Friends of Mount Sunapee

Andrews Brook forest pool on Mount Sunapee. Photo by Jeff Sluder.

Last summer, Delnoce Goubert, Sunapee, attended a Forest Society lecture about the natural history of the Mount Sunapee region. After the event, he approached the presenter about land that his family owned near the base of Mount Sunapee. He asked if the Forest Society would be interested in taking ownership of this land, which had been in his family for more than 70 years.

Almost one year later, the Forest Society accepted a gift of 75 acres in Newbury from Delnoce, his brother Peter Goubert, and his sister Jean Goubert Sisley.

The land has been in the family since 1937, and the Gouberts themselves have been actively involved with the Forest Society since the late 1930s. Originally from New York, the family initially purchased the land, along with some surrounding acreage, as a country retreat.

The original estate included a 250-year-old house, where Delnoce and his family spent summer and winter vacations. The house wasn’t far from Andrews Brook, which cuts through a deep gorge on the property. Delnoce remembers carrying fresh brook water to the house during summer and chopping ice in the winter.

He reminisces about the land with affection. “As kids, we spent our summers here,” he said. “Long before there were trails, we used to run up and down the mountain. We’d come up in the winter to go skiing.”

When none of Delnoce’s grown children found themselves in a position to utilize the land, he decided to take steps to conserve it. “We were getting on in years,” he said. “We’ve always been conservation-minded. I’m just glad that the Forest Society was around to help us conserve this final parcel.”

According to Forest Society Director of Land Protection Brian Hotz, the Goubert family’s gift enhances the Mount Sunapee trail network as well.

“Connecting with other conserved lands, including Mount Sunapee State Park and the recently conserved Pillsbury-Sunapee Ridge Easement, the property has tremendous strategic conservation value,” Hotz said. “Plus, its potential to fulfill the longstanding demand for a new trailhead for the Andrew Brook Trail makes it all the more important.”

The Andrew Brook Trail is one of the most popular hiking trail on Mount Sunapee. It is the primary route to Lake Solitude and the White Ledges, which offer sweeping views to the north and east.

(Article reprinted in part with permission from SunapeeNews.com)