The Nature Conservancy Protects More
Atlantic White Cedar Habitat in Kingston
Kingston, NH — Feb. 7, 2006 — A globally rare ecosystem along the Powwow River in Kingston is now better protected, thanks to four recent acquisitions by The Nature Conservancy.
The Conservancy has purchased four tracts on the Powwow -- 41.8 acres in all -- adding further protection to an Atlantic white cedar swamp and more than 1,300 feet of river frontage.
“The Powwow River is a precious oasis of nature in our fastest-changing region,” said Daryl Burtnett, state director of The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire. “We’re grateful to our partners and the local community for helping to preserve it.”
Atlantic white cedar swamps are a globally rare type of natural community. Of the 500,000 acres of wetlands in New Hampshire, only about 550 acres are Atlantic white cedar swamps. Protecting the state's best examples is a high priority of The Nature Conservancy.
The central Powwow River – between Country Pond and Powwow Pond – harbors the most extensive complex of Atlantic white cedar swamp forest wetlands in New Hampshire. The area is also an excellent example of a streamside fen ecosystem and is situated over one of southeastern New Hampshire’s largest and most productive aquifers.
Conserving this Atlantic white cedar swamp along the Powwow River in Kingston is the aim of a partnership
involving The Nature Conservancy, the town of Kingston, N.H. Fish and Game Department, and the Friends
of Kingston Open Space. Eric Aldrich photo.
Atlantic white cedar swamps are known to harbor imperiled species such as the Hessel’s hairstreak butterfly and serve as breeding grounds for many birds, including downy woodpecker, brown creepers, magnolia warblers, black-throated blue warblers and ovenbirds. This portion of the Powwow River also provides high-quality habitat for waterfowl, including black ducks, bufflehead, mergansers, wood ducks and pied-billed grebes, and for wading birds, such as green and great blue herons.
The central Powwow River – between Country Pond and Powwow Pond – harbors the most extensive complex of Atlantic white cedar swamp forest wetlands in New Hampshire. The area is also an excellent example of a streamside fen ecosystem and is situated over one of southeastern New Hampshire’s largest and most productive aquifers.
Atlantic white cedar swamps are known to harbor imperiled species such as the Hessel’s hairstreak butterfly and serve as breeding grounds for many birds, including downy woodpecker, brown creepers, magnolia warblers, black-throated blue warblers and ovenbirds. This portion of the Powwow River also provides high-quality habitat for waterfowl, including black ducks, bufflehead, mergansers, wood ducks and pied-billed grebes, and for wading birds, such as green and great blue herons.
Funding for the recent purchases comes from private supporters and a federal State Wildlife Grant through the N.H. Fish and Game Department. The tracts will ultimately be transferred to the Fish and Game Department, subject to deed restrictions ensuring the lands will continue to be managed for their wildlife and natural habitat values.
The newly protected parcels include: 27 acres from the Kenneth F. Briggs Jr. Revocable Trust (with about 710 feet of frontage along the Powwow River); 11 acres from Ronald and Rebecca Edmiston (670 feet of frontage on the river); and 2.87 acres and 1 acre, both from the LER Realty Trust.
“I’m just happy to see that this land will never get developed,” said Ron Edmiston. Before selling to the Conservancy, Edmiston bought the 11-acre tract to protect a view for a house on another lot, which he never ended up building. “Now it’s good to know that view will be protected forever.”
The Nature Conservancy thanks many private supporters for making protection efforts on the Powwow River possible, among them: Abenaki Timber Corporation, the French family, Northland Forest Products, the Patience and Thomas Chamberlin Fund, Rick Russman, and the Samuel P. Hunt Foundation.
“We’re always pleased to be able to work with The Nature Conservancy as a partner,” said Rick Russman of the Friends of Kingston Open Space. “The people of Kingston have certainly shown their support for conservation projects like this.”
Meanwhile, the Conservancy has secured a contract to purchase an additional tract along the Powwow River. The 22.3-acre Nichols parcel includes 470 feet of frontage along the river and part of the Atlantic white cedar complex. Funding for the $346,000 project (including parcel, transaction and stewardship costs) would come from a combination of sources. The town of Kingston is asking voters in March to approve $163,000 for the purchase. The N.H. Department of Transportation has agreed to provide about $60,000 as part of mitigation of from a highway project in Plaistow and Kingston. The N.H. Fish and Game Department will contribute about $40,000. The Nature Conservancy is seeking to raise the balance from private donors.
Since 2003, the Conservancy has been working in partnership with the N.H. Fish and Game Department, town of Kingston, and the Friends of Kingston Open Space to protect the Powwow River's cedar swamps. In 2003, the Conservancy, with help from its partners, purchased 123 acres, including wetlands and upland forest that provides critical buffer. That tract was transferred to the town of Kingston, subject to a conservation easement held by The Nature Conservancy.
In 2004, the Conservancy purchased 50 acres, including more than 3,000 feet of frontage on the Powwow River and nearly all of a large Atlantic white cedar basin swamp. The partners eventually hope to conserve a contiguous block of more than 900 acres, safeguarding the river and its special habitats and providing excellent opportunities for public boating, hunting, fishing and wildlife observation.
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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Since 1961 The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire has protected nearly 118,000 acres of ecologically significant land and has worked with partners to protect an additional 148,000 acres in the state. The Conservancy owns and manages 30 preserves across the state. For more information, visit nature.org/newhampshire.
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