Powwow River and Atlantic white cedar swamp. Mark Zankel photo © TNC

Wildlife Habitat Along Powwow River Protected by The Nature Conservancy, Town of Kingston and NH Fish and Game

KINGSTON, N.H.—January 9, 2003—A 123-acre tract in Kingston that had once been eyed by developers will now be preserved as a forest for future generations.

The land - which holds and abuts rare Atlantic white cedar swamps - has been protected by a partnership of The Nature Conservancy, the Friends of Kingston Open Space, the town of Kingston and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

The land is between the Powwow River and New Boston Road and was formerly owned by heirs of Richard Sargent, whose family protected other lands in the area. In its protected status, this parcel expands a network of other lands protected by the town of Kingston, Fish and Game and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

It holds several Atlantic white cedar swamps, a globally rare habitat that has been deemed a priority for protection by The Nature Conservancy. In addition to 40-plus acres of wetlands, the land's upland forests provide critical buffer for the Powwow River and its marshlands and for the cedar swamps. The tract's sandy soils serve as important groundwater recharge zones for the Powwow-Kingston aquifer.

Last year, when staff from The Nature Conservancy contacted the landowner's attorney to discuss a purchase, the attorney had an offer from a prospective developer sitting on his desk. Development of the tract could threaten the Powwow River and the cedar swamp ecosystem as a result of fragmentation, nutrient-laden runoff and water level changes in the swamps. The Nature Conservancy responded quickly and within two days assembled a competing offer that was ultimately selected by the landowner.

Motivated by Friends of Kingston Open Space, Kingston residents rallied to protect the land. In March 2002, Kingston voters approved $50,000 toward the purchase. Another $35,000 will come from the Fish and Game Department, and The Nature Conservancy will raise the remaining $150,000.

A closing on the land deal was completed today. The property will be owned by the town of Kingston, and The Nature Conservancy will hold a conservation easement.

"This land has a mix of features that makes it ideal for protection," said Daryl Burtnett, New Hampshire state director of The Nature Conservancy. "It has wonderful Atlantic white cedar swamps, connects with other protected lands, and covers and contributes to one of the largest aquifers in southeastern New Hampshire."

The tract had been in the Sargent family for seven generations, according to Anna Sargent Russell of Northampton, Mass. Russell said her father "would have been delighted to see that this land is going to be protected. He cared very much about his land and he would have hated to see houses all over it."

The Nature Conservancy also facilitated the donation of another 6 acres to the town of Kingston. That parcel - which abuts the 123 acres and other town conservation land - was donated by Rick Russman, a member of the Friends of Kingston Open Space. The Conservancy will also hold an easement on this property.

"I'm really glad to be able to do this," Russman said. "It's good for the landscape, it's good to keep land open and it's good for the town. It's a step in the right direction. I'm hoping that other landowners might be interested in donating land or a conservation easement."

Ed Robinson, Fish and Game's waterfowl biologist is glad that this project is succeeding. "The Powwow River wetland complex with a protected upland buffer provides excellent quality habitat for native and migratory waterfowl," Robinson said. "Common waterfowl species include Canada geese, mallards, wood ducks, green-winged teal and black ducks."

The acquisitions "are great for the town because they protect a very environmentally sensitive area," said Kevin Burke, a Kingston selectman. "It puts the land in conservation, which otherwise would have been under development pressure and ultimately very costly for the town."

This is The Nature Conservancy's first on-the-ground land acquisition in its Powwow River watershed conservation project. The Conservancy initiated the project last year to protect rare and imperiled wildlife habitat and biodiversity features in the watershed.

The Powwow River, a tributary of the Merrimack River, is a remarkably diverse non-tidal river system in southeastern New Hampshire. The Conservancy is focusing its conservation efforts on the central portion of the Powwow River watershed, which contains biological and ecological resources of tremendous local, regional and global significance. The central Powwow has the most extensive complex of Atlantic white cedar swamp forest wetlands in New Hampshire, an exemplary streamside fen ecosystem, high quality swamp white oak floodplain forests and productive emergent marshes, all of which overlay one of southeastern New Hampshire's most productive aquifers.

The Powwow supports a warmwater fishery and its abundant riparian areas and wetlands provide high quality migratory and nesting wildlife habitat for a wide variety of waterfowl, such as black ducks, bufflehead, mergansers, wood ducks and pied-billed grebes, and for wading birds, such as green and great blue herons. Atlantic white cedar swamps can support imperiled species, such as the Hessel's hairstreak butterfly, and serve as breeding grounds for many birds, including downy woodpeckers, brown creepers, veeries, magnolia warblers, black-throated blue warblers and ovenbirds.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For a photo, contact Eric Aldrich at The Nature Conservancy, (603) 224-5853, ext. 26