The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust added its 135th property to its list of protected properties in the land trust’s 12-town region when the property closed at the Sunapee Selectmen’s Meeting on June 1, 2015.  With the addition of the Wendell Marsh South easement, Ausbon Sargent now protects 11,010 acres, continuing its mission to help preserve the rural character of the Mt. Kearsarge/Lake Sunapee region.

This 143.4-acre Wendell Marsh South property adds to the already conserved Wendell Marsh North easement.  Together they now comprise over 270 acres of conserved land off of NH Route 11.  Wendell Marsh South adds over 480 feet of frontage on the Sugar River and also protects a floodplain forest which is a valuable habitat.  It is listed as Highest Ranked Habitat in the Biological Region under the NH Wildlife Action Plan and protects many species native to NH.  The property offers year round recreational opportunities on the maintained snowmobile corridor and protects wellheads that could provide future municipal water production for the Town of Sunapee.  The Sunapee Conservation Commission plans to designate this area as a Town Forest so that it can be managed responsibly for sustainable products, wildlife and recreation. 

This resource has been protected with the assistance from the NH Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP).  In addition to LCHIP, this project received generous support from the Town of Sunapee, the voters in Sunapee, the Sunapee Conservation Commission, The Burton D. Morgan Foundation, Fields Pond Foundation, and many private donors who appreciate the value of the marsh.