occasion to do the right thing and take the initiative upon ourselves to do better. We had Ellen Swallow Richards, a woman in the nineteenth century no less, help stop typhoid in Lawrence. Muskie and Mitchell crossed party lines to bring environmentalism to the forefront. We have leaders today like Massachusetts State Senator Diana DiZoglio that advocate for infrastructure improvements. Just last year, Manchester committed to a 20-year control plan to alleviate their CSOs due to public input and political involvement.”

In his 23 years with the Forest Society, Hotz says that the Merrimack has always been a key priority with work being done to protect farms, water access, and water quality. This initiative has become more defined over the last decade with the creation of partnership programs, most notably the Merrimack Conservation Partnership. “We recognized the need for a level of coordination and cooperation by different stakeholders to instill tangible changes,” Hotz says. “Ultimately, land conservation, water quality, and climate change issues need to be viewed in one bucket.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP) JERRY MONKMAN/ECOPHOTOGRAPHY, RON BARRETT

By bringing different groups together for routine conversations, these issues are viewed as a continuous lifecycle of processes and people can share ideas and solutions.”

This partnership comprises thirty different groups from Massachusetts and New Hampshire who meet throughout the year to discuss conservation efforts that will have the most significant impacts in protecting the Merrimack. Often individual land trusts and watershed groups advocate and educate in these forums, but they also partner together to enhance or accelerate their work. State and federal agencies participate in these discussions as well, forming a beneficial platform to exchange information, grow efforts, be introduced to new tools, and focus on assets—not deficits.

Along with being involved in partnerships and giving other watershed groups a platform, the Forest Society continues to amplify its efforts to conserve land either through ownership or conservation easements. This includes identifying areas that prevent flooding or provide better farming practices to protect water that is feeding vital systems.

According to Hotz, there are plenty of positive trends in land conservation to celebrate and keep an eye on. “When assessing the viability of land areas, we now have much better mapping and GIS tools available to make smart land acquisitions. With recent elections and the pandemic (almost) behind us, people are working on grants again and creating improvement plans,” he says. Hotz also believes that the public and municipalities are much more clued into understanding drinking water. “There is recognition growing that you must look at the watershed as a big giant system where parts break down or get overloaded, and there is necessary synchronization required between different groups and systems. Regarding municipal planning, there will need to be better regional planning to prevent overdevelopment, and this could mean giving the regional planning commission more power at some point.”

Yet, we do have more involvement from larger regulating groups. Hotz says the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) is becoming more focused on protecting drinking water and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is providing funding for both land conservation and better farming practices to protect drinking water quality.

“Many don’t realize the importance of using sophisticated farming techniques and handling nutrients, erosion, and planting appropriately. We are also seeing DES and NRCS work together more often to facilitate restoration work such as pulling culverts and dams and repairing banks to avoid erosion and achieve better waterflows,” he says. Hotz goes on to note that their

partnership also led to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, resulting in a six-million-dollar statewide grant towards further land conservation.

With many factors influencing the largest drinking water source in our state, how is the Forest Society building on this momentum? The summer 2020 release of The Merrimack: River at Risk, a documentary film produced by the Forest Society and directed by Jerry Monkman, has generated new conversations on local and regional levels, and many folks have engaged in river cleanups and the Merrimack Paddle Challenge to view firsthand what is at stake of being lost if the river isn’t protected.

Hotz expresses that there is a concerted effort to ensure that forested areas in the upper reaches of the watershed remain forested. “We are continuing to expand on our work in protecting areas along the main stem of the river above Concord, most notably the Stillhouse Forest in Canterbury and Northfield,” he says. Having purchased around 230 acres in 2019, the Forest Society is seeking to add 76 more acres north of the existing reservation, which would include more than two miles of river frontage. Projects to protect agricultural land also continue with a conservation easement in the works for Morrill Dairy Farm, a 124-acre property in Boscawen that offers opportunities for recreation as well as water and wildlife protection. Facilitating partnerships is another important pillar of the Forest Society’s mission, including maintaining relationships with drinking water suppliers to protect reservoirs such as the Pennichuck and working together with Manchester Water Works, among others.

Hendrickson does have one more suggestion to add to the Forest Society’s to-do list. In researching his book, it was important for him to visit the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, N.H, where the Merrimack begins. Once he arrived in town, he had difficulty identifying the source and went into a pizza shop to ask where to spot the river’s launch. An employee suggested he go to the far corner of the high school parking lot and lean over a fence line to spot it. After nearly taking a plunge when trying to catch the best view, he feels a proper sign to mark the historic source would be an ideal homage. For everyone else, Hendrickson’s message is simple: “It is imperative to educate yourself on your surrounding ecosystems, be eco-minded in your daily practices, and speak up to your local officials.”

Brenna Woodman is an avid environmental enthusiast and supporter of the Forest Society. She splits her time between the Seacoast and the White Mountains, where you can often find her (and usually her old rescue dog) at Creek Farm or Bretzfelder Park.

Summer 2021 FOREST NOTES | 9

One of the Merrimack Paddle Challenge excursions takes participants past the controversial Hannah Duston Memorial, one of many historic points of interest that is highlighted on the Indigenous NH Collaborative Collective’s StoryMap. Here, the Forest Society’s Dave Anderson, senior director of education, paddles near the site in Boscawen.

Paddling to the Past Learn about the indigenous history of the Merrimack River and how advocates are trying to restore it today

By Anna Berry

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or centuries, the history of the Abenaki people has been intertwined with the Merrimack River. As the head speakers of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki people describe, the Indigenous peoples of the region were the first caretakers of this mighty waterway and stewards of the natural world. “We were true conservationists,” says Paul Pouliot of the Cowasuck Band. He goes by the tribal title Sag8mo, which translates to head male speaker/grand chief.

But that environmental legacy isn’t only in the past tense. “We try to expand the education being taught to show that we had a sustainable lifestyle and it’s possible to go back to that today,” says Denise Pouliot, the Sag8moskwa (head female speaker) of the Cowasuck Band.

10 | FOREST NOTES Summer 2021

Their educational initiatives, developed as members of the Indigenous NH Collaborative Collective, have included the creation of a Harvest Calendar curriculum and a digital StoryMap of Indigenous heritage sites across New Hampshire. Five of the historical sites are in the Merrimack River watershed, including the Hannah Duston Memorial State Historic Site in Boscawen, N.H. Since 2020, the Cowasuck Band, who are based in Alton, N.H., have been working with New Hampshire State Parks, historians, local officials, and Duston’s descendants to “reconstruct the park into a space that highlights a deeper understanding of place and New Hampshire history.” The working name is “Unity Park N’Dakinna.”

Paddling the Merrimack River and its tributaries—including this protected wildlife management area in Canterbury called Muchyedo Banks—offers an inside perspective on past and present efforts to protect the watershed.

CARRIE DEEGAN (X2)

A RICH HISTORY The area of land that the state of New Hampshire and other parts of New England and Canada encompass, called N’Dakinna, is “the traditional ancestral homeland of the Abenaki, Pennacook, and Wabanaki peoples, past and present.” According to the Cowasuck Band, the Wabanaki were divided into the Western Abenaki, who settled west of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Quebec, and the Eastern Abenaki, who settled in Maine, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and New Brunswick.

The Cowasuck, meaning the “people of the white pines,” were located in the upper region of the Connecticut River. The Pennacook, also called Merrimac, were located around Concord, N.H., and north-central Massachusetts. The name means “at the bottom of the hill.” Four centuries ago, Indigenous villages flourished along the Merrimack River around the outflows of each of the tributaries.

Another heritage site on the Indigenous NH StoryMap, Manchester’s Amoskeag Falls, was the site of one such village in the seventeenth century. According to research cited by the Collective, Chief Passaconnaway of the Pennacook established his tribe’s capital, called Namoskeag, at the falls around 1620.

“Picture seeing wigwams and longhouses,” notes Denise about what life on the river was like before colonial contact. “Envision a different kind of environment.” Wigwams were built with a conical frame of tree saplings covered in birch bark while longhouses were larger dwelling structures. The Pouliots recently led the construction of a traditional wigwam using flexible red maple saplings at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth.

The population of Indigenous peoples living near Lowell and Haverhill, Mass., ranged from 10,000 to 20,000 in the early 1600s.

“These [people] were the first impacted and forced out,” Paul says.

Prior to colonial contact, Denise says fishing was the main staple of Indigenous peoples’ diets, but when the colonials began building dams, their food source was depleted causing many people to starve. Conflict was a direct result of those actions, she adds. “The waterways mean a lot to our people—not just in a cultural manner,” Denise says. “Waterways were our highways and foodways.”

To restore these areas to their natural state, the Collective has been advocating for the removal of dams from some of the region’s rivers and lakes. “We’re looking at bringing [free-flowing

waterways] back as a food source,” Denise says. When dams are removed, the sediment that has built up behind them will get washed downriver, she explains, adding that more fish will have the ability to spawn upstream as a result and wildlife higher up in the food chain will flourish.

The Pouliots successfully advocated for the removal of a dam on the Exeter River and currently support the removal of Mill Pond Dam in Durham. The issue can be controversial in communities where dams provide hydropower or flood control, but they point out that impacts on public safety, maintenance expenses, ecological damage, and restoration of fishways should be considered more carefully and favorably. The Pouliots said they hope there is a way to remove unnecessary dams, both affirming the values of the Indigenous community and meeting the needs of modern society.

SEE IT FOR YOURSELF The best way to get up close and personal with the river and its history is to paddle it. That’s why a group of conservation organizations launched the Merrimack Paddle Challenge this summer. Presented by the Forest Society, Five Rivers Conservation Trust, Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust, and the Merrimack River Watershed Council, the challenge includes five excursions, from four to nine miles long, on the river and its tributaries.

The challenge also connects paddlers with educational resources such as the Forest Society’s recently released documentary The Merrimack: River at Risk and the Indigenous NH StoryMap. “By encouraging paddlers to get outside and float the Merrimack River this summer, we aim to advance an important dialogue about what communities can do to restore this vital waterway,” says Carrie Deegan, Forest Society reservation stewardship and engagement director. “With gratitude to the Abenaki, Pennacook, and Wabanaki peoples, who have stewarded the land and waterways of N’Dakinna for centuries, we hope Merrimack Paddle Challenge participants will gain a renewed appreciation for the caretakers of the watershed and will be motivated to do their part.”

Anna Berry is the digital outreach manager for the Forest Society.

Online + Log on and learn more about the Indigenous NH Collaborative Collective and its heritage site StoryMap at indigenousnh.com (link to StoryMap is under “Resources”). + To sign up for the Merrimack Paddle Challenge, visit forestsociety.org/paddle-challenge.

Summer 2021 FOREST NOTES | 11

From left: A forwarder brings cut logs to the landing during a harvest on the Heald Tract in July 2019. Consulting forester Jeremy Turner of Meadowsend Timberlands (second from right) leads a timber harvest tour for 50 people at the Heald Tract in February 2019.

Recent Happenings at the Heald Tract, Part 2

By Gabe Roxby

The Heald Tract is one of the Forest Society’s most spectacular properties, and one where landscape-level habitat management is a central focus of our work. Spreading across four towns—Wilton, Temple, Greenville, and Mason—the Heald family’s donation of nearly 1,500 acres to the Forest Society between 1986 and 2016 was one of the most generous gifts of land in our history. Cellar holes and old barn foundations can be found scattered among the property’s tremendously diverse natural features, which include beaver dams, vernal pools, a great blue heron rookery, and a 65-acre pond. An extensive trail network for hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing makes Heald an ideal recreation location throughout the year. Part 1 of this article, published in the spring 2021 issue of Forest Notes, highlighted the wildlife habitat and invasive species control project that we began in February 2021 in one of the property’s old apple orchards.

Part 2 focuses on the three timber harvests that we have conducted since the completion of the Heald Tract management plan in 2016.

T

he Forest Society has long believed in the benefit of carefully planned, responsible timber harvesting. A thoughtful timber harvest allows us to maintain a diverse mixture of forest types and ages that function as wildlife habitat and are more resilient to a rapidly changing climate. Harvesting also produces a variety of renewable forest products—dimensional lumber, flooring, and paper—that we rely on in some manner every day. Additionally, some of the wood products used in buildings and furniture can store carbon for many decades and reduce the demand for products made from non-renewable resources.

After a harvest is complete, our forests here in the Northeast regrow quickly, sequestering carbon at a rapid rate.

A forest managed through periodic timber harvesting can provide a multitude of benefits, but we don’t believe that cutting trees is appropriate everywhere. Some areas are too wet, too steep, or too rocky to allow for safe and responsible harvesting. Some forests that contain rare plants, exemplary natural communities, or places of special scenic or recreational beauty are best left 12 | FOREST NOTES Summer 2021

alone. We also believe that there is an inherent value in wilderness itself and in leaving some areas unmanaged and free to develop naturally. Approximately one-third of the land that the Forest Society owns is considered off-limits to timber harvesting due to a mixture of the aforementioned reasons.

When a timber harvest begins, it can seem like it occurred suddenly and without warning. But the start of a project is often the culmination of years of planning, thought, and coordination.

The inherent beauty of a tree can sometimes make it difficult to explain why anyone would ever want to cut one down. We try to address these questions head-on through a variety of educational programs, including guided timber tours on active harvests.

During these outings, participants learn how every harvest begins with a comprehensive natural resource inventory.

To develop our plan for how we would conduct the recent harvests on the Heald Tract, Forest Society forester Steve Junkin and I inventoried the property in the fall of 2016. We spent 15 days measuring trees, mapping wetlands, assessing wildlife

habitat, and photographing cultural and ecologically sensitive sites. This information was analyzed and provided the basis for a 133-page management plan, a document that outlines how the Heald Tract will be managed for the next 15 years. Approximately 250 acres were deemed not suitable for timber harvesting, including wetlands, unique uplands, and rugged terrain. The remaining 1,234 acres of Heald was split into 19 different stands, each with its own recommendation on what type of timber harvesting (if any) would be appropriate over the course of the next 15 years. Currently, we have carried out three of the harvests on five stands as recommended in the management plan.

Research Harvest The first harvest had an unusual research objective. Conducted in February 2019 in partnership with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the goal was to better understand how landowners could manage for oak trees and dense understory mountain laurel to promote wildlife habitat. If landowners could do both effectively, it could help region-wide efforts to create shrubland habitat for imperiled species such as the New England cottontail rabbit. During this harvest, three treatments were conducted: 1) a cut in which about 80 percent of the trees were removed; 2) a cut in which about 50 percent of the trees were removed; and 3) a control area which was left uncut. The first treatment mimicked a common type of cutting known as a seed tree harvest, which is often performed in oak stands when the goal is to initiate a new young forest from the acorns dropped by the 20 percent of trees that remain. The second treatment mimicked another common type of cutting that aims to remove poorer quality trees to benefit the better quality trees left uncut. Monitoring of how each of these areas responds, especially the success of the oak trees and the mountain laurel, will be ongoing for the next 5–15 years.

While this harvest was taking place, the Forest Society led more than 50 people on a tour of the research areas where foresters explained all aspects of the project’s planning and execution.

high abundance of caterpillars and wild berries. Areas not yet suitable for a patch cut were thinned, a much lighter harvest technique that removes poorer quality trees to benefit healthier and more vigorous trees with a better growth form.

Oak Regeneration Harvest In fall 2020, the Forest Society conducted another timber harvest in the southwest corner of the Heald Tract. The goal of this harvest was to start a new forest of young oak trees by cutting down the existing oak and pine trees that had reached a size that made them ready to harvest. Regeneration of oak trees can be tricky, but the best available forestry research points to one method that is more likely to succeed than others. The recommendation is to cut perhaps three-quarters of the trees in the forest canopy, leaving strong, healthy trees of good form uncut and evenly spaced throughout the harvest area. The harvest should be conducted in the fall of an oak mast year after trees laden with acorns have dropped them. As heavy harvest machinery moves throughout the harvest, some of these acorns are run over and driven into the ground, thus greatly improving their germination rate over acorns that remain on the soil’s surface.

The ample sunlight that reaches the ground thanks to the newly opened canopy can result in the germination of a new forest of young oaks growing beneath the dappled shade of the uncut trees, which are retained for continued seed production. The Forest Society used this technique in this harvest after a strong seed year for both red oak and white pine. We are hopeful about the results, but probably won’t know for 10 or more years if we were successful. An early check of the site in spring 2021 revealed a sea of young oak seedlings growing in the tilled soil. These nutritious little trees are often favorite foods for deer and other wildlife, so only time will tell how many of them will develop.

Some of the beautiful oak trees that were harvested will be used to provide timbers for a pavilion at the new Forest Society North building at The Rocks in Bethlehem, N.H.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM LEFT) CLARA SYMMES, MIKE CARRAFIELLO

Responsible Forest Management Harvesting for Wildlife and Forest Health As part of the February 2019 harvest, and also in a follow-up cut done in July 2019, the Forest Society conducted forestry operations with the goals of harvesting mature timber, improving growing conditions for trees of intermediate size, and establishing new young growth. Several patch cuts were created, where all the trees are removed within an area a few acres in size. Patch cuts re-allocate the light energy hitting the top of the forest canopy to the forest floor, resulting in a flush of new growth, including shrubs, grasses, flowers, and tree seedlings. These areas are often havens for a variety of birds—prairie warblers, goldenwinged warblers, willow flycatchers—who use the dense growth as a refuge from predators and a place to nest. Even for wildlife that are more commonly found in mature forests, vigorous young forests function as food sources for these animals due to their

We manage the Heald Tract with the knowledge that the Forest Society will own this land forever—and a lot will change during that time! Maintaining the property’s tremendous vegetative diversity will not only benefit the greatest number of wildlife species, but also give it the best opportunity to continue to thrive in the face of a rapidly changing climate. If the climate of the future is no longer suitable for the growth of a certain tree species, or if an invasive pest or disease rolls through, having many different tree species in a variety of sizes allows the forest the best chance to continue to function. The Heald Tract is a forest we’re proud to manage for habitat, forest products, carbon, and recreation. Stop by some day, take a walk, and see what we’ve been up to!

Gabe Roxby is a licensed Forest Society forester.

Summer 2021 FOREST NOTES | 13

THE FOREST CLASSROOM

Researching the Elusive Whip-poor-will How Audio Recording Devices Assist in Data Collection

By Carrie Deegan

T

he Eastern Whip-poor-will is the kind of bird you’re more likely to hear than see, in part because they are nocturnal, actively flying and foraging for insects only after the sun has set.

During the day they rest motionless on the ground or a tree branch, their mottled gray-brown plumage blending in seamlessly with bark or dead leaves on the forest floor. Save for almost stepping on one, you’re not likely to spot a Whip-poorwill. On still, moonlit summer nights, however, it is definitely possible to hear the repeating onomatopoeic whip-poorwill call ringing out across the landscape.

This auditory encounter, which I have had the pleasure of experiencing numerous times over the years, is unfortunately becoming less common.

Since 1966, data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey suggests that the Eastern Whip-poor-will has experienced a nearly 70 percent population decline across its breeding range from Maine to South Carolina and west to the Mississippi River. The Whip-poor-will is currently listed as a species of concern in New Hampshire, as well as in 21 other states.

There are numerous factors contributing to this steep decline, but two of the biggest are habitat loss and reduction in food abundance (moths and other nocturnal insects), possibly due to pesticide use.

Whip-poor-wills are a bit high maintenance when it comes to habitat. They prefer mature mixed forests with little understory for nesting and roosting during the day, but they also require open habitats such as old fields, shrublands, and young forest in order to perform the aerial acrobatics needed to catch moths and beetles on the wing. Here in New Hampshire, and across the eastern seaboard, we’ve got plenty of mature forest. It’s the fallow fields and early successional forest landscapes 14 | FOREST NOTES Summer 2021

The nocturnal Whip-poor-will relies on its camouflage plumage to rest during the day in plain sight. that are ever more limited compared to 50 or 100 years ago.

Thankfully, some landowners are managing their lands for early successional forests for other species. A program run by the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service called Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) provides financial incentives for landowners to create areas of young forest through patch cuts (i.e., the removal of all trees in an area) of varying sizes. In New Hampshire and the rest of New England, the primary aim of the program is to create habitat for the New England cottontail, a native rabbit whose populations have also been in decline. Further south, the program is focused on creating young forest and shrubland habitat for the golden-winged warbler. In the past decade, hundreds of private landowners as well as land trusts and conservation organizations, including the Forest Society, have created tens of thousands of acres of early successional habitat for these two species from Maine to Georgia through the WLFW program.

Currently, a collaborative research project involving scientists from the University of Massachusetts, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, University of Pittsburgh, and University of Maryland is trying to figure out whether the young forest habitat created through the WLFW program is also benefitting the Eastern Whip-poor-will.

In June, I met the project lead, Jeffery “J.T.” Larkin, a graduate student in environmental conservation at UMass Amherst, at the Forest Society’s Hills Forest in Durham, N.H., to learn about the research. This spring, Larkin and his team installed more than 500 autonomous recording units (ARUs) on WLFW research project lands across 11 states in the Whippoor-will’s breeding range, including on the Hills Forest, where 5 acres of habitat were created for the New England cottontail in 2012. “It’s not easy stuff to walk through, young forest,” Larkin admits as he pushes through brambles and a thicket of small birch to reach an

(OPPOSITE PAGE) J.L. LARKIN; (THIS PAGE) CARRIE DEEGAN (X2)

J.T. Larkin installs an autonomous recording unit called an AudioMoth to record whip-poor-will calls in Durham, N.H. Recording devices have gotten much smaller and less expensive in recent years, while recording quality has improved. At about $90 per unit, including batteries and accessories needed for installation, collecting bioacoustic data is now affordable for many researchers. installation site. As big as a credit card, the ARUs are programmed to record audio of their surroundings at precisely the times that Whip-poor-wills should be calling.

During periods centered around the full moon, which were from May 19–June 2 and June 17–July 1, the devices captured audio for about 3 hours each day at dawn and dusk. Why? Whip-poor-wills typically only vocalize regularly when the moon is full or near full. Unlike echo-locating bats, Whip-poor-wills are visual feeders and use the moonlight to catch their insect prey.

They actually time their egg laying so that chicks hatch just as the moon is waxing towards full, giving them the ability to provide regurgitated insects to their chicks while the moon is large and bright in the sky. How cool is that?

Now that the recording periods are over, Larkin’s team is conducting their epic field effort in reverse, collecting all of the ARUs from Maine to North Carolina, and beginning to analyze the recordings. “It’s actually not as bad as it seems,” Larkin says, when I ask him whose job it is to sit and listen through thousands of hours of auditory data. Using computer-based artificial intelligence developed by the lab of Dr. Justin Kitzes at the University of Pittsburgh, a “machine learning classifier” is able to recognize the unique auditory spectrograph created by an Eastern Whippoor-will song. The recordings are broken

into 5 second clips, and the classifier scores each clip from 0 to 1, with 1 being the most probable match to a Whip-poor-will song. Larkin’s team just needs to listen to the highest scoring clips per site per day in order to verify the presence (or absence) of Eastern Whip-poor-will at that site. “The machine classifier is absolutely amazing,” Larkin notes. “It’s more accurate than human listening, and it never gets bored.”

For a bird like the Whip-poor-will that is extremely difficult to see but easier to hear, research using ARUs to capture audio signals makes perfect sense. This research field, bioacoustics, is rapidly evolving and Larkin believes it will revolutionize and dramatically alter the way field ecology is conducted in the future. Technology has improved tremendously in just the last few years, with more sensitive, smaller and less expensive recording devices and better analysis tools. The amount of human effort required to conduct field surveys that result in 60,000 hours of data over 500 widely spaced sites is staggering when it’s done by actual humans, but with remote ARUs it is achievable in a single field season with a few researchers. “Bioacoustic data also lends itself to collaboration,” Larkin notes. “We put our ARUs out specif-

ically for Whip-poor-wills, but they are also recording mammals—maybe coyotes howling, insects like crickets and katydids, frogs…really anything that makes a sound.” All that data can be archived and used by other scientists and researchers who are asking totally different questions about totally different animals, even decades or centuries into the future.

For now, Larkin is focusing on the task at hand, and hoping to find evidence that Whip-poor-wills are actually using the habitats created by the WLFW program in significant numbers. Although these birds are in a precarious situation at the moment, Larkin is heartened by all the potentially prime habitat he has bushwhacked through this field season.

“It’s awesome that groups like the Forest Society have managed these lands for animals that require early successional habitat. A lot of people don’t view forest management in a positive light or believe it’s just not good to cut trees. But there are great opportunities to create habitat for species that are plummeting—and we need to encourage more of that.

Carrie Deegan is the reservation stewardship and engagement director for the Forest Society.

Learn More: Turn to page 12 to get the scoop on how the Forest Society is managing land at the Heald Tract for early successional forest.

Summer 2021 FOREST NOTES | 15

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Two “Cornish Stones” of Conservation

By Ryan Smith

S

ince the early 1970s, Dan and Rickey Poor of Cornish, N.H., have poured their hearts and souls into educating youth about science and stewardship and helping to protect land in their small Upper Valley town of nearly 2,000 people.

It wasn’t long after Dan took a job as school principal in Cornish in 1973 that he and Rickey became Forest Society members and enrolled in the conservation camps led by then Education Director Les Clark. At camp, Dan and Rickey were introduced to Dave Allen, former state wildlife biologist, among many other natural resource professionals. The couple invited Dave to town to walk what is now the Cornish Recreation and Education Area, a property they helped to conserve, to discuss the ways Dan could incorporate nature studies into his school’s science curriculum. When Dan left his job to become a math and science teacher, he employed this curriculum in his teachings as well.

Rickey would incorporate her camp course work into her curriculum as an elementary classroom teacher for nearly 30 years. For Rickey, the course reinforced the importance of hands-on learning and the need to get students, both youth and adults, outside and in the field. In 1976, she was appointed to the Cornish Conservation Commission where she served as chair, in addition to many other positions, and currently serves as monitoring coordinator for the seven properties the town holds easements on.

Now, almost 50 years later, with countless hours of volunteering for many nonprofits under their belts, the Poors are still active. “For most of our years of membership, the Forest Society has been a resource and inspiration for us, but it has only been since our retirement ten years ago that we thought about volunteering,” Dan says. In 2017, the couple brought their volunteer commitment to a higher 16 | FOREST NOTES Summer 2021

From left, Yatsevitch Forest land stewards Dan and Rickey Poor pose beside the reservation’s road sign during a visit to monitor the property. level when they signed up to become land stewards for the 1,090-acre Yatsevitch Forest in Cornish and Plainfield. They took their passion for volunteering one step further in 2019 by enrolling as sugar maple research citizen scientists.

With little time to spare as they jump from one volunteer project to the next, in addition to traveling and celebrating their 54th wedding anniversary this year, the Poors carved out some time to reflect on their decades-long connection to conservation and discuss what’s next for this dynamic duo.

What are the responsibilities of a land steward?

Dan Poor: There is no such thing as a typical day as a land steward at the Yatsevitch Forest. The property is a bit off the beaten track and it includes a significant portion designated as an ecological reserve due to the presence of unusual and rare plants. Since there are no formal trailheads, kiosks, parking areas, or maps, it does not get a lot of visits from out of the

area. That said, there is a snowmobile trail that runs through it, and some logging roads and old town roads also run through it or near its borders. And some residents have constructed trails on their own property that meet up with the logging roads and snowmobile trail.

Each year we drive the roads that border the forest looking for any obvious inappropriate activity, checking signage, and clearing brush when required. We usually check in with the current resident of the Yatsevitch house, too.

We are expected to walk boundary lines to check on blazes and corner markers, but I doubt that we will ever walk the entire boundary during our tenure as land stewards.

During the pandemic, I discovered that I could walk to a corner of the Yatsevitch Forest that was much closer to our house than I realized. I have since visited that area several times in the last 18 months or so and have walked a modest amount of the property border there. Although the boundaries I have seen are clearly blazed

From left: Rickey and Dan prune overgrown vegetation near a Yatsevitch Forest property sign. Rickey (right) and Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest intern Nat Cleavitt assess the health of sugar maple seedlings as part of the Forest Society’s sugar maple study at Yatsevitch Forest.

(OPPOSITE PAGE) DAISY YATSEVITCH; (THIS PAGE, FROM LEFT) DAISY YATSEVITCH, DAN POOR

and the corners are clearly tagged, I doubt some of the areas have been visited by any staff member since the Forest Society last visited and blazed them.

Also, the Forest Society leases a portion of the land to a local maple syrup operation, and we very occasionally check in on that use. There has been one timber harvest since we became land stewards.

We returned the following spring to check on how things were left after the harvest was done. We will continue to do this from time to time.

How did you both decide to become land stewards?

DP: We knew Mike Yatsevitch well. He was on the school board that hired me, and he served as the select board’s representative to the town’s conservation commission, of which Rickey was a member.

And we got to know his daughter over the years; she now lives in her father’s house, a small part of Mike’s original acreage that is not part of the Yatsevitch Forest. How could we duck the opportunity to help protect his legacy?

Rickey Poor: As monitoring chair of our conservation commission, I have walked the properties in Cornish where the town holds the easement and I appreciate the need for having a program for long-term monitoring. Becoming a land steward seemed like an ideal opportunity for the two of us to work together to help

the Forest Society maintain such a record.

And, as Dan said, we both knew Mike well, so there is a personal connection.

What's the most gratifying part about being a land steward?

DP: We are committed to the Forest Society’s goals of managing and preserving the land resources of the state. The Yatsevitch Forest is (I think) the largest area in Cornish under a permanent easement, but there are other significant tracts of land in town also under easement that provide a significant reserve for animals and plants.

Although there are gaps of unprotected land between these parcels, much of it remains undeveloped. It is personally satisfying to be part of this effort.

RP: I would add it is a wonderful excuse to get out and walk a beautiful property.

What kind of work have you both been doing as sugar maple volunteers?

DP: Volunteering for the sugar maple study combined our curiosity of the subject with our interest in citizen science.

We used to do sugaring in our backyard when our kids were young and now help a neighbor with their small, but far larger than what we used to do, sugaring operation.

In this project, we started by doing an initial inventory of sugar maple seedlings in each of the 12 plots located in the ecological reserve in the Yatsevitch Forest. We also took soil samples, inventoried all of

the trees within a specified distance of the center of each plot, and recorded the plot’s slope and aspect. We have been back several times to check on the health and survival of the seedlings found in our initial visit. We also helped place 18 boxes (3 per site for half of the sites) that collect leaves, seeds, and other “stuff.” We collect the contents of these boxes on a regular schedule in the spring and fall. The contents are then sorted, counted, and recorded.

What is the goal of the sugar maple project?

DP: This is a longitudinal study aimed at learning more about the conditions that influence the survival rate of sugar maple seedlings. It is being conducted by a Cornell scientist based at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. There are 5 sites involved in the study: Hubbard Brook and four Forest Society reservations in western New Hampshire ranging from the Monadnock area to near Bethlehem.

I think the hope is that it will go on for several years, even decades. We were asked to commit to a minimum of 3 years.

I doubt we will still be working on this project decades in the future, but we do have a few more years in us at least.

Ryan Smith is the communications manager and the editor of Forest Notes magazine for the Forest Society.

Summer 2021 FOREST NOTES | 17

NATURE’S VIEW

The Understory Sun vs. shade is the variable for forest regeneration and wildlife habitat opportunities

By Dave Anderson

A

Ahhh summertime…I marvel at the billions of green pennants fluttering overhead in the forested canopy—two dozen shades of green.

Tender young leaves of the hardwood canopy cast a seemingly sudden shade on the forest floor that will remain in shadow until autumn when the foliage falls. The summer’s shade-casting foliage is largely uncelebrated, but it is an equally dramatic transition in the woods. A season of filtered sun vs. dappled or deep shade reveals sunlight’s role in heating soils and regenerating seedlings. Sunlight dictates food availability and cover for nesting songbirds and wildlife inhabiting the forest understory.

Made in the shade? Meh, not so much in our forests. Dense shade beneath a 100 percent closed canopy of hemlock, pine, or dense hardwoods limits understory growth. At ground level, the forest appears open. Prime real estate for the limited plants that are best adapted to growing in full shade and acidic soil. Canada mayflower (aka false lily of the valley), starflower, and goldthread can often be spotted carpeting the forest floor beneath towering pines—a win by default.

Shade-tolerant hardwoods—beech, yellow birch, and sugar and red maple—reproduce from seed in the shade while sun-loving hardwoods—white birch, poplar, pin cherry, ash, and oak species—require full sunlight and warm soil to germinate.

Among conifers, white pine and red pine require full sun to regenerate. Red spruce and hemlock can tolerate shade, but they require an opening in the canopy to grow.

The more sun-loving trees are short-lived: pin cherry can live up to 40 years, followed by poplar (80 years), white birch (100–120 years), and white pine (perhaps 150 years max). Slower growing 18 | FOREST NOTES Summer 2021

Once hardwood trees are fully leafed-out, nuances of sun versus shade are more apparent.

Forest seedling regeneration and wildlife use of habitats for feeding or nesting reveal the influence of full sunlight or a lack thereof.

shade-tolerant trees can live centuries: beech and sugar maple (200-plus years), yellow birch (300-plus years), and hemlock (a whopping 400-plus years).

In response to the low-light levels in a hardwood understory, oaks and maples produce larger “shade leaves,” outsized versions of much smaller canopy leaves, to capture more sunlight. Think of how much more energy an array of solar panels can create compared to just one. The same method applies for these larger leaves trying to grow big and strong in a dark forest. In a hemlock forest, the understory is barren, devoid of food for wildlife and cover for birds. Few plants are adapted to live in these harsh acidic soil conditions.

Research has shown that people tend to

appreciate an open understory for ease of walking and enhanced peripheral vision compared to a forest with more complexity that also obstructs views. But the latter provides more opportunities for wildlife feeding, nesting, and cover. It is a duality.

But this is strictly a human construct— what we the people prefer. A wide field of view through an open understory yields better peripheral vision and provides a comforting sense of security, a throwback to the open Savannah where humans first evolved amid some formidable predators.

Conversely, sun-soaked openings ranging from small single-tree gaps to larger apertures quickly fill in with dense new growth. Fruit-bearing shrubs, ferns, wildflowers, and tree seedlings race to claim this valuable space. Foresters seem fond of admiring the strong regeneration of oak and pine seedlings; a new forest emerging in full sun.

With the addition of new sunlight, the understory transitions from an assortment of shade-tolerant ferns, witch hazel, striped maple, hemlock, beech, and red maple to a new growth of sweet fern, lowbush blueberry, staghorn sumac, pin cherry, white birch, poplar, and white pine seedlings. Pine, ash, and oak seedlings dominate former skid trails and timber landings surrounded by a matrix of shady closed canopy conditions. It’s no surprise that when people bushwhack, they tend to hike parallel to unmaintained skid trails to avoid the brush—and the ticks!

Wildlife Food and Cover Warm light in forested openings attracts foraging insects drawn to sun-dependent grasses and flowers. In turn, insects attract aerial feeding by foraging songbirds, flycatchers, and bats. Tender leaves and twigs of seedlings and saplings are accessible to

browsing rabbits, deer, bears, and turkeys—a welcome salad after a winter diet of dwindling acorns, beechnuts, or bitter bark. The closed canopy of taller trees lies out of reach. Where deer population is high, including on some large lake islands and in suburban backyards, the survival of young hardwoods, particularly sugar maple, is always at odds with a deer’s hunger level.

Additionally, nocturnal wildlife habits change after leaf-out. Bears now concealed by dense ground cover travel readily in the daytime during their June breeding season. Deer often select locations close to human habitation for giving birth. The presence of house pets and the proximity to people deters bears and coyotes from venturing out of the forest to hunt.

Newborn fawns can sometimes be spotted bedding down in our backyard gardens and hedges, which provide even more

protection from predators. In June, deer with fawns stashed in thickets emerge to forage in sunny openings and meadows of tall grass.

Ground-nesting birds are protected from the high winds and heavy rains that buffet the upper canopy, but they face different challenges. Near-ground nests are vulnerable to four-legged predators: fishers, raccoons, skunks, and opossums prey on bird eggs and nestlings. Songbirds that nest in dense vegetation on the forest floor sing loud, ringing songs that carry long distances. Winter wrens, ovenbirds, and wood and hermit thrushes employ cryptic camouflage, drab plumage of speckled brown, rust, and olive, to blend in with the dappled sunlit forest and belt out their loud songs to attract mates and defend their forested nest territories.

It doesn’t matter if you’re hiking in the sun or the shade, swarms of biting insects

by mid-summer are why one cynical forester once described the hazy, tropical forest to me as “the green hell.” Heat and humidity sustain successive hatches of tenacious deer flies, particularly relentless insects which can take a tiny cube of flesh from an unguarded patch of skin and leave a painful welt. Deer flies are attracted to dark colors and movement and they target the top of the head, the back of the neck, and that space between your shoulder blades that is impossible to swat.

People might sympathize with deer and moose, who have limited refuge from insects save immersing themselves into a body of water. But that’s not a bad locale to seek regardless while the warm weather lasts.

Naturalist Dave Anderson is senior director of education for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

Book Your Virtual Screening Today Released in spring 2020, The Merrimack: River at Risk tells the story of one of America’s most threatened rivers and what can be done to save it.

Produced by the Forest Society and directed by Jerry Monkman of Ecophotography, the full-length documentary is now available to be screened by organizations and businesses at virtual events.

DAVE ANDERSON

For more information about hosting a screening, email Communications Manager Ryan Smith at rsmith@forestsociety.org.

Summer 2021 FOREST NOTES | 19

PUBLIC POLICY UPDATES

Stewardship in the Time of a Global Pandemic

By Matt Leahy

D

uring the height of the COVID-19 crisis, news reports and social media posts highlighted the surge of visitors to New Hampshire’s state parks, White Mountain National Forest, and other natural areas, including the Forest Society’s Mount Major Reservation. These reports reasoned this rush was due to Americans discovering their love for the outdoors and wanting to escape the claustrophobia of the COVID-induced lockdown.

Certainly, if the virus did increase our love for open spaces, that might be one of the few positive outcomes from the trauma the world experienced. We should hope that, as the memory of the pandemic slips away, we do not forget how we reconnected with the outdoors during this period. We should also ask how can we as a state leverage this increase in outdoor visitors to boost our commitment to stewarding New Hampshire’s natural heritage?

Stewardship is the act of caring for the land and its resources and conserving the ecosystem services associated with those lands. The term implies an active—not passive—commitment to the land. Typically, these responsibilities are viewed as resting with the property owner, whether that owner is a public agency, a land trust, or a private citizen.

Yet, the lists of the many reasons to get outside usually relate to how the individual or society as a whole will benefit. To be sure we should underscore how a walk in the woods can lower stress levels or improve the cardiovascular system and how outdoor recreation supports the economy.

However, publicizing those personal benefits presents an opportunity to inform both trail users and policy makers about the challenges facing the outdoor recreation system. The outreach should begin with a simple point: these trails, which are part of the state’s way of life and a key part of the economic vitality we enjoy, 20 | FOREST NOTES Summer 2021

exist because of the efforts citizens, private landowners, and public agencies made to create them. Maintaining them requires ongoing attention and resources. For the most part, a heavy burden falls on this core group to keep trails in good shape. In other words, we are able to enjoy the outdoors because of these groups and their continued steadfastness to keep the trails open.

Fortunately, we have seen increased attention relating to this issue, even prior to the emergence of COVID-19. Campaigns led by organizations such as the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics are providing the best practices to follow for anyone visiting the outdoors. As part of its mission, the recently formed Granite Outdoors Alliance, of which the Forest Society is a member, will focus on the sustainability of outdoor recreation. The New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs this year established the state’s first director of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development. Finally, back in 2017, the New Hampshire Commission to Study and Recommend Improvements to the New Hampshire Hiking Trails Network noted that “if efforts are not made to increase resources for trail maintenance, parking, education, and overall trail management, the availability of trails in the future will be limited or lost.”

No one wants to see that scenario occur, of course. Yet, the waning of the COVID-19 crisis will not reduce the demands on natural areas; the challenges facing the trail network will remain the same as they were prior to the pandemic.

The Hiking Trails Network Commission

offered some concrete action measures that could help to address this challenge.

Advocacy groups and government agencies can build on those recommendations or move forward with other proposals.

Those who already volunteer will continue to offer their services and energy.

However, we need to increase the understanding of how New Hampshire’s hiking trails came to be and how they are maintained. A first step could be to expand to whom the term “trail stewardship” applies. Instead of it referring to just the property owner, let’s pull into the circle of stakeholders everyone who benefits— not just the organizations who own and do the hands-on trail work.

The pandemic unsettled too many lives. To find some level of solace from that stressful experience, we took to the outside. No doubt, the spike in visitor use brought challenges for land managers and owners. Ideally, it would also lead to what Aldo Leopold (considered to be the father of wildlife ecology) was thinking when he said, “When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

Our recreational trails serve as community gathering spots. By ingraining an ethic of love and respect for the land into future visits, we can improve the sustainability of the trail network in New Hampshire. Just as importantly, we can also strengthen the commitment to stewarding our state’s natural heritage.

Matt Leahy is the public policy director for the Forest Society.

Learn More: + Read the entire report the Commission to Study and Recommend Improvements to the New Hampshire Hiking Trails Network published at https://bit.ly/3ALxp8g. + Turn to page 22 to learn some pro tips on how to tread lightly on your next visit to Mount Major Reservation.

The Forest Society thanks our business partners for their generous support Summit Circle ($5,000 and up)

Colleague ($250 to $499)

Matching Gift Companies (continued)

Asplundh Tree Expert Company BCM Environmental & Land Law, PLLC Ed Reilly Subaru Event Builders, LLC Merrimack County Savings Bank Seaboard International Forest Products, LLC Whalen Public & Media Relations, LLC

Steward ($750 to $999)

57Hours Aesthetic Dental Center Altus Engineering Ambit Engineering, Inc. Black North, LLC Blaktop, Inc. Cersosimo Lumber Co., Inc. Fuller’s Sugarhouse, LLC Great Brook Veterinary Clinic, LLC Innovative Natural Resource Solutions, LLC J and M Morse Trucking, LLC Kel-Log, Inc. Kozikowski Properties, LLC Lenk Orthodontics Limington Lumber Company Meadowsend Timberlands Ltd. New England Biolabs, Inc. New England Flower Farms North Woodlands, Inc. Parade Properties Rise Private Wealth Management, Inc. River’s Bend Woodworking Studio, LLC Shoppe1921 Sunset Park Campground Tri-State Iron Works, Inc. Twin State Sand & Gravel Co., Inc. Whole Wealth Management, LLC

EOS Research

Matching Gift Companies

Partner ($500 to $749)

AARP ADP Aetna Foundation Allegro MicroSystems, LLC American Biltrite Charitable Trust American International Group, Inc. America’s Charities Ameriprise Financial Employee Gift Matching Program Amica Companies Foundation Autodesk Foundation Automatic Data Processing, Inc. Bank of America The Boeing Company Bose Corporation Boston Scientific CA, Inc. Matching Gifts Program Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Chevron Human Energy Chroma Technology Corp.

Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation, Inc. Crestwood Advisors Dell Employee Giving Program Erie Insurance

ExxonMobil Foundation Facebook, Inc. FM Global Foundation Gartner, Inc. General Electric Google, LLC Graham Holdings Company Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company Grove Street Fiduciary, Inc. Hewlett Packard Company Foundation The Home Depot Foundation Honeywell International, Inc. IBM Corporation Intel Corporation Jefferies, LLC John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated JP Morgan Chase Foundation Liberty Mutual Insurance Lincoln Financial Group Foundation Lumina Foundation for Education Markem-Imaje Corporation MassMutual McKinsey & Company Medtronic Merck Partnership for Giving Meredith Corporation Microsoft Matching Gifts Program MilliporeSigma Motorola Solutions MSD Capital National Grid The Norfolk & Dedham Group Novartis Nuance Foundation, Inc. Oracle Corporation OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc. PayPal Giving Fund Pfizer, Inc. Premier, Inc. Riverstone Resources, LLC SAP Software Solutions Seaboard International Forest Products, LLC Shell Oil Company TD Ameritrade Matching Gifts Program Textron Matching Gift Program The Travelers Companies, Inc. TriPyramid Structures, Inc. UnitedHealth Group UNUM Matching Gifts Program Verizon Foundation The Vertex Foundation Waters Corporation

Trustees’ Circle ($2,500 to $4,999) Northeast Delta Dental The Secret Agency, LLC

President’s Circle ($1,000 to $2,499) Checkmate Payroll Services Chinburg Properties Community Toolbox, Inc. Garden Life, LLC Lumbard & Kellner, LLC Martin Forestry Consulting, LLC Mulligan Forest, LLC New England Private Wealth Advisors, LLC Northland Forest Products, Inc. Peabody & Smith Realty, Inc. Ransmeier & Spellman, P.C. Rockywold-Deephaven Camps, Inc. SCM Associates, Inc. Target Corporation

Arcomm Communications Corporation Blue Mountain Forest Association Bronnenberg Logging & Trucking, LLC Capitol Craftsman, LLC Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, Inc. Devine, Millimet & Branch, P.A. Durgin and Crowell Lumber Co., Inc. GMEC, Inc. Gunstock Mountain Resort Half Moon Enterprises LockNLube The Lyme Timber Company LP Middleton Building Supply, Inc. The Music Mill Pine Springs R.M. Piper, Inc. Placework Samyn-d’Elia Architects, P.A. Zambon Brothers Logging

We are grateful to the many businesses that support the Forest Society with gifts of less than $250.

The Forest Society…Where Conservation and Business Meet For information about business memberships, or to initiate a gift membership program for your clients or employees, please contact Anne Truslow at (603) 224-9945 or atruslow@forestsociety.org.

ON OUR LAND

From left: When planning a visit to Mount Major, it’s imperative that hikers arrive prepared with an understanding of the trail system and available routes. Hikers should follow designated trails, even through well-worn sections.

Your Guide to Recreating Responsibly and Safely on Mount Major

By Matt Scaccia

W

hether you are looking to visit Mount Major for the first time or the hundredth time, it is important to plan ahead and come to the reservation prepared and knowing the best ways to recreate responsibly and safely.

Known for its stunning views as well as its reputation for being a very popular destination, Mount Major rises 1,786 feet above sea level on the easternmost edge of the venerable Belknap Mountain Range.

The open summit offers stunning views of Lake Winnipesaukee and the White Mountains to the north. Three moderately difficult trails originate from the main parking area on Route 11 in Alton: • Mount Major Trail (Blue Trail): 1.5 miles | 1,150 foot elevation gain • Brook Trail (Yellow Trail): 1.7 miles | 925 foot elevation gain • Boulder Loop Trail (Orange Trail): 1.6 miles | 1,150 foot elevation gain 22 | FOREST NOTES Summer 2021

It is estimated that more than 80,000 hikers visit Mount Major every year, making it one of the most climbed mountains in New England. On sunny holiday weekends between May and October, upwards of 400 vehicles have been counted at the trailhead. To avoid the crowds, try to visit the reservation during the early morning, on weekdays, or during the shoulder seasons. For a gentler ascent and descent, the Brook Trail is a suitable option. Mount Major is open year-round with portable toilets located at the trailhead and a plowed parking lot throughout the winter.

Visitor information, guidelines, and a trail map are displayed at the trailhead kiosk and staff are often at the trailhead on fair weather summer days, weekends, and holidays to answer questions and share more about the Forest Society.

With all that Mount Major has to offer, it is no wonder that the mountain shows

many noticeable effects from the amount of use it receives, including litter and erosion. To aid visitors in reducing their impact and maintaining a high-quality experience for everyone, the Forest Society collaborated with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics to develop specific tips for visiting Mount Major. These key concepts include: 1) Stay on the trails and follow trail markers. Hiking on designated routes protects surrounding plants from being trampled and prevents visitor-created side trails from being made.

2) Hike in the middle of the trail. Bonus points if it is on rocks and through mud.

Wear appropriate footwear and hike in the center of the path, even through mud and water—and not around it—to avoid widening the trail. Hike on rocks and boulders where possible to help reduce soil erosion and crushing vegetation.

3) Keeping pets on leash is strongly recommended. This helps keep them safe and prevents them from straying too far off trail and disturbing wildlife and other visitors. Not all people (or other dogs, for that matter) are dog lovers, so it is best to keep pets under leash control at this busy mountain.

4) Pack out all pet waste. By packing out your pet’s droppings, you will help to protect water quality and the health and enjoyment of other visitors. Consider bringing a waste bag holder with you to hold pet waste.

5) Pack out all trash. This includes water bottles, wrappers, food items and your bagged dog waste. There are no trash receptacles at Mount Major, and trash left on the trail can be harmful to wildlife and unpleasant for other visitors. Even biodegradable food items like orange and banana peels can take years to break down. While visiting, please consider picking up trash that others might have left behind and disposing of it properly. The portable toilets are not trash receptacles— they are for human waste only.

6) Be courteous. You won’t be the only one hiking Mount Major, so be considerate of others and their hiking experience.

If you stop for a snack or a rest on the way up, move to the side of the trail so others can pass. Consider listening to the sounds of nature, or using headphones, instead of playing your favorite tunes on a speaker.

Watching out for you and your group’s safety is also important and helps prevent the need for search and rescue efforts.

Although Mount Major is a relatively attainable summit and often bustling with visitors, its level of difficulty should not be underestimated. The hikeSafe Hiker Responsibility Code, initially developed by New Hampshire Fish & Game and the U.S. Forest Service, recommends that hikers

maintain personal responsibility and be prepared • With knowledge and gear. Become selfreliant by learning about the terrain, conditions, local weather, and your equipment before you start. Dress appropriately with sturdy hiking boots or sneakers. Always carry the hiking 10 essentials: extra water and food, warm clothing, rain jacket and pants, a first aid kit, a headlamp or flashlight, a pocketknife, a fire starter, a whistle, a compass, and a map.

• To leave your plans. Tell someone where you are going, the trails you are hiking, when you will return, and your emergency plans.

• To stay together. When you start as a group, hike as a group and end as a group.

Pace your hike to the slowest person.

• To turn back. Weather changes quickly in the mountains. Fatigue and unexpected conditions can also affect your hike. Know your limitations and when to postpone your hike or turn around.

The mountain will be there another day.

• For emergencies. Even if you are headed out for just an hour, an injury, severe weather, or a wrong turn could become life threatening. Do not assume you will be rescued; know how to rescue yourself.

• To share the hiker code with others.

By following Leave No Trace principles and the hikeSafe code, you can help us keep Mount Major a beautiful and safe place to visit. Mount Major is certainly well traveled, but it is still waiting to be discovered by many in the future. Help us continue to maintain, protect, and restore this iconic New Hampshire mountain for the enjoyment of all.

Matt Scaccia is the recreation and community relations manager for the Forest Society.

EMILY LORD (X2)

Pitch In + Support the Forest Society’s ongoing work at Mount Major by donating today at forestsociety.org/project/mount-major-stewardship-fund. + Make a cash donation at the iron ranger container or by scanning the QR code on our mobile giving signage (both located at the Mount Major trailhead).

Consulting Foresters

The Forest Society encourages landowners to consult with a licensed forester before undertaking land management activities.

The following are paid advertisers.

Full Circle Forestry, LLC Jeffrey Snitkin NHLPF #452 802-310-0292 • jsnitkin.fcf@gmail.com Ehrhard Frost, NHLPF #103 802-785-4749 • efrost.fcf@gmail.com Eric Radlof, NHLPF #447 603-321-8249 • eradlof.fcf@gmail.com Providing a full range of ecologically based and economically practical forestry services to landowners that share a long-term stewardship vision for their forest.

-NRCS Technical Service Provider, Tree Farm Inspector

752 Rt. 103A Newbury, NH 03255 • 802-310-0292

Calhoun & Corwin Forestry, LLC Realize what you value the most in your forest.

Serving individual, municipal, state, non-government, and industry forest owners.

41 Pine St., Peterborough, NH 03458 • 603-562-5620 Email: swiftcorwin@gmail.com

Meadowsend Consulting Company Jeremy Turner NHLPF #318 — Central/Southern NH Email: jgturner@mtlforests.com Ryan Kilborn NHLPF #442 — Northern NH Email: rkilborn@mtlforests.com A division of Meadowsend Timberlands Ltd. Comprehensive forest and wildlife management, serving the conscientious New Hampshire landowner.

-NRCS-Tech Service Provider

P.O. Box 966, New London, NH 03257 • 603-526-8686 www.mtlforests.com

FORECO: Forest Resource Consultants Complete forest management services Offering three licensed foresters, licensed land surveyor

P.O. Box 597, Rumney, NH 03266 • 603-786-9544 P.O. Box 161, Contoocook, NH 03229 • 603-746-4846 Email: office@forecollc.com

Martin Forestry Consulting, LLC Offering complete forest management services including timber sales, cruises, and appraisals and wildlife habitat management.

P.O. Box 89, New Hampton, NH 03256 • 603-744-9484 Email: martinforestry@gmail.com Licensed foresters should address inquiries about advertising to Anne Truslow by calling 603-224-9945 or emailing atruslow@forestsociety.org.

Summer 2021 FOREST NOTES | 23

PROJECT IN PROGRESS

For the Love of Forests, Yatsevitch Forest

T

he Forest Society has the opportunity to expand the beautiful Michael M. and Claudia Yatsevitch Forest in Cornish and Plainfield with a 167-acre addition in Plainfield.

This rolling mixed northern hardwood forest in the Upper Valley is known for sweet soils that support extraordinary plant diversity. The addition, owned by the Yeaton family since 1968, would protect forested frontage on Blow-me-down Brook as it meanders along Stage Road near the Hell Hollow village in Plainfield.

The brook is a tributary of the Connecticut River and the subject of many works of art by Cornish Colony artists.

The Yatsevitch Forest was established in 1995 with an 800-acre land donation. This would be the fourth addition to the reservation, bringing it to nearly 1,200 acres in Forest Society ownership, which is bordered by more than 700 acres held in conservation easements. The majority of the expense of this project will be supported through the generous donation of land by the landowner, but the Forest Society must raise $50,000 to cover additional project costs and long-term stewardship obligations. Our goal is to secure these funds in order to complete the project by the end of 2021.

Please help us expand and care for the Yatsevitch Forest with a donation today.

We are excited to have the opportunity to further protect the unfragmented integrity of this special Upper Valley region in the Connecticut River watershed. Please join us in making this vision a reality!

Online: For more information on the Forest Society’s ongoing land conservation projects, visit forestsociety.org/ currentprojects.

24 | FOREST NOTES Summer 2021

From top: The cool waters of Blow-me-down Brook flow adjacent to the Forest Society’s proposed addition at Yatsevitch Forest. A garter snake seeks out a sunny spot on the forest floor.

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YES, I WANT TO HELP ADD 167 ACRES IN PLAINFIELD TO THE YATSEVITCH FOREST.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP) LEAH HART, WENDY WEISIGER

Name: Address:

Town/City:

Telephone:

Email:

State:

Zip:

Enclosed is my tax-deductible contribution of $_____________ VISA

MasterCard Number: ________________________________ Exp. date: ______ Security code: ______

Please mail the completed form to: Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, NH 03301

Or donate online at forestsociety.org/yatsevitch.

For more information, call Anne Truslow at 603-224-9945 or email atruslow@forestsociety.org.

Thank you for your help!

4104T145/YF217FN

SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FORESTS 54 Portsmouth Street Concord, NH 03301-5400

Nonprofit Organization US Postage Paid Manchester, NH Permit No. 0494

Address Service Requested

It’s Time for Early Bird Registration

(FROM LEFT) SHANTA, EMILY LORD

120TH ANNUAL MEETING • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 • PORTSMOUTH

From left: Keynote speaker Dr. Carolyn Finney, author of Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors; the tidal Sagamore Creek flows beside Creek Farm Reservation.

LOCATION: 400 Little Harbor Road, Portsmouth, N.H. FIELD TRIPS: Trips begin at 9:00 a.m. from assigned locations; cost included in registration fee.

1. Set sail on the gundalow Piscataqua from Prescott Park in Portsmouth.

2. Explore Tuckaway Farm and Powder Major’s Forest in Lee, Madbury, and Durham 3. Walk the proposed addition to Champlin Forest in Rochester 4. Perspectives on Creek Farm walk and talk

MEETING SCHEDULE: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. – Field trips (returning to Creek Farm by noon) 12–1 p.m. – Picnic lunch 1–2 p.m. – Business Meeting, Recognitions, and Conservationist of the Year Award 2 p.m. – Keynote Speaker: Dr. Carolyn Finney

COST: Registration fee includes field trip and program with optional lunch of $15.

Early bird price prior to September 7 is $40 with picnic lunch provided ($25/byo picnic).

Regular price is $50 with lunch ($35/byo picnic) Kids 12 and under register for free but each picnic lunch is $15.

Pre-registration is required. There will be no on-site registration or à la carte food.

For more information and to register, visit forestsociety.org/annualmeeting or contact Linda Dammann at 603-224-9945 x325 or ldammann@forestsociety.org.

Registration deadline is September 20.

Turn to page 5 for field trip details.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 20 Sponsored by