The Francestown Land Trust has been awarded money from the state’s department of environmental services Aquatic Resource Mitigation Program.
It received $83,850 to be used to purchase a 7.6-acre property along the South Branch of the Piscataquog River. The trust was also able to protect 33 acres with conservation easements donated by abutting landowners who were in support of the project. State money will permanently protect 2,155 linear feet of the South Branch of the Piscataquog River, its riparian and upland forest and eight acres of wetlands at the confluence of Brennan Brook.
“You write these grants and it’s a long time before you hear if you have received them or not,” said Barry Wicklow, a director with the FLT. “And when you finally do hear, it’s very exciting that all of your work has come to fruition.”
Wicklow said the 7.7 acre lot it will purchase with the funds was slated for logging development.
“This was a key property and was so important because other land was protected along the river,” Wicklow said.
He said the acres being conserved through funds will have a positive affects up and down the stream.
“When you protect riparian zones it is beneficial for wildlife and for people,” Wicklow said. “Forests are like sponges that absorb toxins, they protect water quality, stabilize banks from the kind of erosion that you wouldn’t have without them, and shady banks help keep temperatures of the streams cool.”
The NHDES ARM Fund, which was established by law, is a mitigation option for certain projects impacting wetlands and are not able to provide other forms of mitigation. A committee is charged with funding high-priority proposals that most effectively compensate for the loss of functions and values from the projects that paid into the fund.
The program handed out more than $2.4 million to fund 20 projects across the state this year.
Projects deemed appropriate to receive ARM funds are subject to approval by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the NH Wetlands Council.