Next week, the Sharon Conservation Commission will hold a hearing to decide whether or not to contribute to the purchase and conservation of a piece of Swamp Road property it’s long had its eye on.
“There’s been a desire on the part of the town and the Conservation Commission to conserve that Swamp Road property for a long time,” said Anne Booth, co-chair of the Sharon Conservation Commission. “It’s a valuable and desired recreation property for the town – a lot of people walk and bike on that road. The fact that we’re able to preserve this piece is enormously important.”
It would be the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests that would actually preserve and hold the easement on the 28 acres, which would include a stretch of the Gridley River.
“It not very big, but it’s pretty important from our perspective,” said Jack Savage, a spokesman for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
While the 28 acres may not be expansive, it’s surrounded on two sides by other conservation tracts, several of which are also owned by the Society.
“When we’re talking about wildlife, they don’t recognize property boundaries,” said Savage. “When you preserve large pieces of connected property, you’re ensuring that that wildlife habitat will persist in perpetuity. You can eliminate future fragmentation of the landscape, whether that’s a housing development or a large roadway.”
That, and the Gridley River, make it valuable land to protect, said Savage. Almost all of the parcel – 22 acres – is considered to be Tier I habitat, or the highest quality.
“Any time you can protect both sides of a stream like that, you’re doing a lot to protect both habitat and water quality,” said Savage.
“It’s a wonderful property,” agreed Booth. “The esker rises up fast and steeply, and there’s varied vegetation and the river and the marsh. It’s a wonderful recreation opportunity.”
Another key element to the property is a gravel esker – a ridge left by moving glaciers – that the town is interested in seeing preserved. In the past, said Booth, there have been attempts made to mine gravel on an adjacent property. And while the gravel would be difficult to access on the property, it wouldn’t be impossible.
The cost of purchasing and conserving the property is about $82,000, said Savage. The Sharon Conservation Commission is considering using a dedicated fund for conservation to pay a little more than half of that cost. On Tuesday, the commission will hold a public hearing on the issue, one of the pre-requisites for expending the funds.
Contribution to the purchase will ensure that the town maintains guaranteed public access to the property.
The Sharon Conservation Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Sharon Meeting House to discuss the contribution of Conservation Funds to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests to purchase the Swamp Road property. The Select Board must also approve the expenditure of the funds.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.