Friends of

Mount Sunapee

Friends of Mount Sunapee have felt great relief since the denial of the proposed expansion of the ski area at Mount Sunapee State Park by Governor Lynch almost three years ago. Lynch’s action in May 2005 culminated nearly five years of public discussion and organizing by FOMS and many of you.

While this matter is temporarily “off the table,” it has not gone away, and continues to deserve our attention and engagement, as well as other important issues. Here’s a brief roundup of news affecting Mount Sunapee State Park.

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As we slip, shovel and slide through a white but warm winter, we can take comfort in knowing mud and black flies are only a few weeks away. Really, though, our dramatic seasonal changes are a large part of what makes our region so special. Appreciation and respect for that which we have no control of is part of our lives here. Keeping that perspective is our challenge. Protection of our natural resources and our special places is our solution. The success last year of the Pillsbury-Sunapee Ridge Forest Project, protecting over 1000 acres of highly visible, ecologically critical land, an effort driven by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, demonstrates the passion of the region to protect open space. Thank you and congratulations to all who participated. 

Hikers and nature lovers, not to mention bibliophiles, will be interested in the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition’s improved Trail Guide being published this March. The Guidebook will have much the same look and feel of the first edition, but has been reedited to make it more accurate and easier to use by hikers enjoying the “Emerald Necklace,” the 75-miles of trails that cross Sunapee, Ragged and Kearsarge Mountains.

In 1965, Mount Sunapee State Park added the Province double chair lift and new slopes for novice skiing. It was affectionately known for more than three decades as the Province Area. In doing so, it drew attention to the historic road that once cut through the park and was traveled by native Americans and early settlers centuries before. However, after the state leased the ski area to Okemo in 1998, the Province area lost its identity. It was remapped “South Bowl Learning Center” and the lift changed to “Clipper Ship Quad.” Now many of the old Province slopes sound like south-sea resort names -- Flip Flop, Coconut Grove, Calypso, Lemon and Lime -- rather than using names that reflect the area’s unique place in New Hampshire history.

Alone, at the edge of a traffic island blanketed with frozen snow, sits a rock bearing a plaque. Situated opposite the entrance to the Mount Sunapee Ski Area it has long witnessed the change of seasons. It has stood for more than thirty years, unnoticed by most motorists who hastened by, preoccupied with their own destinations. If one were to find a convenient place to stop and walk close enough to the marker to read the inscription, one would discover a memorial to The Province Road placed by the Daughters of Colonial Wars in 1960. It reads: "The Province Road 1769 - Military Road 1754 - Scout Path 1743 - Penacook Trail.”

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A conservation easement will soon be in place on the Judkins property, reports Bardy Flanders, chairman of the Unity Conservation Commission. This will protect the 258-acre parcel from development.

Hear about several local conservation easements in Sunapee, Sutton, Andover, New London and Warner, New Hampshire, from the people that helped make them happen: Greg Berger for Springledge Farm, Sue and John Clough, Rebecca Courser, Mary Ann Broshek, Gerry Putnam, Syd Crook, Van Webb for R. H. Forest Preserve, and Debbie Stanley, ASLPT Executive Director.

To view a streaming video on-line visit:  Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust

What is a conservation easement? A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or conservation group, which places permanent restrictions on the land use. Conservation easements are a practical way for landowners to protect their property and still retain ownership.

Permanent land protection frequently includes partnering with one or more public or private non-profit entities and using a conservation easement, which allows the property owner to retain ownership of the land while protecting its special features.

Benjamin Wilson of Hopkinton is the new Program Specialist overseeing the newly created Bureau of Historic Sites in the NH Division of Parks and Recreation. Most recently, Mr. Wilson was the Building Conservator and Property Manager for the Antiquarian & Landmarks Society in Hartford, CT.