On Thursday, October 24, 2019 The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust closed on 265 acres of property in Sunapee after sisters Cora Collins Kangas and Sandra Blackington donated a conservation easement on their “Rowell MacWilliams Woodlot” located on Perkins Pond Road. With the addition of this protected property, Ausbon Sargent now conserves more than 1400 acres of land in Sunapee.

The Blackington-Collins Kangas conservation easement can be accessed from Perkins Pond Road in Sunapee.  Though this is a well-traveled road in the town, the property only has a short distance of road frontage, leaving the property wild and protected.  There are extensive wetlands that are part of the watershed for Ledge Pond, which was formerly used as the source of drinking water for Georges Mills.  The property has valuable wildlife habitat as listed in the 2015 NH Wildlife Action Plan and valuable forestry soils that will be managed with the assistance of forester and Sunapee Conservation Commission Chair, Van Webb.

The Blackington-Collins Kangas land will be open to the public for low-impact recreation.  A popular snowmobile trail crosses the land and there is a class six road that runs along the northern boundary of the property allowing visitors to access some of the property’s interesting features.  In a recent conversation, Van Webb shared, “It is wonderful to have another great project to work on with ASLPT.  This project was brought forward by a local family with deep connections to their community and to the land that they have held for a generation.  As a long time Conservation Commissioner, it gladdens me to see a parcel of this size be protected because of a strong feeling for the land, and not for financial reasons.  A big thank you is due from the conservation community here in Sunapee.  I have passed by this parcel a number of times over the years and was excited when the beavers built a dam and flooded a portion of the property, creating a heron rookery as the pine trees died and created ideal habitat for that species.  As time went by and the habitat changed, a large number of species have continued to use the property.   Their use is now guaranteed in perpetuity.”

Many thanks go to Cora and Sandra for their generous donation.  Ausbon Sargent also thanks the Town of Sunapee for covering the expenses associated with protecting this important conservation easement.

The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust now protects 150 properties comprising 11,855 acres of land in the 12-town region that it serves.