Yesterday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) closed a deal acquiring a piece of property in the Mascoma Headwaters unit of Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. The property – a 306.30-acre piece of New Hampshire’s northern hardwood forest – will now be added to Conte Refuge in fee simple for its permanent protection. The acquisition of this parcel of land (Unit B) is a big accomplishment for us and our partners, the Bear Hill Conservancy and the Kilham Bear Center.
Furthermore, it marks a major step towards securing a critical habitat corridor that runs along the Appalachian Trail to White Mountain National Forest and, in turn, protects New Hampshire’s wildlife, provides more public access to the outdoors, and promotes the careful use of renewable resources. Once all three phases of our larger project are completed, this project will protect an incredible range of biodiversity, including over 1000 total species, from colorful rare plants, all the way to black bears and black ducks.
Protected areas of Bear Hill
Kicking off Phase III
Phases I and II of the broader conservation vision successfully conserved 2,243.5 acres through a conservation easement held by Conte Refuge (using money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund), and this acquisition of Unit B kicks off Phase III of our plan. Between adding Unit B to Conte Refuge and recently identifying future funding for Phase III of our project mark an exciting start to this critically important third and final phase.
Up next, we’re focusing our attention on Unit J. We expect a final survey of the property to wrap up soon, and then a similar acquisition process should ensue shortly after. This will be another huge step towards connecting protected parcels of land in the area, especially considering the unit’s centrality in the project space.
After years of work, we’re thrilled that the dominoes are beginning to fall on securing the entirety of Bear Hill. We’re excited to share more updates with you when they come.
Samuel Bowlin is the Communications Director with WildLandscapes International, based in Boulder, Colorado. He can be reached at sbowlin@wildlandscapes.org.