New Five-Mile Hiking Trail To
Open In Northwood
The Northwood Area Land Management Collaborative
(NALMC) is pleased to announce the opening of a new five-mile hiking
trail. In celebration of New Hampshire Trails Day, NALMC invites the
public to join them at Northwood Meadows State Park on Saturday,
July 19th at 9:00 am to hike the trail and learn about
the wildlife and habitats seen along the trail. The trail begins at
Northwood Meadows State Park and continues in a westerly direction
across the privately owned Harmony Hill Farm, before returning to
the State Park. The trail meanders through a variety of fields,
hills and woods that have been managed to encourage habitat for
wildlife.
The idea for the trail emerged from a unique
partnership of public and private landowners in Northwood that is
working on ways to collaborate on habitat management, recreational
trails, and other management goals. This group, the Northwood Area
Land Management Collaborative (NALMC), includes the New Hampshire
Fish and Game
 Department,
the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED),
the, the Town of Northwood, Coe Brown Northwood Academy and the
University of New Hampshire, as well as several private landowners.
"NALMC was created so that abutting landowners
can work together on common objectives, achieving results none of us
could achieve alone," said Carl Wallman, private landowner and the
current chairman of the group. "We want to build a model for this
type of land management that can be adopted by landowners in other
parts of the state. This five mile trail is an example of neighbors
working together on a recreational project." NALMC is also turning
its energies to forestry, wildlife and natural resource management.
"Rarely can a single property provide all the
habitat components required by wildlife. That's why it's so
important that we look beyond our stone walls when making management
decisions about our forests and wildlife habitats," commented Jim
Oehler, State Lands Habitat Biologist for the New Hampshire Fish &
Game Department and vice chairman of NALMC. "NALMC provides an
incredible opportunity to collaborate on a grand scale, working with
our neighbors to have a truly meaningful impact on wildlife in the
Northwood area."
NALMC members are leading two hikes on July 19th
starting at the Northwood Meadows State Park parking lot. One hike
guided by Carl Wallman and Greg Pittman, will traverse the entire
5-mile trail. The second, shorter hike, guided by Jim Oehler of Fish
and Game and Fred Borman of UNH Cooperative Extension, will cross
state-owned lands to Harmony Hill Farm where Jim and Fred will
discuss wildlife management goals for these properties and the
techniques used to achieve them. The hikes are considered moderate,
but some areas have loose footing, so hiking boots are recommended.
Trail maps will be available. Please bring your own water and
snacks.
If you have questions about the hike or about
this organization, please contact Fred Borman, NALMC Secretary, at
603-679-5616 or fred.borman@unh.edu.
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