Bedford Town Council approves land swap to strengthen conservation and support Joppa Hill Farm
Joppa Hill Educational Farm is situated on 35 acres of land leased from the town of Bedford.
The Bedford Town Council approved plans for a strategic land adjustment within the Joppa Hill Conservation Area to strengthen conservation and support Joppa Hill Educational Farm.
At the June 11 meeting, the council voted unanimously to take 8.3 acres (near the educational farm) out of long-term conservation status so it can be used for municipal or farm-related purposes. In exchange, 25 acres of land (previously designated for municipal use) would go into permanent conservation.
The Joppa Hill Conservation Area is a 190-acre parcel of land owned by the town of Bedford and subject to a conservation easement by the Piscataquog Land Conservancy. The conservation easement limits certain uses of the property to protect the land, but has provisions for two soccer fields, an educational farm and a municipal zone for possible future use. Joppa Hill Educational Farm leases 35 of those acres and operates as a working farm and community hub open to the public every day.
According to reports from Chris Bandazian, president of the farm, and Drew Cline, former chairman of the farm's board, the original proposed 25-acre municipal zone is not suitable for building.
The thought to preserve an area for municipal use was established in the early 2000s with nothing particular in mind for its use. Attempts to develop the land would be difficult and expensive and would be better used for conservation, according to Cline.
'The amount of impact to the property no matter where you would try to put anything was pretty strong and the shape, soil and habitat make it really inconducive to building anything there as opposed to what it's currently being used for, which is conservation,' Cline said in the meeting. 'We really walked through the whole area to figure out if it would be cost effective or feasible and it was a real challenge.'
Bandazian said when the 25 acres were mapped, they found that the land mainly consisted of wetlands and steep slopes.
'It revealed what you would observe on the field, virtually everything was a wetland and even what appears to be dry land most of the year cannot be used for farm equipment because it's so wet.' Bandazian said in the meeting. 'To be able to use it would require a lot of land clearing, fill, and a 10-foot retaining wall on each side.'
Bandazian suggested the parcel be put in long-term conservation and 8.3 acres of land closer to the farm be excluded in exchange. The 8.3 acres would include an already disturbed area that could help alleviate parking issues and support educational programs for the farm.
Chairwoman Lori Radke called it a win-win.
'The town doesn't have a lot of conservation and I think this is a great opportunity to conserve what we have,' Radke said. 'We want to make this the best place for having both municipal and conservation.'
Executive Director of Joppa Hill Educational Farm Sarah Grosvenor said they will work with the Piscataquog Land Conservancy to finalize the land adjustment.
'There's no actual plans in place for building anything on that 8.3 acres yet,' Grosvenor said. 'It just gives us more freedom if we did want to end up proposing something to the town on a future project.'
The farm is taking additional measures to preserve the health of the land and its animals.
'We are no longer providing grain cups for visitors to feed animals because we want to prioritize the health of our animals,' Grosvenor said. 'Some of our animals were overweight and two sadly passed away because of an over abundance of carbohydrates and starch, and having too much grain contributed to that.'
Joppa Hill Horses Grazing
Three horses graze on a pasture at Joppa Hill Educational Farm in Bedford.
The farm also implemented rotational grazing for the livestock, which is a pasture management method where animals are moved between different grazing areas to let the grass rest and regrow. This helps keep pastures healthy, improves soil quality, and gives animals fresh forage more often.
Grosvenor said the new changes have come as a surprise to the public, but she hopes they will understand the farm's vision.
'Our mission is to preserve the land and the farm as a working farm where we can continue to provide educational opportunities through a variety of different ways,' she said.
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