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PHOTO: Canoeing on the Androscoggin above the dam in Shelburne, N.H. (Jerry Monkman/EcoPhotography photo)
BETHEL — Mahoosuc Land Trust has announced the new Shelburne Riverlands Project, 22 islands and 12 mainland parcels along the Androscoggin River in Shelburne, N.H.
The project the MLT is seeking to require totals 853 acres along an 8.7 mile stretch of the river running to the state line in Gilead, and will be some of the most significant shoreline protection on the river in New Hampshire, the land trust said.
Assuming successful fundraising, the purchase will secure 14 miles of Androscoggin River shoreline along the islands and mainland parcels as well as four miles of inland stream frontage. The wild and scenic nature of these islands and mainland parcels makes this section a favorite of paddlers and anglers. Drifting down the river is a quiet experience, and this project protects the places people love to explore.
All of the land in the project will be open for quiet recreation. Three of the mainland parcels have extensive potential for trail development and for winter cross-country ski routes. The project will provide permanent trail access over the last section of the locally loved Philbrook Farm Inn “White Trail” to the Crow’s Nest, completing a conservation corridor from Philbrook Farm Inn to Crow Mountain Farm. The Shelburne Trails Club is very active in the community and intends to help MLT create and maintain hiking trails. The land trust will form a stewardship committee with Shelburne residents as members to help guide the management of the property.
This section of the river widens and is braided with oxbow and flood channel wetlands. Half of the town’s floodplain forest is contained in this project, and this land helps protect both the town and the dam from upstream and downstream flooding issues in high water events. The property provides a significant wildlife corridor along the river and also between the larger forests of the White Mountain National Forest and the Mahoosuc Mountains. Moose, bear, deer, otter, beaver and numerous waterfowl are found along this entire section of river.
Stan Judge of the Shelburne Select Board and Shelburne Conservation Commission said of the project, “I have lived in Shelburne for 58 years and I treasure the beauty of the Androscoggin Valley. The Riverlands project ensures that future generations can experience the same river that I have known.”
More information and a video of the project is available at www.mahoosuc.org.
