Latest news with #PiscataquogLandConservancy
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bedford Town Council approves land swap to strengthen conservation and support Joppa Hill Farm
Joppa Hill View 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.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Marston-Dunlap Conservation Area to open June 8
The town of Bedford is celebrating the opening of the Marston-Dunlap Conservation Area at 560 Wallace St. "We are excited to show the work of so many different people who made this possible," Conservation Planner Kathleen Ports said. "Bedford residents seem to really enjoy their trails and this is a neat effort." The conservation area, a 46-acre parcel of land, is preparing for its opening ceremony on Sunday at 10 a.m. The ceremony will begin with a ribbon cutting followed by a guided walk through the trails that starts at 10:30 a.m. As previously reported in the Union Leader, the Piscataquog Land Conservancy and the Town of Bedford conserved 123 acres of land formerly owned by the Marcia Marston Trust in Bedford and Goffstown. Bedford then purchased 46 acres of land from the Marston Trust in 2021 for $1 million with money previously contributed to the Bedford conservation fund. The opening has been a long time coming since the town purchased the land. According to Ports, they halted their plans in 2022 to perform an archaeological survey. Ports said the land was owned by the Dunlap family in the late 1700s. Major John Dunlap originally settled in Goffstown, but then took down his home, marked each piece, and carried it to the new location in Bedford. "The 46-acre wooded parcel of land was once part of a farm of over 200 acres, much of which belonged to the Dunlap family starting from the 1770s," Ports said. "The Dunlaps were expert furniture makers whose works are displayed in several museums across the country." Dunlap Road was laid in 1780 but was then replaced by Wallace Road in the 1820s. According to Ports, remains of 1930s and 1940s touring cars can be found near the road on the conservation area. Conservation Commission Chair Grant Killian said most of the remains of the Dunlap homestead are now overgrown by the forest. "I think that's neat, it shows that nature marches on no matter what we do," Killian said. The town resumed plans in 2023 to build a parking lot and clear out 1.5 miles of trails for the public to use. With the project now complete, Killian said he is looking forward to welcoming the public to this historic place. "Now that spring has sprung this is a fresh opportunity we have to welcome the community to use this place that has layers of history," Killian said. sgreen@
