Protecting the Mink Hills in Warner

By Jim on January 2nd, 2009

Another bit of good news related to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests:

The Mink Hills area isn’t far from the center of town, but, with its abundant wildlife and quiet, it feels wild. A plan to conserve 426 acres that make up the Bound Tree property could help keep it that way.

Town officials have been eyeing the irregularly-shaped parcel that sits between East Joppa Road and the Henniker and Hopkinton town lines for years and have made several attempts to conserve it. In July, a Rhode Island couple purchased the property, with the intention of putting it into conservation.

Now the town is hoping to buy an easement on the land with $100,000 already set aside for conservation. The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, which would hold the easement, is working to raise about $55,000 to cover surveying and closing costs. The owners, Jonathan and Sarah Stone have donated about $20,000 of the value of the easement.

The Stones were looking for “a very wild property” somewhere within an easy traveling distance from their home in Providence, said Jonathan Stone. His cousin, who lives on property abutting the Bound Tree parcel, introduced them to Brian Hotz, director of land protection for the Forest Society and a member of the Warner Conservation Commission. They hiked the property together in early June.

“We just fell in love with it,” Stone said. “It’s got beautiful watershed and a couple of nice hills and clearly a lot of wildlife.”

They bought the property in July for $450,000 and signed an agreement with the Forest Society to conserve all but 20 of the 446 acres.

Excellent job!