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Ausbon Sargent, Grantham receive $215,000 grant for Sawyer Brook Headwaters project

PERRY SMITH PHOTO
CONCORD — On Wednesday, Dec. 4, the Executive Director of the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust (ASLPT) Debbie Stanley, ASLPT Land Protection Specialist Andy Deegan and new ASLPT board member Sheridan Brown and Grantham town officials were invited to the New Hampshire State House where they joined Governor Sununu and board and staff members of the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) for a festive announcement of this year’s LCHIP awards. 

Governor Sununu announced that $3.5 million in LCHIP grants were being awarded for deserving projects. LCHIP awarded The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust a $215,000 grant in support of the Sawyer Brook Headwaters project in Grantham.

The Sawyer Brook Headwaters property includes high-ranking wetlands and wildlife habitat as designated by New Hampshire Fish and Game, as well as a critical section of an existing wildlife corridor between nearby conserved parcels.

The property will be open for public access allowing visitors of all ages to enjoy hiking, hunting, mountain biking, running, snowshoeing, skiing, snowmobiling, nature observation and other low-impact activities.

Regarding this news, Attorney Sheridan Brown, who is also the Grantham town coordinator for the Sawyer Brook Headwaters project said, “There have been a lot of complex andconfusing parts to this project because we used an innovative structure to move quickly.

‘The one constant has been an exemplary partnership with support from residents, the Selectboard, the Conservation Commission, and two tremendous conservation organizations in the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust and The Conservation Fund. 

“These are the kind of collaborations that LCHIP and Ausbon Sargent enable–leveraging LCHIP dollars with private and local dollars for maximum conservation impact and building partnerships that make everyone better equipped to take on the next conservation opportunity.”

The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust currently protects 150 properties comprising 11,855 acres of land in the 12-town region that it serves.

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