The Piscataquog Land Conservancy has been awarded a $285,000 grant from the state’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program to purchase and conserve 141 acres along the Massachusetts border in Mason.

The grant award was one of 31 announced earlier this month that will provide $3.5 million to support land conservation and historic preservation projects across the state.

According to PLC Executive Director Chris Wells, the Mason property consists of several parcels acquired by Judy and Jerry Anderson over several decades that they always intended to be put into permanent conservation.

Wells said the PLC has a goal of $580,000 for the purchase of the land, transaction costs and surveys, though Wells said the land is considerably more valuable than that.

“They are at that point in their lives,” Wells said. “This is land that is quite developable, and it has appreciated quite a bit over the years. It’s probably worth more than a million dollars, and they are selling for half of that. Without them being willing to do that, we probably wouldn’t be able to do that project.”

Black Fly Brook, which provides turtle habitat, on the Anderson Forest land. COURTESY / Ledger-Transcript
Black Fly Brook, which provides turtle habitat, on the Anderson Forest land. COURTESY / Ledger-Transcript
Wetland which flows into Skeeter Brook on the Anderson land. COURTESY / Ledger-Transcript
Wetland which flows into Skeeter Brook on the Anderson land. COURTESY / Ledger-Transcript
Beginning of trail looking onto Anderson Forest parcel from Massachusetts State Line where the trail connects to the Townsend State Forest in Massachusetts. COURTESY / Ledger-Transcript
Beginning of trail looking onto Anderson Forest parcel from Massachusetts state line where the trail connects to the Townsend State Forest in Massachusetts. COURTESY / Ledger-Transcript

In addition to the LCHIP funding, PLC has also secured about $32,000 from the Moose Plate Grant fund, $27,500 from the Merrimack Conservation Partnership, and $200,000 from an anonymous donor in the area. The town of Mason has also pledged to contribute up to $30,000 in exchange for an executory interest in the property.

Wells said the PLC hopes to conclude the purchase by the end of June.

Ninety percent of the forested property is identified as a top priority in both PLC’s regional land conservation plan and the statewide Wildlife Action Plan. It also has an existing trail that connects to the adjacent 3,000-acre Townsend State Forest in Massachusetts. Wells said the PLC may eventually expand the trail system on the property, but does not have an immediate plan to do so.

Wells said the area also has riparian, or riverbank, habitat that is important to aquatic species and turtles. The property includes Black Fly Brook and Skeeter Brook.

“That is part of why it is of interest for conservation to us and to LCHIP,” Wells said.

Wells said that as with other properties owned by the PLC, the land, once conserved, will be accessible to the public for recreation, including hunting, fishing, and access to the existing trail for hiking. The PLC does not allow the use of motorized vehicles on its properties.

Since its creation in 2000, LCHIP has awarded more than $68 million in matching grants to help communities and nonprofit organizations conserve more than 247,000 acres of land and preserve nearly 200 historic landmarks across New Hampshire.