News and Events
Sumner A. Dole III
Sumner Dole, a founder of the Belknap Range Conservation Coalition, passed away on January 7th at the age of 74. Most people knew Sumner as the Belknap County Forester, a position he held for nearly 30 years. He was always available to share his knowledge during a walk in the woods with landowners and was very familiar with the Belknap Range. In 2005 several residents of the Belknaps recognized the need to conserve more of the range and to identify land conservation organizations that would be willing to hold an interest in that land. Sumner Dole, and other Cooperative Extension members met with these residents and began discussions about an organization that would eventually become the Belknap Range Conservation Coalition in 2008. Since those original meetings in 2005, nearly 4000 acres have been conserved in the Belknap Range. We are thankful for Sumner’s help and encouragement in laying the foundation for this important work.
The Forest Society originally conserved the Evelyn H. and Albert D. Morse, Sr. Preserve in 2008, and since that time has worked with adjacent landowners to expand the acreage. The $250,000 LCHIP grant award will support the pending acquisition of 375 acres, bringing the Morse Preserve to 1,065 acres. Located at the southern end of the existing Preserve, this addition will significantly expand the network of contiguous conservation land in the southern Belknap Range.
The property, visible from Alton Bay, includes the ridgeline from Pine Mountain to Rocky Mountain, which provides exceptional higher elevation habitat and serves as a wildlife corridor. A beaver pond on the northern boundary hosts a heron rookery, and a logging road through the property is used by local hunters and recreationists. According to NH Fish and Game’s 2020 Wildlife Action Plan, 32 percent of the property is considered “Tier 1” habitat, or some of the best wildlife habitat in the state. Ninety acres of the property fall within a wellhead protection area for Alton Water Works, which supplies water to 700 residential and commercial buildings.
The Belknap Range Conservation Coalition has been selected by the Hannaford grocery store in Alton NH, at 80 Wolfeboro Hwy, as the beneficiary to receive a $1 donation for every Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet with the red circle sticker purchased at the Alton Hannaford location during January 2024.
Brighten your day with a purchase of a Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet at the Alton Hannaford and benefit the BRCC, a NH not-for-profit corporation with a mission to promote the conservation of open space, responsible stewardship, and low impact public enjoyment of the scenic, natural, recreational, and historical resources of the Belknap Mountain Range located in Alton, Gilford, Gilmanton and Belmont, NH.
The Hannaford Bloomin’ 4 Good Program, which launched in August 2021, is an easy way for shoppers to give back. Every Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet with the red circle sticker sold supports a nonprofit organization local to the Hannaford in which it was purchased.
BRCC Worked with the forest society to conserve nearly 500 acres of land to the North and South of the Morse Preserve. The southerly tract is a 222-acre parcel that includes the ridgeline that travels south from Pine Mountain and links to the 203-acre Alton Bay State Forest. This property includes a southwesterly facing cliff and rock ledges with a talus slope below. The northerly tract is a 260 - acre parcel which stretches from the Morse Preserve to Jesus Valley Road. More information on this exciting project is here: https://forestsociety.org/project/morse-additions
Help us clean up Mount Major for Earth Day! The Forest Society is conducting a cleanup event beginning at 10 AM on April 22nd. Come join in the fun! Get more information at https://forestsociety.org/event/earth-day-mount-major-self-guided-cleanup-challenge
Success! This property has been conserved!
The Lakes Region Conservation Trust teamed up with the Gilford Conservation Commission on this Conservation Project in Gilford. Previously, LRCT and Conservation Commission successfully conserved Piper Mountain and the Jail Pasture. This time, LRCT and the Commission worked to conserve the Weeks Property, a 65 acre parcel along Belknap Mountain Road that abuts other conservation land on the village side of Gunstock Mountain. The property has now been conserved and work has been completed on a kiosk, trails and a parking lot.
Read more: John M. & Eileen R. Weeks Conservation Project - Gilford, NH
The Belknap Range Conservation Coalition (BRCC) led a guided sunset hike on Piper Mountain, Gilford NH, on June 16, 2019. BRCC members Bev Divaio and Dan Tinkham met hikers at the parking lot at the top of Belknap Carriage Road. Piper Mountain has an elevation of 2044 feet and the trail is .9 miles long. The summit is rocky and flat with great vistas west and east. We enjoyed a nice evening watching the light fade in the west amongst broken clouds. We also played a questions game about the range with prizes sponsored by TD Bank in Gilford and Bolduc Park in Laconia, followed by an explanation of who owns Piper, and what the BRCC is all about. To see the 26 questions and answers, Read More below.
On Saturday, June 8th, from 9 am to 2 pm, BRCC and the Lakes Region Conservation Trust (LRCT) led a guided hike to explore the many unique features of this beautiful part of the Belknap Range. 10 participants had the opportunity to learn about these conserved lands and the natural and human history of LRCT’s Piper Mountain Conservation Area in Gilford and the land known as the Jail Pasture as well the summits of Piper and Belknap. Russ Wilder, BRCC Chairman and Rhys Bowen, LRCT Trustee, led participants on this moderate/strenuous hike and shared their knowledge of the historic and natural heritage of this area. Mr. Bowen, a research ornithologist, helped us identify 18 bird species we encountered and what they were doing at this buggy time of year (see Read More below). We also saw a very large snowshoe hare already in its brown phase while we were ascending Piper.
BRCC members supported Earth Day at the Mount Major Trailhead on April 24, 2019. BRCC members Nanci Mitchell and Russ Wilder supplied hot coffee and snacks for the volunteers cleaning up trail litter. They also greated hikers in the parking lot and provided information about hiking conditions.