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State Lands Habitat Program Highlights From the 2

nd Half of 2017

Jim Oehler

State Lands Habitat Biologist January 16, 2018

Click on the property name to view its profile on Fish & Game’s or DRED’s website including

links to maps. To learn more about how the Department manages its WMAs, click here.

REGION 1 Connecticut Lakes Natural Area (CLNA) Pittsburg

The 9-mile section of East Inlet Road that traverses the Nature Preserve portion of the property

saw major improvements over the summer. This road is the primary artery for both recreational

and management access to the 14,000-acre Nature Preserve. It provides access to East Inlet, a 92-

acre impoundment, and the 20-acre Boundary Pond north of the CLNA. Both are very popular

trout fishing, canoeing and kayaking destinations in the North Country. The road also provides

access for hunters and wildlife watchers. Other than a little grading, this road has not seen

significant maintenance for 20+ years. Jill Kilborn coordinated the resurfacing and grading of this

road, which will help to maintain it in good working condition for many more years. Gravel was

harvested from an onsite pit. Funding for this project has been secured from a Wildlife and Sport

Fish Restoration grant with match provided by management endowments established when the

property was purchased by the state.

Map depicting

location of the Indian

Stream portion and

the Nature Preserve,

where recent projects

are occurring on the

CNLA. Map by Jill

Kilborn.

Nature

Preserve

East Inlet Road

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Gravel being mined and processed from a pit on the CLNA near Scott Bog

for use in regraveling East Inlet Road. Picture by Jill Kilborn.

Before (left) and after (right) pictures of East Inlet Road. The condition of the road had been deteriorating for

many years with pot holes, areas of erosion, and boulders or large rocks sticking up making travel difficult.

With new gravel in place, it will make for much better access. Pictures by Jill Kilborn.

In addition to the road work, invasive plant treatments in and around the CLNA are ongoing.

Knotweed populations have been virtually eradicated and are monitored annually for

sprouting. Phragmites populations were treated for the first time this fall and will receive

follow up treatments as needed.

To minimize the spread of invasives onto the CLNA, Jill has been participating in the Upper

Connecticut River Invasive Species Management Area (UC CISMA) collaborative, a group of

natural resource professionals focused on minimizing the spread of invasive plants in the

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northern extent of the Connecticut River watershed. The UC CISMA applied for and received

a $20,000.00 grant from the Tillotson Foundation and an $8,000.00 grant from the Davis

Conservation Foundation for invasive treatment, education and outreach. The money will be

used for on-the-ground mechanical and chemical treatment, coordination with communities,

education and outreach with local schools and finally coordination of an invasive plant

symposium to be held in the spring of 2018.

Lastly, wildlife openings on the South Bay Bog Operating Unit were maintained this year

under a contract with the Wildlife Management Institute. A private contractor was used to

mow three wildlife openings and access roads to the openings.

REGION 2

Lower Shaker WMA, Enfield – Denyce Gagne and Brian Lemire coordinated quite a bit of work

on the Lower Shaker WMA this summer and fall. Wood ash was spread on 60 acres of fields to

help sweeten the soils and give grasses a competitive advantage in an attempt to improve

grassland habitat. Invasive exotic plants were also treated on 50 acres of fields and field edges.

Except for these areas, most of the Lower Shaker WMA is relatively free of invasive exotic plants

and we’re going to work to keep it that way. Contractors targeted bush honeysuckle, common

buckthorn, and multiflora rose via a foliar spray application of herbicides using licensed

applicators. Common buckthorn with stem diameters of 2-4” that were too large for a foliar

application were treated via cut stem (cut the small tree and swab the cut stump with herbicide).

Additional control operations are slated for other portions of the WMA next summer. We also

reached out to our neighbors at the Enfield Shaker Museum to see if they would be willing to

control the honeysuckle and rose on their adjoining property to deter reinvasion of the WMA.

The museum property is the only other place we know these species to occur in the local

landscape. The museum board voted to approve an expenditure to do just that. That work will

also occur next summer.

Kearsarge WMA, Andover – A brontosaurus mower was back at work on the Kearsarge WMA

just a few weeks ago. Denyce and Brian coordinated the work in a woodcock habitat project area

originally initiated in the late 1990s. At that time, a brontosaurus mower set back succession in a

6-acre abandoned pasture that reverted to red maple and alder. The trees resprouted nicely

creating the dense stem densities required for good woodcock cover. Approximately half of the

project area was mowed again in November 2010 to set back succession once again. The

remaining half was done this fall. A rotational mowing pattern such as this provides a diversity of

size and age classes of vegetation that will help meet the feeding, brooding rearing, and cover

requirements of woodcock.

Blue Job State Forest, Farmington – In early August, Denyce and Brian coordinated the return

of a brontosaurus mower to finish preparing a 13-acre prescribed burn unit atop Blue Job

Mountain. Blue Job hosts a 50-acre blueberry barren. Such habitats require periodic maintenance

to keep them open and the blueberry bushes producing. Every few years, a portion of the barrens

will be mowed with a brontosaurus mower to knock back the young trees that are invading the

area. This will be followed up with a prescribed burn that will prune old unproductive stems and

promote new growth and better berry production. This work will maintain important young forest

and barrens habitat that will benefit a variety of wildlife including ruffed grouse, black bear,

eastern towhee, song sparrow, and prairie warbler. It will also help maintain views of the

surrounding landscape and blueberry picking opportunities so enjoyed by visitors to the mountain.

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Originally, the prescribed burn was slated to occur last spring, but prolonged rains rendered the

access road to the barrens unpassable. We tried again this fall, but the required weather

conditions never came to pass. We’ll try again this spring. The access road, previously

unpassable in the spring, was upgraded by an abutter, likely making a spring burn possible.

Ellis Hatch WMA, New Durham and Middleton; Leonard WMA, Webster; Owl Brook

WMA, Holderness – Tom Natale, a forester with the NH Division of Forests and Lands, who

administers timber harvests on WMAs in the central part of the state, is back from a prolonged

illness. Welcome back Tom! With his return, work will commence on completing harvests at

these properties that are in varying stages of planning and implementation. For more on these

projects, read previous editions of this report.

Prescott State Forest, Laconia – The Department assisted the NH Division of Forests and Lands

with some invasive exotic plant control on this 116-acre property. Much of the property contains

fields, old fields, and an old apple orchard some of which are being taken over by invasive exotic

plants. Bittersweet, in particular, is choking out many of the apple trees. Licensed applicators

targeted those invasives during control operations in late July.

REGION 3

Northwood Meadows State Park, Northwood – Sam Taylor, a forester with the NH Division of

Forests and Lands, recently completed a harvest on 81 acres of this 666-acre state park. Very

similar to Conner Farm WMA, the harvest at Northwood Meadows included 18.5 acres of groups one-fourth to two acres in size, which were established in areas with poor quality trees, areas of

mature timber, or areas that will maximize wildlife habitats such as adjacency to food sources or

complimentary habitats. Regenerating hardwood seedlings will result in woody browse,

benefiting wildlife species such as white-tailed deer. Other mammals such as bobcat and reptiles

such as northern black racer may also use the area for food and cover. Once young mixed

hardwood and softwood growth is established, the enhanced understory cover may create foraging

and nesting opportunities for several wildlife species, including Canada warbler, wild turkey, and

veery.

A skidder taking a hitch of trees to the log landing for processing (left).

Trees being processed for transport to markets (right). Photos by Jim Oehler.

Corey WMA, Deerfield – Visitors finally have suitable access to this 150-acre property. Brian

and Denyce worked with contractors to install a parking area, gate, and signage to facilitate public

access off of Mount Delight Rd. This WMA has not had legal access since it was donated to the

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Department in the late 1980s. This was recently rectified by the acquisition of a ROW and rights

to install and maintain a parking area on abutting land in a recently abandoned gravel pit. With the

access issues addressed, the property will be added to our online WMA guide in the near future.

New signs and parking area at Corey WMA in Deerfield. Pictures by Jim Oehler.

Piscassic WMA, Newfields & Exeter – Fifty acres of white pine thinning that was to occur last

winter was delayed due to poor ground conditions. The harvest is expected to be finished this

winter. This is the second phase of a harvest that started during the winter of 2015/16.

Conner Farm WMA, Exeter – Sam Taylor will be administering a timber harvest scheduled for

this winter on this 224- acre property. Approximately 20 acres of groups one-fourth to two acres

in size will be harvested, increasing the amount of sunlight hitting the forest floor and thereby

sparking the growth of the next generation of forest. The increased food and cover that will result

will benefit wild turkey, deer and a variety of songbirds, such as veery. Some patches will be

deliberately placed adjacent to fields, which will help to feather field edges and enhance habitat

for American woodcock and perhaps other types of songbirds that rely on shrubland and young

forest habitat, such as chestnut-sided warbler.

Invasive exotic plant control occurred in July and August in preparation for the harvest. There are

a number of invasive exotic plants on the property that can negatively impact habitat, including

glossy buckthorn, bush honeysuckle, and Asiatic bittersweet, among others. Glossy buckthorn, in

particular, is an aggressive competitor along field edges and woodland openings that inhibits

native trees like pine and oak. To deter further invasion of the property, scattered seedlings within

the patches were hand-pulled with help provided by Ibis Wildlife Consulting, volunteers, and staff

including Rich Cook, Denyce Gagne, and myself. Plants along field edges and up to 100 feet into

the woods were treated by licensed pesticide applicators. Only the invasive exotic plants were

targeted during this treatment.

REGION 4

Souhegan River WMA, Greenville – A harvest is underway at Souhegan River WMA.

Coordinated by Sam Taylor, the harvest will include 15 acres of young forest and 29 acres of

shelterwood. About 25% of the trees will be harvested in the shelterwood areas to open up the

forest floor to sunlight, which will encourage a new generation of trees to start growing. This

harvest will result in an abundance of woody browse, benefiting wildlife species such as white-

tailed deer, moose, and others. Additionally, the dense young growth will create food, cover, and

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breeding opportunities for a number of bird species, including American woodcock, ruffed

grouse, eastern wild turkey, whip-or-will, and eastern towhee.

A feller buncher getting ready to cut a tree at Souhegan River WMA (left), while

NH Division of Forests and Lands foresters, Sam Taylor and Bryan Comeau,

walk the project site to ensure everything is going as planned (right).

We also partnered with Eversource to get the invasive exotic plants treated within and directly

adjacent to one of their powerline ROWs that traverse the WMA in close proximity to harvest

areas. This was a preventative action to try to keep invasives from colonizing those areas.

Eva’s Marsh WMA, Hancock – A harvested is scheduled to start in mid-late January at Eva’s

Marsh WMA. Sam will be administering this sale on 61 of this 98 acre property with a focus on

enhancing deer wintering habitat. Modified single tree selection will be used to create small gaps

in the forest canopy to encourage eastern hemlock regeneration while a few small groups will be

created adjacent to Eva’s Marsh to improve nesting and foraging habitat for waterfowl and

songbirds.

Barden WMA, Richmond – A harvest at the 120-acre

Barden WMA was completed in November. It

included a partial overstory removal to transition a

pine-oak-maple stand to a hemlock-red oak type to

improve the future potential of the area for deer

wintering habitat while maintaining a consistent source

of hard mast for wildlife. A 14-acre clearcut was also

created to provide woody browse near the wintering

area and important young forest habitat that several

species of wildlife will benefit from.

The harvest at Barden WMA included a clearcut to create

young forest habitat (right). Photo by Jim Oehler.

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LAND CONSERVATION NEWS

Land Acquisition Projects

Three new properties have been added to our system of Wildlife Management Areas and easement

lands due to the good work of Rich Cook and several partners.

Stonehouse Forest, Barrington (1,500 acres) - We received a $1,000,000 grant from the

USFWS Coastal Wetland Conservation Grant Program to assist the Southeast Land trust

of NH in acquiring the property. Wildlife Restoration Program funds also contributed

significantly to the purchase of a conservation easement that will be held by the

Department. Read more about this project here.

Pearly Lake WMA – 676 acres in Rindge with over 300 feet of frontage on Pearly Lake

and extensive areas of open field and diverse wetlands. Read more about this project here.

Manchester Airport Mitigation Parcel – The Department has been working with

Manchester Airport for a couple of years to get a 56+ acre parcel located in Londonderry

and Manchester transferred to the Department. The property is a potential New England

Cottontail site.

Rich and Betsey are working on several other projects including:

Kimball Hill Forest – We are working with The Nature Conservancy to conserve 2,700

acres sandwiched between Province Road State Forest in Dorchester and Cardigan State

Park in Orange, which would be added to our system of WMAs. Read more about this

project here.

Brunault, Colebrook – We are also working with The Nature Conservancy to conserve 31

acres on the Connecticut River adjacent to existing NHFG property. This project will

conserve ag lands and floodplain forest, which will be further expanded upon through

restoration efforts of TNC;

Butternut Pond, Enfield – 218 acres abutting Laramie WMA. The property currently has

an easement held by NHFG. We are pursuing purchasing the remaining fee so the

Department will own it outright.

Real Estate Advisors Land Donation – 15.56 acres of land including land on both sides of

the Piscassic River will be added to the Piscassic WMA in Newfields. The donation is a

condition of the subdivision of the property which will create three new house lots along

Route 87.

Childs Conservation Easement, Salisbury – The Department is partnering with the Forest

Society to protect 572 acres on the west side of Mount Kearsarge not far from the

Kearsarge Wildlife Management Area and adjacent to an extensive area of protected

lands.

The new 676-acre Pearly Lake WMA in Rindge was purchased using USFWS Wildlife Restoration funds. The

purchase of hunting equipment supports such efforts. Photos by Jim Oehler.

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Looking toward the rest of 2018 we are looking at several potential acquisitions including

property in Brookfield to add onto the Ellis Hatch Jr. WMA, nearly 1,400 acres in Gilsum plus a

few others. New WMAs and easement lands are purchased with Wildlife Restoration Program

funds in combination with various grants and donations obtained by the Department or through

our conservation partners.

OTHER NEWS Siting Trails for People and Wildlife

Katie Callahan, Rachel Stevens, and Jim Oehler have been working on a tool to help resource

planners site recreational trails for both people and wildlife. Hiking, mountain biking,

horseback riding, snowmobiling, etc. may seem like innocuous activities but can have impacts

on wildlife including reduced abundance, reproduction, and survival, and trail building and

maintenance is one of the, if not the, most popular management activity on both public and

private lands.

The tool can be used to assess existing trails and site new trails in a way that minimizes

impacts to wildlife but still provide plenty of opportunity to get outside. The tool highlights

areas particularly important for wildlife and areas that would be more suitable for trail

development, while accompanying documents will explain how to use the tool, and provide

some examples of how conservation organizations have applied it in their trail planning

efforts.

This project was done in consultation with members of the Great Bay Resource Protection

Partnership, Audubon Society of NH, The Nature Conservancy, Natural Resource

Conservation Service, the Society for Protection of NH Forests, the NH Trails Bureau, the

Upper Valley Trails Alliance, UNH Cooperative Extension, several local land trusts, and

others.

We’ve already presented it at the NH Association of Conservation Commissions with very

positive feedback, and are scheduled for Saving Special Places, a UNH Cooperative

Extension staff meeting, and the New England society of American Foresters annual

conference. We will publish updates on this webpage about the tool as they become available.

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The NorthWoods of Northwood

Private landowners in Northwood, NH are coming together to collaborate on a study of their

6,500-acre neighborhood around Jenness Pond. They want to learn more about the natural,

historical, and social resources of their neighborhood so they and others will develop a better

understanding and appreciation of what they have in their own backyard, and hopefully work

to conserve those resources. This effort is an offshoot of a similar one in the southern part of

town, referred to as the Northwood Area Land Management Collaborative or NALMC that

includes lands surrounding Forest Peters WMA. NALMC was founded in part by Jim Oehler

as a means of working towards landscape scale habitat and wildlife conservation in that area.

It’s good to see this model being used in other areas.

Landowners of the Big NorthWoods gather in Northwood to kick off an ecological, historical, and social study

of the x-acre neighborhood around Jenness Pond, in which they live. Photo by Jim Oehler.

WMA Boundaries – Brian Lemire will be putting out a request

for bids to blaze, paint, and sign boundaries on several WMAs in

the near future (Table 2). Slated to be out for bid already, the

RFP has been delayed due to new contracting requirements for

such activities. Boundary maintenance is needed to ensure our

habitat projects stay within our property bounds, so that visitors to

WMAs understand the extent of our ownerships, and to deter

encroachments onto state lands from abutting landowners.

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Table 2. Properties to be included in upcoming RFP for boundary maintenance.

Property Town Feet Miles

Cemetery Hill WMA Sunapee 13,244.00 2.51

Farrar WMA Hillsborough 43,213 8.18

Kona WMA Moultonboro 23,732 4.49

Kearsarge WMA Andover/Wilmot 37,024 7.01

Marks WMA New Durham 18,463 3.50

Piscataquog WMA Lyndeborough 10,654 2.02

Sargent Lots 1, 2, and 4 Newton 31,980 6.06

Bellamy WMA Dover 39,338 7.45

Hoit Rd Marsh Concord 23,218 4.40

TOTALS 45.62

Field Mowing

Denyce spends considerable time each summer and fall maintaining fields and wildlife openings

on WMAs and some state forests via mowing. These habitats provide important food and cover

for a variety of wildlife. Brian assists, at times, with transporting the mower, dealing with other

access issues, and doing a little mowing himself. Together, they maintained nearly 100 acres of

fields (Table 3).

Table 3. Properties mowed this past summer/fall.

PROPERTY NAME ACRES

Adams Point WMA 5.50

Ahern State Park 4.01

Beane Tract 3.78

Bellamy River WMA 25.66

Campton WMA 4.14

Cascade Marsh WMA 1.43 Deer Hill WMA (brush back roads) 8.36

Enfield WMA 1.52

Foster & Coburn SF 6.19

Great Bog WMA 7.61

Heath Pond Bog 2.80

Karner Blue Field 10.00

Kearsarge SF 1.71

Leonard WMA 3.36

Lower Shaker WMA 1.97

Piscassic WMA 5.12

Powder Mill Pond WMA 0.86

Rollins Tracts 2.71

State Game Farm - Brentwood 2.84

Total Acres Mowed 2017 99.58

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Property Stewardship

Dealing with encroachments from abutters, picking up dump sites on our properties, and other

such activities is a growing component of WMA management. Among the several stewardship

issues that staff have been working on include the following:

Kona WMA – the local snowmobile club desires to relocate a section of trail on the

WMA.

Laramie WMA – the Upper Valley Land Trust, an abutter to the WMA, desires to relocate

and officially adopt a trail to Half Mile Pond.

Pearly Lake WMA – a maple syrup producer desires to maintain his tap lines on this new

WMA.

HL Webster WMA – an abutter desires to cut down two hazard trees on the boundary of

the WMA. While on a site visit to evaluate the condition of the trees, staff found

encroachments onto the WMA by the same abutters.

Gates were reset at Greenough Ponds WMA and Laramie WMA.

A kiosk was moved to an improved location at Deer Hill WMA.

Beaver flooding on Leadmine Rd at Kearsarge WMA was addressed.

Downed trees were cleared along the access road at Coldrain Pond.

More information on these and other such issues can be found in the Lands Team meeting notes

that are sent out periodically by Betsey McNaughten.

Habitat Program staff also assist other Wildlife Division projects by helping to stock pheasant and

staffing deer check stations in the fall.