Forest Reservation Challenge Take-Along Checklist
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Forest Reservation Challenge Take-Along Checklist This printable list is meant to help you keep track of properties you’ve visited. Some Tier 2 questions can be answered by visiting the property, but some will require reading about the property on the Forest Reservation Guide on the Forest Society’s website, forestsociety.org. For both Tier 1 and Tier 2, please document each visit by sending the photos and/or answers to [email protected]. Great North Woods Region 1. Washburn Family Forest - Clarksville Coordinates: 45.02034, -71.464 Tier 1: Take a picture of yourself (selfie) with the Connecticut River. Tier 2: Capture the photo above and answer one set of the following questions, using the online Forest Reservation Guide to help you: i. The Washburn Forest has six miles of direct frontage on the Connecticut River. What types of recreation does the river provide? What special wildlife habitat types does this provide, and for which species? ii. The property also contains nine miles of excellent interior gravel roads. What opportunities for specialized recreation does this network provide? iii. The view from the height of land at the terminus of the road to the former Bressette Farm overlook the scenic Amey Family Farm. What is the name of the major tributary? What historic NH event is associated with this famous stream location? 2. Kauffmann Forest - Stark Coordinates: 44.6283, -71.3911 Tier 1: Take a selfie with Christine Lake in the background. Tier 2: Take the above photo and answer the following questions given the information provided. There are 2,200 protected acres surrounding Christine Lake including the Percy Summer Club easement and the Forest Society Kauffman Forest - all located between the 787,000-acre White Mountain National Forest and 40,000 acre Nash Steam State Forest. Christine Lake is now home to trout, loons, ospreys, bald eagles. The cliffs of Devil's Slide are home to nesting peregrine falcons. These bird species are making a comeback. i. What happened to reduce these bird species numbers? What threats might they face in the future? 3. David Dana Forest - Dalton Coordinates: 44.3904, -71.6417 Tier 1: Take a selfie with the abandoned mine / cliff face in the background OR showing the spruce and fir forest habitat. Tier 2: Take one of the selfies above and answer the questions given this information: East-facing slopes growing spruce and fir are the site of a steep ledge overlooking a 100-foot- deep, abandoned gold mine shaft now entirely filled with water. i. How would this forest have looked different at the time of active mining? What challenges would a mining company have faced here? Would you have invested in such an enterprise? Why or why not? White Mountains Region 4. Bretzfelder Park - Bethlehem Coordinates: 44.2973, -71.6932 Tier 1: Take a photo of yourself with the property sign OR at pond. Tier 2: Take one of the photos above and answer these questions - Hike from the picnic pavilion down to the pond. How long did that take? What did you see? Did you visit the Charles Bretzfelder Memorial Pine Tree? What did you find most unique about this large old White Pine? 5. The Rocks Estate - Bethlehem Coordinates: 44.2773, -71.7322 Tier 1: Take a selfie at the Rocks Estate sign OR of the Christmas trees Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer one set of questions below: i. Two types of trees are grown here for Christmas trees - can you pick them out? Do you know their names? How are they different? ii. Growing Christmas trees takes a lot more work than you might think. What kinds of maintenance do you think happens here throughout the year? How would this field of trees look different if NO maintenance was done at all? 6. Kingsbury Timber – Chippewa Trail Lot - North Haverhill Coordinates: 43.48301, -72.13683 Tier 1: Take a photo of yourself with the limestone kiln or at the top of Black Mountain. Tier 2: Take one of the selfies above and answer the following question: The Chippewa Trail climbs gradually and then steeply, gaining 700 feet on the ascent toward the summit of 2800' Black Mountain. On your hike, do you tend to see more conifer trees or deciduous trees? Hint: the snout of sandy, well-drained soil forming the steep west bank of Titus Brook is a glacial esker, a feature frequently found at the toe slopes of peaks in the adjacent White Mountain National Forest. 7. Lost River Reservation - Woodstock Coordinates: 44.0382, -71.7848 Tier 1: Take a photograph of yourself at the Dilly Cliffs/Kinsman Notch sign OR in Lost River Gorge. Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer these questions: Look at the slopes surrounding Lost River Gorge. You can see many white birches on them - do they look like healthy trees to you? Why or why not? Why do you think they are in that condition? Can you guess why so many White Birch are found in the White Mountains overall? Dartmouth / Lake Sunapee Region 8. Grafton Pond Reservation - Grafton Coordinates: 43.58013, -72.04527 Tier 1: Take photo of you with (or without!) your boat at the boat launch OR a selfie at the property sign on Cardigan Point Trail OR of yourself on one of the many islands (if you have a boat). Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer one set of the following questions: i. What types of watercraft are NOT allowed at Grafton Pond? How many islands are located on Grafton Pond? Roughly six of the seven miles of shoreline are owned by the Forest Society. Who owns the remaining shorefront not owned by the Forest Society? ii. Thousands of paddlers visit this pond every year to canoe and kayak its pristine shoreline, explore the many islands, and go fishing and wildlife watching. There are also breeding loons on the pond; how do you think this recreational use might affect the loon population? What could you (and others) do to minimize this impact? 9. Donas J. & Margaret Reney Memorial Forest - Grantham Coordinates: 43.48301, -72.13683 Tier 1: Take a self-photo at the trailhead kiosk, OR at the snowmobile warming hut. Tier 2: Take one of the selfies above and answer one set of questions: i. The Barton Farm predates the forestland purchased by the Reney Family. What were three pioneer tree species to first colonize the former farmlands? What are three more shade-tolerant, Northern Hardwood tree species now found growing in dense shade on the former farmlands? ii. Walk the loop trail at Reney Forest - do you see any evidence that this forest has been managed for timber? If so, what? Try to guess how long ago different areas were harvested. 10. Hay Reservation - Newbury Coordinates: 43.35145, -72.04036 Tier 1: Take a selfie at the trailhead kiosk, OR at a cellar hole on the reservation OR on the summit of Sunset Hill. Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer one set of questions below: i. What is the name of the cellar at the junction of Old Country Road and Sunset Hill Trail? Show us a photo of the interpretive sign there. The view from the summit of Sunset Hill above this cellar hole includes a prominent nearby peak, the Forest Society's first-ever forest reservation protected in 1912. What is the name of this peak? ii. Find the Hastings Cellar Hole- can you imagine that a family used to live right here on the side of Sunset Hill? How do you think the view from their front door looks different than your view of the forest today? 11. Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest - Lempster Coordinates: 43.188, -72.170 Tier 1: Take a selfie at the log cabin OR of a view from the summit of Silver Mountain. Tier 2: Capture one of the above photos and answer one set of questions below: i. What is the family name of the previous owners of this sprawling 1,800 acres? What is the connection between the name of the open summit mountain and the family's primary business venture? ii. Take a walk along the trail to Sand Pond or Long Pond. Did you pass any enormous boulders in the woods? How do you think they got there? Lakes Region 12. High Watch Preserve - Effingham/ Freedom Coordinates: 43.758, -71.020 Tier 1: Take a selfie with the Fire Tower OR of the view from Hanson Top OR the trailhead sign/kiosk. Tier 2: Complete one of the tasks above and answer one of the questions below: i. Can you find evidence of an ice storm that damaged trees? Show us a photo. This sprawling 2,171 acres includes two summits: Green Mountain and Hanson Top - What are their respective elevations? What are the names and elevations of two other named summits located to west along the same ridge of Green Mountain? ii. The Green Mountain Fire Tower is one of the remaining fire towers in NH that is still occasionally staffed. Why do you think we have fewer staffed fire towers today than we did 50 years ago? 13. Merriman Forest - Sandwich Coordinates: 43.7749, -71.479 Tier 1: Take a self-photo with the Eagle Cliff Forest sign OR from the ledges at Eagle Cliff. Tier 2: Capture one of the photos above and answer these questions - What tree species grows best on the steepest rocky slopes of Eagle Cliff? Why do you think conifers (evergreens) out-compete deciduous trees on shallow soils? 14.