Mrs. Bessie Phillips donated a conservation easement on a nine-acre parcel with 888.6 feet of road frontage along scenic Route 103A in New London. The land, already in current use, was originally part of a larger tract, which was cut off by the construction of I-89. The remaining parcel of 61.4 acres on the western side of Burpee Hill Road was permanently protected in 1991. This 9-acre parcel offers a natural buffer between the interstate and Route 103A. The property is also part of Lake Sunapee's watershed. Primarily forested, this property will remain forest and shall be open to the public for pedestrian access. Mrs. Phillips passed away in 1996, at 90 years old. The Town of New London was gifted this parcel in July of 2001.

In the early 1980's, Mrs. Phillips donated 70 acres to the Town of New London in memory of her husband, Stephen, which is now known as the Stephen Phillips Memorial Preserve, located on Goose Hole Road. Ten years later she began working with Ausbon Sargent and protected two parcels on Little Lake Sunapee, followed by two parcels on Burpee Hill Road and this parcel on Route 103A. Mrs. Phillips has put a total of 120 acres of land in New London under conservation easement.

In the fall of 1993, Mrs. Phillips was recognized nationally for her 7,000-acre donation of land in western Maine. Her gift was the key to a multifaceted transaction, which resulted in 33,000 acres protected for the public to enjoy in the Rangeley Lakes region of Maine.