A River Runs Through It

Daisies bloom in the field on the MacIntosh property in Newmarket. © Eric Aldrich/TNC.

Land protection is in full swing at Great Bay this spring.  The Nature Conservancy, on behalf of the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership, recently acquired 48 wooded acres from the Moriarty family on Bennett Road in Durham.  Working over the past four years, nine family members, including one residing in Cambodia, came together to honor the wishes of the family matriarch and patriarch by permanently conserving the property.

Located in the Oyster River watershed and including a small stream system, the Moriarty property is predominantly upland with a forest composed primarily of white pine, shagbark hickory, red and white oak.  Several large, solid stands of shagbark hickory highlight the landscape.

The Moriarty property abuts the 134-acre Beaudette tract previously conserved for the Great Bay Partnership, the UNH owned 83-acre MacDonald Lot Natural Area and 153-acre East Foss Farm, and funding was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a private foundation.  The tract will be transferred to New Hampshire Fish & Game Department, which will manage it as part of the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Also acquired by the Conservancy on behalf of the Great Bay Partnership is a conservation easement on 66 acres along Ash Swamp Road in Newmarket.  The MacIntosh property, located along the Piscassic River, was identified as a priority through a conservation plan prepared by members of the Great Bay Partnership in 2002.  In this conservation plan, over 29 bird species were recorded for this area including the Eastern towhee and nesting black ducks.  Additionally, the area provides habitat for Jefferson-blue salamanders and is a prime potential source of drinking water for the Town of Newmarket.  Protection of the MacIntosh property contributes to the conservation of these significant features by protecting approximately 3,490 feet of frontage and associated floodplain along the Piscassic River and an over 10-acre field that the landowner manages for grassland bird habitat.  Also occurring on the property are black and red maple, basswood, white ash, elm and lady fern.  Vernal pools and an exemplary low-gradient, silty-sandy riverbank system are also present.

Bob MacIntosh, a lifelong resident of Newmarket, inherited this property and wished to honor the wishes of the previous owner by seeing the land conserved.  Demonstrating his commitment to his community, Bob and his wife Cathy worked with the Town of Newmarket and the Conservancy to assure that the property could provide a much-needed well for drinking water withdrawal while not adversely affecting the wetland and riverine systems we are working to protect.

Funding for this project was provided by NOAA, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and a private foundation.  The conservation easement will be transferred to New Hampshire Fish & Game Department for monitoring.