107 Acres of Wetlands & Wildlife Habitat Added to
Silvio Conte National Wildlife Refuge

Thick carpets of peat moss are abundant within the newly acquired Blueberry Swamp properties.  © Tom Geser/USFWS

On January 12, just over one hundred and seven acres of Blueberry Swamp in Columbia, NH were permanently protected through a partnership of The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Blueberry Swamp is a large wetland ecosystem in the heart of the Mohawk River Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, and contains high quality marsh, peatlands, and an exemplary northern white cedar swamp documented by the New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau.

In March of 2008, Clifton and Ghislaine Boudle of Colebroook listed their 51.5-acre property for sale.  The property is located off of Marshall Hill Road, south of Rte. 26 in Columbia.  Recognizing that the Boudle property was in an area of interest for the Conte Refuge, their realtor, Coralie Stepanian, contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  The Service, as it turned out, was indeed very interested, and asked The Nature Conservancy for assistance. 

The Conservancy was able to reach an agreement to purchase the property from the Boudles.  Shortly thereafter, in May 2008, the two conservation partners learned that the abutting landowners, Frederick and Miriam Sweatt of North Stratford, had decided to list their 56-acre Blueberry Swamp property as well.  In short order a contract was signed, launching a series of due diligence tasks including title research, appraisals, and environmental hazard assessments.     

Tom Geser, Senior Realty Specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, praised The Nature Conservancy’s role in working with the landowner and helping the Service protect significant wildlife habitat in the Connecticut River watershed.  “These particular tracts lie in the heart of this new Division [established December 2007] of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.  The Nature Conservancy’s partnership in this and similar acquisitions is critical to bringing landowners to the closing table.” 

Both properties are predominantly wetland, with small areas of upland dominated by a mix of hardwoods, spruce, and Balsam fir.  Blueberry Swamp provides high quality, diverse wetland habitat for waterfowl, migratory birds, black bear, moose, and other local wildlife.  Funds for the two acquisitions came from the federal Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which is derived in large part through the sale of waterfowl hunting licenses or “Duck Stamps.”

View the Mohawk River Division Map (.pdf, 2.13mb)

Bunnell Preserve, along with an abutting 8,000-acre working forest under conservation easement, are located just south of the Mohawk River Division and were protected by the Conservancy in 2000.   Daryl Burtnett, State Director for The Nature Conservancy, was thrilled about the two new acquisitions.  “Blueberry Swamp is important for wildlife, some of which move back and forth between this large wetland complex and the forests and wetlands of the Bunnell Preserve.  We expect the Conte Refuge to take good care of these properties, and to make sure that they are managed for the benefit of nature and people.” 

In the nearby Pondicherry Division of the Conte Refuge in Jefferson and Whitefield, The Nature Conservancy has helped the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquire nearly 1,500 acres, but these two properties represent the Conservancy’s first land protection projects within the Mohawk River Division and “will help to establish this as an area worthy of additional Refuge investment,” says Burtnett.  “We hope to have the chance to work with other private landowners to help protect the region’s unique natural resources.”

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.  To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Since 1961, The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire has helped protect more than 265,000 acres of ecologically significant land and currently owns and manages 28 preserves across the state. For more information, visit www.nature.org/newhampshire.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal agency whose mission is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.  The Service manages the 96 million acre National Wildlife Refuge System, the world’s preeminent system of public lands devoted to protection and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats. The 548 units of the Refuge System receive over 40 million visitors each year who participate in hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, environmental education and interpretation, and other outdoor recreation activities.