Front Page News
February 1, 2012
Gilmanton’s Greatest Views — For Everyone, Forever!
On any clear day, motorists, cyclists and walkers pause to enjoy the
extraordinary view of Gilmanton and the Belknap Range from the top
of Frisky Hill on Route 107 in Gilmanton. A conservation project to
forever preserve this view has been initiated by the Gilmanton Land
Trust.
The Directors of the Gilmanton Land Trust, in partnership with Five
Rivers Conservation Trust and the Gilmanton Conservation Commission
(GCC), have announced a campaign to conserve one of the most
recognized special places in Gilmanton.
Featured is the view of much of Gilmanton and the Belknap Mountains
beyond, from a hayfield atop Frisky Hill. Community surveys over the
past two decades have repeatedly cited this spot as a conservation
priority. Also included are two hayfields along Route 107
overlooking Loon Pond with views of Mount Kearsarge and Ragged
Mountain to the west. A parcel on Meetinghouse Road, with 1000+ feet
of frontage on Meetinghouse Pond includes another productive
hayfield and a portion of snowmobile trail maintained by the
Gilmanton Snowmobile Association. (This pond is the largest
waterbody in Gilmanton to remain completely undeveloped.) The tract
also has a unique 200 year old stone structure built and used for
processing flax, the only one known to exist in the state! An open
hayfield on Loon Pond Road completes the conservation package.
The owner of these lands is George Twigg III, a former longtime
resident of Gilmanton and now of Kennebunk, ME. He is pleased with
the concept of a conservation outcome, and has generously agreed to
a sale price significantly below the property’s appraised value.
To date the Gilmanton Land Trust has raised approximately $200,000
in private support of the conservation project. The federal Farm and
Ranchland Protection Program has awarded a $532,000 grant towards
purchase of conservation easements. Further fundraising will
continue to complete the project
The Gilmanton Conservation Commission will hold a public hearing on
the project on Monday evening, February 6th, 7:30 pm at the Town
Offices (Academy) in Gilmanton Corners. The hearing will provide an
opportunity for the public to learn more about the project,
including conservation easement information and funding plans.
For more information contact the Gilmanton Land Trust secretary,
Carolyn Baldwin at 435-8814 or
[email protected].
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