NEIGHBORS > Local

Beaver Brook looks to expand with Whaleback property

Published: Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Correspondent photo by Jeff Comeau Beaver Brook Association land.

By JEFF COMEAU Correspondent

HOLLIS – The Beaver Brook Association is currently raising money to purchase 80 acres adjoining its existing 1,850 acres in Hollis and Brookline. The Whaleback Property, consisting of four parcels off Rocky Pond Road, adjacent to the northern area of Beaver Brook, will represent the largest land purchase in 35 years for the BBA. This is the first time in its 45-year history that the Beaver Brook Association is asking the public for assistance to help purchase land for conservation and preservation.

The goal is to raise the remaining $250,000 of the original $650,000 price by the March 31 deadline. The BBA has already raised $400,000 in private donations and public support from the Hollis Conservation Commission. The association is currently accepting donations and pledges through early 2011 to secure this purchase.

When asked why this aim to purchase the Whaleback Property was so important, Executive Director Cliff Simmonds said “We have 27 miles of boundaries on our property that we protect, and each year, those boundaries get a little bit more squeezed by development.”

According to a Nashua Regional Planning Commission study, it is estimated that the region will lose about 18,000 acres of forested land by 2020, a rate five times greater than the state average (15.1 percent vs. 3.1 percent), and the greatest number of losses – 2,472 acres – are expected in Hollis.

The Whaleback Property is an environmentally significant area that protects watersheds, threatened species and wetlands. It is home to the Blanding’s turtle, a state-listed endangered species, the spotted turtle, a state-listed threatened species, and several species of special concern. This purchase will also expand the more than 4,000 acres of contiguous conservation land that extends from Pepperell, Mass., through Brookline and Hollis. By adding to and protecting this greenway, the BBA hopes to ensure the preservation of the habitats, food sources and breeding routes and opportunities for the wildlife within this corridor.

The BBA was founded by Hollis P. Nichols and Jeffrey P. Smith in 1964 with 18 acres. Since then, it has been dedicated to its mission statement, which it is to promote the understanding of interrelationships in the natural world and to encourage conservation of natural resources through education and land stewardship.

Throughout the year, the BBA is open to the public for recreation and has several scheduled outdoor events and activities. Also, it hosts regional schools and out-of-state youth summer programs for educational purposes.

“People come out here and recognize that this is an incredible resource, not just for Hollis, not just for Brookline, but for the entire region,” Simmonds said. “People come from the entire region to utilize the resources here: the educational programs, the 30 miles of trails, the snowshoeing that we have out here and all the wonderful things we do.” Some of the activities that the BBA offers during the winter months include snowshoeing, fitness hikes, cross-country skiing, winter walks, wildlife tracking, and even full moon snowshoeing and hiking.

Simmonds said that to ensure that the Whaleback Property is obtained by the BBA, “it’s going to take those extra people to get (it) done and every gift, every single gift is going to count.”