- Tags:
- Land Conservation,
- Wildlife
The Forest Society has conserved 134 acres to expand Powder Major’s Forest in the town of Madbury. This acquisition builds on the Forest Society’s 2017 protection of nearly 300 acres at Powder Major’s Farm and Forest, now creating a 434-acre community resource that includes critical wildlife habitat and vital river frontage along the Oyster River and Dube Brook.
“In the Seacoast area, where development pressure is high, protecting connected forests like this is especially important,” states Jack Savage, president of the Forest Society. “This expansion secures a contiguous corridor that directly benefits local communities, secures drinking water sources, and ensures that sensitive wildlife species have the habitat diversity they need to thrive. By linking these parcels, we are creating a more resilient landscape capable of absorbing environmental pressures while keeping New Hampshire's natural heritage intact for generations to come.”
The newly acquired 134-acre property sits at the center of a 700-acre conservation corridor that connects Powder Major’s Forest to the Town of Madbury’s Bolstridge Forest and other nearby protected lands. With proximity to the Bellamy River, and frontage on Dube Brook which drains into the Oyster River, this property contributes to protecting two different sources of drinking water serving Portsmouth and Durham, as well as Great Bay.
Furthermore, the land provides habitat types important to vulnerable species such as the New England cottontail, American woodcock, ruffed grouse, and monarch butterflies. The Forest Society will manage the land primarily for its habitat and water resource values, helping sustain a diverse mix of forest types and sensitive ecosystems. The property plays an essential role in supporting wildlife movement, protecting regional water quality, and strengthening the broader landscape of conserved land.
The success of this project relied on a collaborative funding effort, including grant funds from the New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund, the Source Water Protection Fund, the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), and the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership’s Land Protection Transaction Grant Program funded by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Great Bay 2030 Initiative. Generous financial support was also provided by the Town of Madbury alongside generous contributions from more than 325 individual donors.
About New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program
The New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) is an independent state authority providing matching grants to New Hampshire’s municipalities and non-profits, helping to preserve the state’s most important natural, cultural, and historic resources and ensure their contribution to the economy, environment, and quality of life in New Hampshire. LCHIP grants are funded by a $25 fee assessed when deeds, mortgages, and plans are recorded at the state’s ten registries of deeds.
Since 2001, LCHIP has awarded 646 grants, totaling over $68 million to nearly 350 communities and nonprofits across 210 NH communities. As of July 2025, the Program’s investment has helped to conserve more than 250,000 acres of land and rehabilitate 207 historic structures. Learn more about how LCHIP is helping to preserve and protect New Hampshire’s heritage at LCHIP.org, by following LCHIP_NH on Instagram, or LCHIPNH on Facebook.