The Rindge Conservation Commission is closing in on its fundraising goal to purchase and conserve a huge swath of land that includes old-growth trees and habitat for the endangered Blanding’s turtle.
The Commission is currently raising funds – and has in hand about 75 percent of its $750,000 goal – to purchase and conserve 360 acres of forest, wetlands and meadows along Old New Ipswich Road.
The property, currently the site of Rindge Stone & Gravel, has several points that would make the property “the crown jewel” of the town’s conservation holdings, said Conservation Commissioner Richard Mellor.
One, is its importance to the local water sources.
The property is over two of the area’s aquifers, the Contoocook and Lower Connecticut. It also feeds into the nearby Hubbard Pond.
“Preservation will protect that. Water is very important for Rindge,” Mellor said.
It’s not just the water underneath the ground though. The property also has over a dozen large vernal pools, which are important for aquatic wildlife to breed and lay eggs in. Perhaps that’s especially important for this property, where certain reptile and amphibian species of importance to the state have been found.
Both the Blanding’s turtle and the blue-spotted salamander have been found on the property, said Conservation Commission member Al Lefebvre.
The Blanding’s turtle is on the endangered species list, with habitat destruction and nest predation among the highest reasons for its vulnerable state.
The blue-spotted salamander isn’t considered endangered in the state of New Hampshire, but it is listed as a species in greatest need of conservation, because of habitat loss and the effects of acid rain.
One of the most attractive points of the property, Lefebvre said, is its proximity to other conserved lands, which creates a large portion of land that is permanently preserved for the wildlife. The land connects with Converse Meadow, the Mass Audobon’s Wildwood Camp and Annett State Forest.
“It allows unfettered access for wildlife,” Lefebvre said.
The land has been used as a granite quarry, but the majority of the acreage has been untouched, leaving the forests to grow, in some cases, into trees hundreds of years old. Black gum trees, which grow in swampy environments, over 300 years old and hemlocks that are over 250 years old have been found on the property.
The land is already being used for some recreation, specifically snowmobiles in the winter, leaving trails which will be easy to develop into passive recreation opportunities, Mellor said.
According to Lefebvre, the Conservation Commission has already secured the majority of the funding to purchase the property, reclaim the gravel quarry, and conserve it, with major grants from the Drinking Water/Groundwater Conservation Fund, the state’s Moose Plate Fund, and private donations.
Currently, the Conservation Commission is hoping to receive $25,000 in new private donations, which will be matched by a private donor.
Lefebvre said with private donations and at least one other major grant the Commission has applied for, he hopes the Conservation Commission will have reached their goal and be prepared to purchase the property by the end of 2020.
“I’m 99.9 percent sure we’ll be able to get there,” Lefebvre said.
If you are interested in making a donation towards the $25,000 match, donations can be sent to the Rindge Conservation Fund at 30 Payson Hill Road in Rindge, with checks payable to the Rindge Conservation Fund, or email rindgeconcom@town.rindge.nh.us with any questions.