Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire

LAND CONSERVATION SELT conserved or assisted in the protection of 1,338 acres of land through 14 projects. Conservation work continued to focus on four key areas Living Landscapes, Clean Drinking Water, the Pawtuckaway to Great Bay Greenway initiative, and Farmland for the Future. Projects include acquisition of fee lands and easements and three assists for partners. Under our Living Landscapes initiative, SELT completed nine projects. Highlights included the donation of 140 acres in Atkinson, with a completed trail system and covered bridge, known as the Schafer Woods, and the donation of conservation easements, one in Hampton on 21 acres and another on 32 acres known as Ardnaberry in Rye. In Barrington, SELT acquired 144 acres along the Isinglass River, now known as the O Connell Family Woods. In addition, SELT acquired three separate tracts from the Bedford family, all of which were critical wildlife habitat along Stonehouse Brook and Mallego Brook and adjacent to Stonehouse Forest. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O

LAND MANAGEMENT At the end of 2024, SELT owned 45 distinct fee-owned properties, an increase of four year over year, and totaling 11,284 acres. SELT focused on installation of new trail systems, maintenance of existing trails, maintaining fields, invasive plant removal, wildlife habitat, forest health, and addressing trespasses and encroachments. Some of the projects completed include The Birch Ridge Community Forest in New Durham where 20 acres of early successional habitat was created and 35 acres of timber stand improvement was conducted. This work was the final phase of a larger scale management project that began in 2020 A wetlands crossing was replaced at Brown Brook Forest in Fremont. This replacement provided better access to the property for future management as well as re-established better connectivity of the wetland that is separated by the crossing a two-mile trail public trail system was maintained and signed, with a parking lot constructed, to welcome the public to Schafer Woods in Atkinson.