$50K Needed for Kimball Pond (NH)

DUNBARTON, New Hampshire, 3/19/02: The Dunbarton Conservation Commission and the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national nonprofit conservation organization, announced today that they are only $50,000 away from protecting approximately 664 acres around Kimball Pond. The land, currently owned by the Nassikas Corporation, surrounds the town-owned Kimball Pond Conservation Area on three sides.

“After nearly two years working on this purchase, we have pulled together more than $1 million to protect this outstanding natural area,” said Larry Cook, chair of the Dunbarton Conservation Commission. “Now we need just $50,000 more to bring us across the finish line.”

“With our goal almost within reach, we hope the community will help us close the remaining funding gap,” said Rodger Krussman, project manager for the Trust for Public Land, which began assisting the Conservation Commission with the project last year. “Contributions will help match the substantial federal, state, and local funds that have already been committed, thanks to the support of Senator Judd Gregg, Rep. Charlie Bass, the Forest Legacy Program, the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, the Town of Dunbarton, and many others.”

So far, $1.035 million has been raised for the project. This includes $700,000 from the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program, $210,000 from the state’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (awarded in two phases), $100,000 from the Conservation Commission’s existing conservation funds, and $25,000 in general Town funds, which Town Meeting voted unanimously to appropriate last Tuesday, March 12. Contributions can be sent to the Dunbarton Conservation Commission, 1011 School Street, Dunbarton, NH 03046. Please make checks payable to the Dunbarton Conservation Fund. For more information, contact Larry Cook at (603) 230-7135.

The Conservation Commission has been working for more than six years to conserve Kimball Pond, which is totally undeveloped, and the Town already owns 308 acres that includes the pond’s shoreline and most of the Great Meadows north of the pond. Located within 15 miles of Concord and Manchester, New Hampshire’s two largest cities, 60-acre Kimball Pond provides outstanding opportunities for fishing and canoeing, and is publicly accessible by means of a state-maintained boat launch.

The Nassikas property drains into Kimball Pond and includes the headwaters of Black Brook, two beaver ponds, several vernal pools, and a black gum-red maple basin swamp. The property and surrounding conservation land also provide habitat for rare wildlife species, including the American bittern, Blanding’s turtle, blue-gray gnatcatcher, common loon, Cooper’s hawk, New England cottontail, Northern harrier, pied-billed grebe, sedge wren, spotted turtle, and wood turtle.

In addition, the property and surrounding land serve as an important wildlife and recreation corridor linking Bela Brook and the Turkey Ponds to the north with Black Brook to the south. A potential trail system through the Nassikas property has been identified for hiking, cross country skiing, bird watching, and other low-impact recreation. Hunting and snowmobiling will also be permitted, and the property will be managed for sustainable timber harvesting. If the project is successful, the 664-acre Nassikas property and the adjacent 308 acres will be owned by the Town of Dunbarton and permanently protected through a conservation easement held by the State of New Hampshire. The land will be managed by the Dunbarton Conservation Commission.

The Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving land for people to enjoy as parks and open space. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 1.4 million acres nationwide, including nearly 30,000 acres in New Hampshire. The Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money Magazine recently named TPL the nation’s most efficient large conservation charity for the second year in a row, based on the percentage of funds dedicated to programs.

Note to editors: To have a map e-mailed to you, contact Heather Wiggins at the Trust for Public Land, (617) 367-6200 x 308.