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State Lands Habitat Program Highlights From the 2nd Half of 2018

Jim Oehler

State Lands Habitat Biologist January 17, 2019

Click on the property name to view its profile on Fish & Game’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

Jill Kilborn, with assistance from the NH Division of Forest and Lands and Will Staats, is starting

to layout a timber sale in the South Bay Bog Operating Unit (OU) that will be harvested during

the winter of 2020/2021 (Figure 1). This sale will complement the very first timber sale on the

CLNA which took place in 2009. During that sale there was a focus on aspen along the winter

road that runs through the OU. That work resulted in some excellent aspen regeneration which

will be expanded upon in this next entry. The surrounding hardwood stands will be managed to

increase structure in the understory and to promote mast producing trees such as beech and cherry.

South Bay Bog Operating Unit

First CT Lake

Lake Francis

Figure 1. Planned harvest area (outlined

in red) to improve wildlife habitat on the

South Bay Bog Operating Unit of the CT

Lakes Natural Area. Map by Jill Kilborn.

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Upper Ammonoosuc WMA, Stark

Since our last report, Jill Kilborn and Will Staats have completed a plan to regenerate some of

the older alder stands and a contract is in place with a brontosaurus mower contractor.

Approximately five acres of alder will be mowed. The following spring the alder will stump

sprout and send up new shoots from the roots producing many more stems and producing

improved cover not only for woodcock but also yellow warblers and several other songbirds

whose rely on similar habitat. Originally scheduled to occur last fall or early winter, early

snows and contractor schedules caused a delay until next fall/winter.

Bofinger WMA, Dummer - Continuing on with the habitat work started by Brian Lemire in

the early 2000s, Denyce Gagne is planning the next entry of brontosaurus mowing of alder

and young forest along the edges of the agricultural fields at Bofinger WMA. Like Upper

Ammo WMA, mowing will take place during the dormant season to stimulate suckering of

alder and aspen and stump sprouting of birch. Field edges and other patches of alder, aspen,

and birch are being maintained in four different size classes via rotational mowing to maintain

habitat diversity and ensure availability of young forest habitat in the long term. This will

provide nesting, cover, and breeding areas for grouse and woodcock and several species of

shrubland songbirds whose populations have been declining. This entry is slated to occur next

fall/early winter. The last entry was in 2015.

Patches of aspen and birch will be mowed back with a brontosaurus mower along the edges of an ag field at the

Bofinger WMA like what occurred in 2015 (left). Patches will be periodically mowed (e.g., every 5-8 years) to

maintain young forest cover in the long term like we are doing at the Cascade Marsh WMA in Sutton (right).

Photos by Brian Lemire (left) and Jim Oehler (right).

REGION 2

Lower Shaker WMA, Enfield – Denyce worked with contractors to control invasive exotic

plants on 36 acres in fields and along field edges. This is in addition to the 50 acres treated in

2017. 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.

Tom Natale, a forester for the NH Division of Forests and Lands, is well on his way to planning

the next timber harvest on this property. A forest resource inventory has been completed, the

project reviewed, and a planning report has been started. The harvest includes three, 12-15 acre

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clearcuts to create young forest habitat. We currently have 1% of the 1,096 acre property in

young forest habitat. With this harvest, we will be close to the targeted 5-15%.

Knight Meadow Marsh WMA, Webster – A 40 foot bridge was constructed over Knight

Meadow Brook to improve management and public access to Knight Meadow Marsh WMA and

Leonard WMA. The bridge replaces four undersized culverts that prohibited fish passage and

could not accommodate high water flows leading to significant erosion. Brian Lemire coordinated

the design, permitting, and construction bidding components of this project. With Brian’s

retirement, Denyce took the lead during the construction phase. We greatly appreciate the

significant help provided by Alan Moody and John Magee throughout all aspects of this project.

This was a pretty complex project with a lot of moving parts and everyone did a great job

ensuring the Department got an excellent final product that will last several decades.

This new bridge over Knight Meadow Brook replaces four undersized culverts

that prevent fish passage and caused significant erosion. This new bridge will handle

high water flows and provide access to Knight Meadow Marsh and Leonard WMA for

several decades. Photo by Jim Oehler.

Leonard WMA, Webster – A harvest is slated to start this winter that will include a shelterwood

to help regenerate oak and pine, crop tree release to enhance acorn production of retained oaks,

and a couple of clearcuts to create young forest in the southern half of the property. It will also

include some patch cuts to regenerate aspen in the northern section of the property where a small

field complex is located. Read this Taking Action for Wildlife article for more information.

Given the moist soils on the property, the harvest will only occur on frozen ground and therefore

may span two winters to get it completed. In addition to improving habitat, this project will bring

in over $97,000 of revenue to the Department. Tom Natale is coordinating this project.

Brian Lemire, Betsey McNaughten and Jim Oehler also coordinated with a local snowmobile club

to replace a bridge on a snowmobile trail that crosses the WMA. The original bridge was in poor

condition and in a location impacted by beavers. The bridge was replaced and relocated to a more

appropriate stream crossing location.

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This dilapidated and undersized bridge (left) was relocated upstream and replaced with a more suitable design

that adequately spans the stream (right). Photos by Brian Lemire and Jim Oehler.

Cascade Marsh WMA, Sutton – Brian and Denyce coordinated the cleanup of an unauthorized

target shooting area in an old stone pit on the Cascade Marsh WMA. A brontosaurus mowed

some of the vegetation in the area last summer and debris was picked up. Some of the steeper

slopes will be graded this spring and the area will be seeded with native warm-season grasses to

create a wildlife opening.

Owl Brook WMA, Holderness - A timber harvest is slated to start any day on 103 acres of the

275-acre western parcel of the Owl Brook WMA. One-quarter to two acre groups will be cut

resulting in 26 acres of mixed hardwood and softwood regeneration. This new young growth will

provide woody browse for moose and deer, enhance understory cover for several species of

songbirds, and enhance mast production. Tom Natale will be overseeing this project.

Ellis Hatch Jr., WMA, New Durham - A timber harvest has begun on 180 acres of the Ellis

Hatch WMA. The harvest will include generation of young forest habitat via clearcuts, thinning in

hemlock stands to enhance deer wintering habitat and in mixed hardwood stands to improve mast

production of retained oaks, and groups to regenerate oak and improve mast production. The

Department will receive over $35,000 in revenue from this harvest that is dominated by lower

grade wood products. Tom is overseeing this project as well.

Left: sorting wood products at the log landing (firewood, pallet grade logs, and saw logs that will be

made into lumber: left). Right: Tom Natale, a forester with the NH Division of Forests and Lands,

coordinating with the logger. Photos by Jim Oehler.

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Laramie WMA, Enfield - Tom and Denyce planned and supervised a timber harvest off of Bog

Road during the winter of 2013/14. Trees that were overtopping old apple trees were cut. Denyce

also supervised the removal of cut stumps from the orchard and the area has since been mowed

periodically to maintain the orchard. Now, Denyce is looking to get those old apple trees pruned

to enhance apple production for wildlife. She is learning about the best management practices for

pruning and reaching out to potential contractors to do the work. There may be opportunity to use

volunteers to prune these or other apple trees on state lands and she is looking into the feasibility

of that as well.

Farrar Marsh WMA, Hillsborough – Sam Taylor completed a forest resource inventory on

approximately 115 acres in preparation for a timber sale likely to occur next winter. This will be

the second entry in this area. The first entry occurred in 2000 and was implemented by NHDFL

forester Inge Seaboyer. The focus during that entry was strips adjacent to the marsh to create

waterfowl nesting cover, 0.5-acre groups to start regeneration of oak and pine, and crop tree

release to release oak and increase mast production. The next entry will continue on with groups

to continue getting the next generation of forest jump started and additional strips.

Thinning in this stand at Ellis Hatch Jr

WMA focused on removing poor quality

beech and black birch in favor of red

oak. Giving oaks more growing room

will increase their size and allow them to

expand their crowns resulting in better

mast production. Photo by Jim Oehler.

While reviewing plans for the next

timber sale at Farrar Marsh WMA, Sam

and Jim came across this well “loved”

black bear marking tree. Black bears,

mostly mating males, mark trees and red

pine like this one appear to be a favorite.

They will rub their backs, shoulders, and

head on these trees and claw and bite

them to leave their scent. This

particular tree had marks left around its

entire circumference. Photos by Jim

Oehler.

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Prescott State Forest, Laconia – Denyce will be coordinating some work on the state forest in

collaboration with the NH Division of Forests and Lands. Invasive exotic plants such as

bittersweet and autumn olive within an old apple orchard will be mowed back next summer. This

will be followed up with an herbicide treatment of resprouting exotics. Apple trees will be

surveyed and entered into NHFGs apple tree database with plans to prune them in the near future.

Thereafter the apple orchard will be maintained via periodic brontosaurus mowing. A commercial

harvest at a later date will seek to push back field edges, where feasible, among other things.

These edges would then be maintained via periodic brontosaurus mowing similar to what is being

done at Bofinger WMA (see above).

Joy State Forest, New Durham – Joy State Forest contains several acres of lowbush blueberry

fields. These fields are starting to grow in. Denyce, in coordination with the NH Division of

Forests and Lands, will be mowing back the encroaching small trees. Thereafter, Jim will follow

up with a prescribed burn to maintain those fields. The brontosaurus work is slated to begin next

summer.

REGION 3

Woodman and Doles Marsh WMA and Woodman State Forest – A harvest just got underway

on this slate of abutting properties. Totaling more than 200 acres, about half that acreage will be

worked to establish well-spaced patches of 2-5 acres in size. The last timber sale on these

properties occurred in 2003-2004. The partial cutting and smaller patches that comprised most of

that sale are regenerating mostly to black birch and beech rather than the oak and pine that is more

desired. Whereas, the one or two larger patches cut at that time are coming back to a more

diverse and desirable mix. The larger patches have the added benefit of providing good woody

browse and young forest habitat that will benefit a variety of wildlife. In another section of the

project area, where beech is large and disease free, trees around the best crop trees will be

removed to provide more growing space which will also result in more beech nut production.

Sam Taylor, a forester with the NH Division of Forests and Lands, is administering this timber

sale which will bring in $20,460 in revenue to the Department.

Bellamy WMA, Dover – The Department has establish a goal of creating and maintaining 200

acres of shrubland and young forest habitat on this 420-acre property to benefit state-endangered

New England cottontails, woodcock, blue-winged warblers, turkeys and a myriad of other

shrubland and young forest wildlife. Much work has been done over the last nine years to attain

that goal. Some of the original brontosaurus mowing and timber harvesting that was done is now

ready for another entry. Denyce is working with Nongame Program staff to develop a rotational

mowing plan for all young forest patches. Instead of mowing all patches at the same time, a few

patches will be mowed every few years to maintain a sufficient amount of young forest for

wildlife at all times. Once the plan is finalized, bronto mowing will begin next fall/early winter.

Conner Farm WMA, Exeter – A harvest is slated to occur here this winter depending on

favorable ground conditions. Sam Taylor will be administering the timber harvest on this 224-

acre property. Approximately 20 acres of groups 1-2 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. Several patches will be deliberately placed adjacent to fields, which

will help to feather field edges and enhance habitat for American woodcock and perhaps other

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types of songbirds that rely on shrubland and young forest habitat, such as chestnut-sided warbler.

This sale will bring in nearly $48,000 of revenue to the Department.

Musquash Swamp WMA, Londonderry – Sam is well on his way to planning a commercial

timber harvest aimed at creating young forest habitat on this 150-acre property. Given the

extensive wetland systems and several vernal pools on this property, the area available for forest

management is approximately 40 acres. This area will be broken up into two units. The first unit

is planned to be harvested next year, with the second one slated for seven years later. Thereafter

these units will be maintained via brontosaurus on a 14 year rotation, with entries ~7 years apart.

Ruffed grouse will be a beneficiary of this work as will the state-endangered New England

cottontail, among many others. Given this property and the surrounding area is also very

important for several other rare species, Sam worked closely with Nongame Program staff during

the planning phases.

Piscassic WMA, Newfields & Exeter – Armed with snips, rugged gloves, and a positive attitude,

members of the Granite State Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society removed all of the old barbed

wire around the fields at this WMA in December after hunting season. A lot of habitat work has

occurred here in the recent past making it a good spot for upland gamebird hunting. Old barbed

wire can do a lot of damage to a bird dog and so the local RGS chapter reached out to us to offer

to take care of the problem. We were happy to oblige and thank them for their work.

Volunteers with the Granite State Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society removing barbed wire from around the

old fields at Piscassic WMA. Photos courtesy of David O’Hearn.

REGION 4

Pearly Lake WMA, Rindge – A harvest is scheduled to start this winter that will include three,

10 acre clearcuts to create valuable young forest habitat and feathering the edges of existing fields

on the property. The feathered edges will be subsequently maintained periodically using a

brontosaurus mower. Some access road improvements were required to facilitate this harvest.

Our access is a Class VI town road evolving to a Class A trail. Sam and Jim worked with the

town road committee and selectboard to get permissions needed for this work.

Additional road work is planned for next summer to stabilize the entire length of Bowers Hill

Road and prevent further erosion to maintain access for mowing the existing fields and future

timber harvests. We identified 45 broad based dips that need to be installed to get water off of the

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road. This work will also need approval from town, which Jim will be seeking over the winter.

Additional planned infrastructure work includes the installation of WMA signs, a parking area,

relocation or installation of three gates, plus boulders on either side of all gates to deter

unauthorized OHRV traffic.

LAND CONSERVATION NEWS

Land Acquisition Projects

Rich and Betsey continue

working on several land

conservation projects.

Projects take a long time to

complete as there are several

steps associated with each one

including recon and

assessment to determine if we

want to pursue purchase,

internal approvals for moving

ahead, appraisals, negotiating

with landowner,

accumulating funding

(usually from a variety of

sources), deed negotiations (if

a conservation easement is involved), environmental hazards assessment, survey, fed aid grant

submittal, Governor and Council approval, and closing, among others. Here are the projects that

we’re working on currently.

Kimball Hill Forest – We are continuing to work with The Nature Conservancy to

conserve 2,730 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. Funding for this project comes from the USFWS Wildlife

Restoration Program The property will be purchased from The Nature Conservancy, who

will retain a conservation easement on the parcel.

Ruger Lands - We continue to work with the Conservation Fund to conserve 3,181 acres

in two separate parcels in the towns of Newport, Croydon and Grantham. These

properties abut Corbin Park and along with other surrounding lands comprise a nearly

49,000-acre unfragmented block of habitat, the largest such block south of the White

Mountains. This project has financially benefited from two recently awarded grants – one

from the Aquatic Resource Mitigation program administered by the Department of

Environmental Services and one from the Land and Community Heritage Investment

Program or LCHIP. Other funding for this project comes from the NHFG Habitat

Account and the USFWS Wildlife Restoration Program.

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. Funding for this project comes from the USFWS Wildlife Restoration Program.

Butternut Pond in Grantham, NH now part of the Laramie WMA.

Photo by Betsey McNaughten.

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Completed Projects

Butternut Pond, Grantham – The closing on this 218 acres abutting Laramie WMA will

occur next week. The property currently has an easement held by NHFG. We purchased

the remaining fee so the Department now owns it outright. Funding for this project came

from the USFWS Wildlife Restoration Program.

Merrill Property, Groton – 100 acres abutting the Kimball Hill Forest. Once the owners

heard of the pending NHFG purchase of Kimball Hill, they reached out to the Department

to see if we would be interested in purchasing their abutting piece. Like many of the

others, funding for this project came from the USFWS Wildlife Restoration Program.

OTHER NEWS Brian Lemire Retires –After 30+ years of state employment, Brian Lemire retired in November.

Hired by John Lanier as the first NHFG Department Forester to conduct non- and small-

commercial habitat improvement projects, Brian’s expertise will continue to flourish through the

many habitat projects that he initiated which NHFG will continue to manage into the future.

Beyond habitat, Brian’s eclectic background was a valuable asset to the Habitat Program,

contributing to boundary maintenance and infrastructure needs as the increased acreage acquired

by NHFG was followed by increased infrastructure demands. Two of his largest infrastructure

projects—the culvert removal at Mascoma WMA and culvert replacement at Knights Meadow

Marsh WMA—contributed to the restoration of river and stream channels and an overall more

natural and healthy ecosystem.

We wish Brian well in his retirement; he will be missed by many, but you can expect him to

remain active in forestry in the Granite State. His skills helped NHFG tremendously in improving

how we manage our WMAs. They are big shoes to fill, but we will be seeking to refill his

position in the near future.

WMA Boundaries – A contract remains in place to blaze, paint,

and sign boundaries on several WMAs (Table 1). The work will

be completed by June 3 of next year and will cost nearly

$53,000. 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 1. Properties whose boundaries will be blazed, painted, and signed in current contract.

Property Town Feet Miles

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

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

TOTALS 29.24

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 (Table 2).

Table 2. Properties mowed summer of 2018.

PROPERTY NAME ACRES

Beane Tract 3.78

Bellamy River WMA 37.57

Piscassic 5.85

Foster & Coburn 6.85

LaMontagne WMA 1.66

Woodman Marsh 2.61

Lower Shaker WMA 19.04

Total Acres Mowed 2018 77.36

Pheasant Stocking and Check Station Duty

As with all Wildlife Division staff, Habitat Program staff also assisted with pheasant stocking and

operated biological check stations during the muzzleloader and regular firearms season last fall.

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS

We could not achieve the work that we do without a lot of help from others. Starting with this

issue, we’ll occasionally highlight some of the significant contributions of our partners.

NH Division of Forests and Lands

For decades, the NH Division of Forests and Lands (NHDFL) and Fish and Game have worked

cooperatively to ensure that harvests on state lands help enhance wildlife habitat. In 1986 this

partnership was formalized when the two agencies entered into a cooperative agreement. This

agreement included the joint funding of two foresters to plan and administer timber sales on Fish

and Game Wildlife Management Areas and other state lands with a focus on improving wildlife

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habitat. These two positions are funded 75% by Fish and Game and 25% by NHDFL. However,

in reality NHDFL contributes a lot more than that 25% towards the forest management of our

WMAs. Regional foresters work with Sam Taylor, Tom Natale, and Jim at Fish and Game to

ensure harvest goals and prescriptions are sound, and that all best management practices are

followed, NHDFL foresters help with laying out sales and marking and tallying trees to be

harvested, and the NHDFL administrator and administrative assistant coordinates the bid process

and contracts. Periodic payments from loggers are handled by the NHDFL business office and

when the project is finally 100% completed, the final payment is transferred over to the NHFG

business office. Even more help is given in managing timber sales on Fish and Game’s

Connecticut Lakes Natural Area property in Pittsburg where no joint forester position exists.

NHDFL’s North Region staff, who is not compensated by NHFG at all, helps Jill Kilborn with all

aspects of timber sales on that property. All of this constitutes many many hours of work that

Fish and Game and its constituents benefit from. It’s been a productive and worthwhile

partnership over all of these years and one we look forward to maintaining well into the future.

Todd Caron (left) and Maggie Machinist

(right) are among the several NH

Division of Forests and Lands foresters

who help plan and carry out timber

harvests on Fish and Game properties

aimed at improving wildlife habitat.

Photo by Jill Kilborn.