101 Acres of Wildlife Habitat Added to Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge

The Nature Conservancy assists U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in protecting additional important bird habitat.

June at Pondicherry with warblers singing and fair weather clouds over the Presidential range. © David Govatski

As early as 1889, bird watchers began making detailed observations of the remarkable diversity of bird life at Pondicherry in Jefferson and Whitefield, NH.  Today, the area is documented to harbor a greater diversity of birds than any other similar-sized area in New Hampshire.

Protecting this valuable habitat for people and nature is why The Nature Conservancy assisted the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in adding 101.6 acres to the Pondicherry Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.

The tract, acquired on December 4, is in Jefferson, between Cherry Pond and Route 115, and is bounded on three sides by the Pondicherry refuge and other conservation land. The property is primarily forested, and includes a stream and several wetlands that flow into Moorhen Marsh in the heart of the wildlife refuge.

The Nature Conservancy worked with the landowners - Franz P. Haase and Louise A. Haase of Wolfeboro, NH, and Eileen S. Herman-Haase and Howard C. Herman-Haase of Medford, MA - to reach agreement and carry out the acquisition of this property.  Funds for the acquisition came from the federal Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which is derived in large part through the sale of waterfowl hunting licenses or “Duck Stamps.”

Dave Govatski, president of the Friends of Pondicherry and chair of the Jefferson Conservation Commission, is thrilled that this tract has been protected. “Ruffed grouse and woodcock love the Haase Tract because it has excellent habitat for them to raise young and to find food and cover,” Govatski said.  “It is also surrounded on three sides by other refuge lands which improves the continuity of the area. And because it is only a quarter mile to the White Mountain National Forest lands on Cherry Mountain, this acquisition helps protect a travel corridor for moose, deer, and other wildlife that travel seasonally between the lowlands of Pondicherry and the uplands of the National Forest.”

The project leader of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Andrew French, praised The Nature Conservancy’s role in helping the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service work with willing sellers to achieve its land acquisition goals, designed to provide habitat for migratory bird species.  The Nature Conservancy has helped the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquire nearly 1,500 acres at Pondicherry, and is in the process of acquiring an additional 80-acre parcel from Diane Jordan.  The Jordan property will fill in an important gap in the northern part of the refuge.

Pondicherry has long been known for its exceptional bird habitat, supporting some 230 species, including 13 species of high conservation concern, such as common loon, northern harrier, sora, rusty blackbird, whip-poor-will, American woodcock, and American black duck. The area also supports 41 species of mammals, 20 amphibian and reptile species, and 17 fish species.

Pondicherry is a division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, which currently includes seven divisions aimed at protecting critical habitats across the Connecticut River watershed.  With the new addition, the Pondicherry Division now totals 5,528 acres, including 166 acres protected by conservation easement.