Chamberlain Conservation Area
Fitzwilliam, NH
“This is a great place for families to visit,” said Anne McBride, the Monadnock Conservancy’s land protection director. “It’s the only place on Sip Pond where public access is welcome, and it’s all flat walking.” What location is she talking about? The Conservancy’s Chamberlain Conservation Area in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. The property is ready for all to enjoy. Work is now complete on a new parking area, access to the Cheshire Rail Trail, and the Sip Pond Peninsula Trail, which ends at a scenic spot for fishing, birdwatching, and simply enjoying the views. Outdoor enthusiasts can easily walk, roll, or ride to the heart of the conservation area. “The width of the trail and the smooth, stone dust surface make it approachable for everyone,” said Rick Brackett, land manager for the Conservancy. Improvements to the rail trail (done in partnership with the state, which owns the rail bed) and the peninsula spur gives pedestrians, wheelchairs, strollers, and bikes a place to go that is nearly 1.5 miles round-trip. Because of the recreation potential of the rail trail, the location on Sip Pond, and extensive wetland habitat on the south end of the pond, the Town of Fitzwilliam had prioritized the conservation of this 77-acre property. A half mile of stream flows through it. There is a cranberry bog and lots of wild blueberry bushes. It’s great habitat for flycatchers, migratory warblers and waterfowl, frogs, and turtles.
(photograph courtesy of Will Bannister)
Read “Giant's hand in Sip Pond, Fitzwilliam, NH” by Swift Corwin
Cunningham Pond Conservation Area
Peterborough, NH
“It’s little wonder that Cunningham Pond was a top-ranked conservation priority for Peterborough residents. In addition to the new trails, the unbroken shoreline faces the town beach, and the long, scenic road frontage on 101 creates a welcoming gateway to town from the east,” said Ryan Owens, the Conservancy’s executive director. At the heart of the property is a 1-1/2-mile trail network. The main trail starts from a new parking area on Cunningham Pond Road near the intersection with East Mountain Road, from there traversing through woodlands and a hemlock grove before crossing a stream and climbing to a large open field with sweeping views of Pack Monadnock and Temple Mountain. Along the trail, you can find trees with woodpecker holes, mushrooms, and moss-covered rocks amidst the sounds of the stream and birds flitting above. From the field, a spur trail winds down to an old carriage road at the water’s edge. Another spur trail, branching off closer to the main trail’s beginning, connects you to the Goyette Natural Area, another Conservancy property, off East Mountain Road. The Cunningham Pond Trails were laid out by Rick Brackett, land manager for the Conservancy, and Lew Shelley of SnowHawk LLC, an independent trail design and construction firm. Most of the labor to build the trails was supplied by teams of young volunteers from the Student Conservation Association. In the fall of 2019, two teams spent one week each cutting brush, clearing duff, tamping soil, and building two rustic timber bridges to create a safe, scenic walking path.
Read Three Poems for Cunningham Pond by Ann Day
John and Rosemarie Calhoun Family Forest and Porcupine Falls
Gilsum, NH
After their mom and dad had passed, the five Calhoun children decided that owning the family land together would be too complicated. No matter how much they loved one another, joint ownership of 300-plus acres posed challenges. So, the Calhoun children were left with the question, “What to do?” “As my siblings and I talked,” recalled Jack Calhoun, “We realized that the land our parents had owned and made their home for 50 years held very special memories for each one of us: cutting firewood with our dad, who always advocated for wood heating; spring picnics by the waterfalls; skinny dipping in chilly White Brook; and finding with our mom the perfect Christmas tree. These memories were too powerful to just dismiss out of hand.” The Calhoun children chose to donate the land to the Monadnock Conservancy. Learn more about Calhoun Family Forest.
Read Three Poems for Calhoun Family Forest by Rodger Martin
Whittemore Island, Thorndike Pond
Jaffrey, NH
If you like to get out in a canoe or kayak, there are dozens of beautiful lakes and ponds in the Monadnock region. Thanks to generous landowners who partnered with the Conservancy, there are a handful of lakes and ponds that are real gems because they have extensive shoreline that will always be in its natural state. Two places even have islands that are open to the public for picnicking and exploring. Thorndike Pond & Whittemore Island, Jaffrey, N.H. is one of six Monadnock Conservancy ponds and lake properties that that features conserved frontage. Linked below is a New Hampshire Fish and Game map that includes information about Thorndike Pond & Whittemore Island and where the public access site is located.