COURTESY
GRANTHAM — Recently the Town of Grantham acquired a roughly 60% share of the 386-acre Sawyer Brook Headwaters Parcel on Upper Dunbar Hill Road from Dillon Investments, LLC. The closing is a major step forward for the town’s efforts to conserve the parcel and its unique array of natural, historic, and recreational resources.
The town and Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust must now raise funds to acquire the remaining share from The Conservation Fund (TCF), a national nonprofit which is holding roughly 40% of the parcel for a limited time. If successful, the town will become owner of the entire 386 acres and Ausbon Sargent will hold a conservation easement on the property to ensure its permanent protection.
“Today’s milestone is only possible because of the strong support of our community and our tremendous partners at Ausbon Sargent and The Conservation Fund,” said Warren Kimball, chair of the Grantham Board of Selectmen. “We’re now a little bit past the halfway point of this project, and we’re confident we can get it done based on what we’ve already accomplished working together.”
“This has been a wonderful partnership,” said Debbie Stanley, executive director of Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, “with three like-minded entities working together to protect this important parcel. This is Ausbon Sargent’s first opportunity to work with Grantham on a project, and we have been extremely impressed by the community’s commitment to protecting its valuable natural and recreational resources for public enjoyment.”
Much of the property is listed as highest ranked wildlife habitat by New Hampshire Fish and Game (NHF&G). To the west, the parcel is abutted by the Croydon Turnpike (Class VI) and Corbin Park (a 26,000-acre private hunting park). These connect the parcel with nearly 1,300 acres of conserved lands in north Grantham and 3,000 acres of land recently conserved by NHF&G in Croydon and Newport. The parcel and roads are used for recreation by people of all ages and ability for snowmobiling, hunting, biking, hiking, nature observation, and other low-impact activities.
The property and the public’s enjoyment of it came under threat when Dillon acquired the parcel from William Ruger, Jr., in April 2018 and announced plans for an extensive timber harvest. The town, TCF, and Ausbon Sargent have worked to put together a deal with Dillon since shortly thereafter.
“I have been inspired by the partners in this project,” said Sally Manikian, New Hampshire/Vermont representative for TCF, “both the leadership of the Town of Grantham and the community orientation and stewardship history of the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust. This is a wonderful milestone for the town, and The Conservation Fund is honored to play a part in something that will have such a tremendous local and regional impact for community, economy, and wildlife.”
In March at their annual town meeting, Grantham voters overwhelmingly passed an article appropriating $300,000 in town funds to acquire the parcel. The town, Ausbon Sargent, and TCF are now working to secure the remaining dollars for the project from private and grant funding sources.
More information about the project, including how to make a donation, can be found at the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation website, ausbonsargent.org/
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