GLLTnewsletter111911.qxd:Layout 1 11/22/11 9:20 AM Page 2 FALL/WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011/12 Stone House Farm If you have ever lived or visited this Conservationarea, you surely must have visit- Easement ed the Stone House Farm property in Stow. There Descendants of Abel Andrews owned the are few places more farm until about 1917. The Andrews spectacular than this womenfolk found it too isolated. local gem. The proper- “Nothing to do but look at mountains.” ty, with its rich and They sold it to a lumber baron. The interesting history, sur- Cromwell/Landry family bought the farm rounds Shell Pond and from Saunders Brothers, a lumber compa- is host to four popular ny, in 1986. Frank Eastman has been the hiking trails. The GLLT is caretaker for 25 years. He has restored pleased to announce that this old stone walls, cleared under- property will be protected forever brush and constructed many in its undeveloped state. The owners, trails and hiking bridges. David Cromwell and Sharon Landry, established a conservation easement to be The Stone House Farm held by the GLLT that allows for tradi- property is a high prior- tional uses such as commercial agriculture ity parcel for the GLLT and forestry, but prohibits development for permanent protec- and subdivision, in perpetuity. tion. It was identified in the Conservation The Stone House property is about 890 Plan for the Kezar River, acres in size (1.4 square miles), surround- Kezar Lake and Cold River pool ed by the White Mountain National Watersheds as the Shell Pond as a Forest (WMNF). In addition to the hik- Lands Focus Area for land protec- critical place ing trails, this private property offers tion. Permanent protection will ensure of scenic beauty. many peaceful and pretty views of the the ecological integrity of the large unfrag- Baldface Mountain range and other sur- Another popular hiking trail goes two mented forest block, surrounded by the rounding hills. The bulk of the land is miles around Shell Pond, a shallow 50- WMNF and the exemplary natural com- hardwood and softwood forest, last lum- acre great pond. This trail offers scenic munities within this forest. bered in 1977. views of nearby mountains and The owners want to sustain the property Rattlesnake ledges, including a peaceful In the early 1850s, Abel Andrews built an forever in its natural and scenic condi- trail through an old apple orchard and unusual 40’ x 25’ stone house out of tion. They want to preserve it as land that past an old sugar maple factory. large, hand-hewn granite slabs from is free from commercial, industrial or real Rattlesnake Mountain for his wife and 13 Over the years, numerous couples have estate development. “I cannot imagine children. He also cleared almost 200 acres held their wedding ceremonies on the this beautiful property covered with con- of pasture, of which only 25 open acres property. dos or a golf course,” said David now remain. Cromwell. “We think the best way to The Stone House Farm provides natural ensure its preservation is to make a gift of Rattlesnake flume (a gorge that is 300 feet habitat in which vegetation and wildlife long and 20 feet wide) and Rattlesnake a conservation easement to the Greater thrive. Wildlife includes bear, moose, Lovell Land Trust.” “We are grateful,” pool (a natural swimming hole that is 20 deer, coyote, beaver, hare, red fox, porcu- feet deep) are easily accessible on the said Tom Henderson “to David Cromwell pine, and fisher cat. Birds include wild and Sharon Landry for their generosity property via the Stone House Trail. These turkey, gamecock, ruffed grouse, geese, features are destinations for many hikers, and vision in preserving this very special great and blue heron, hummingbirds and place forever.” including those with young children. The a variety of hawks, ducks and songbirds. State of Maine designated Rattlesnake GLLTnewsletter111911.qxd:Layout 1 11/22/11 9:20 AM Page 3 GREATER LOVELL LAND TRUST FALL/WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011/12 PAGE 2 President’sRobert Winship, PresidentMessage When Susan and I purchased our little bit of paradise plan on closing on a three-hundred acre parcel on the on Bradley Pond in 1995, our neighbor to the south west side of Sucker Brook, adding an important link was the James River Company, a large timber and in the western wildlife corridor project. paper operation. We were a little concerned about We recently received notice that we are named heir to what might transpire on the land next door, but on a fifty-three acre parcel of woodland, including a balance we thought this beautiful spot would serve us homestead, in Lovell, formerly owned by Lucy Irion. well. Within a few months, however, Howard Corwin's Although the disposition of the homestead is uncer- troops from the GLLT were knocking on the door tain at this time, the balance of the forest land will be looking for help to purchase the timber company's for- protected in perpetuity in accordance with Mrs. Irion's est land, to be preserved forever. Such was our intro- wishes. duction to the GLLT and the beginning of our fifteen year saga with the land trust. We quickly learned about These superb additions to our protected lands come as the weekly walks during July and August and one the result of years of work with local land owners and thing led to another. Susan and I became docents friends of the GLLT. The groundwork laid by Howard through the great training program begun by Kevin Corwin, Bill McCormick, Tom Henderson and many Harding and we learned about the flora, fauna and others has made this great organization into a first-rate wonderful properties that the GLLT had acquired. success story. We will continue to grow our successes The docent-led walks, along with the weekly talks at by further collaborating with the Kezar Lake the library, form the foundation of the education pro- Watershed Association. We have recently agreed to gram which the GLLT sponsors and which is now share a part of our office with the KLWA and their under the direction of Bridie McGreavy. During this logo has been added to our office sign. By working past summer, Bridie's first as our Education Director, more closely with the KLWA, we will strengthen our over five hundred participants enjoyed a highly varied collective effort to protect and enhance the waters, program that included something for every member of wetlands and forests, which we all so much appreciate. the family. I hope you will all have a chance to join us One last item of interest is our next annual education next summer to explore some of our interesting prop- meeting. Mark your calendar for the second Saturday erties and take part in the natural history presenta- in August, when we will be honored to have as our tions at the library. speaker George Jacobson, Professor Emeritus of Our program to protect special land from develop- Biology, Ecology and Climate Change at the ment is proceeding apace. In this issue of our newslet- University of Maine in Orono. Professor Jacobson is ter you will read about the conservation easement, also the State Climatologist and a founder of the which we will hold on the Stone House Farm in Stow. Climate Change Institute in Orono. He will speak on This eight-hundred acre property includes all of Shell living with climate change in Maine, and I assure you Pond, the old farm with its large apple orchard and that he will be both entertaining and thought the trails, which provide access to Rattlesnake Pool provoking. and Blueberry Mountain. This is truly a local treasure, which will now be protected forever. We are also ready to close on another conservation easement that will protect nearly one-hundred acres of land contiguous to the Heald-Bradley Reserve. And before year-end we GLLTnewsletter111911.qxd:Layout 1 11/22/11 9:20 AM Page 4 GREATER LOVELL LAND TRUST FALL/WINTER NEWSLETTER 2011/12 PAGE 3 from the Desk Tom Henderson, Executive Director Passions can be a source of great motivation and when acted side flaps of my floor-less tent. Cool, crisp, mountain air upon can resultNotes in untold and unexpected reward. Those of us breezed through. As each new wind rose up in the distance, I in the land trust community share a passion for the natural listened to it make its journey through the notch, under the world, which motivates us to join together with others to pre- flaps of the tent, across the field, and finally escape down the serve it. I believe it is the land that we are most passionate Cold River Valley. What at first was unknown and unnerving about, as all else follows: native wildlife, clean water, incompa- became fascinatingly reassuring and soothing. I drifted off to rable landscapes and rich and diverse recreational experiences. sleep as yet another wind rose up and began its journey. The GLLT expects to complete three significant land protec- The following day, we hiked to the summit of Speckled tion projects this year including the Stone House Farm conser- Mountain with its magnificent views so expansive that the vation easement featured here. Combined, these projects total State of Maine built a fire tower there. We returned by way of 1,391 acres. This is the highest number of acres ever preserved the Rattlesnake Pools and the bravest of us took a plunge, my in a single year throughout our history. Notably, the donation first plunge into a frigid mountain stream.