Weathersfield Conserves Mount Ascutney Forest Area

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(Host) The town of Weathersfield has a new town forest, on the southern slope of Mount Ascutney.

Two local conservation groups worked with the Upper Valley Land Trust to buy more than 300 undeveloped acres from the estate of the late Janet Fellows.

Land Trust vice president Peg Merrens says the parcel is part of the town’s "iconic backdrop."

Merrens says townspeople approached the land trust years ago, worried that a gravel pit or subdivision could change the view.

(Merrens) "This was a piece of land that they knew was at risk at some point. And it was really a community effort to bring the land trust and the land owner or the executor together and with the town say, ‘What can we do, what grant can we acquire, to buy this parcel of land?’"

(Host) Local fundraising and a grant from the National Scenic Byway Program covered the land’s $125,000 purchase price. The town plans to keep the acreage open for light recreational use.

Recreation in neighboring towns will also benefit from the deal.

Janet Fellows’ will specified that proceeds from the sale will go to Springfield’s Edgar May Health and Recreation Center.

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