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State of New Hampshire
Department of Resources and Economic Development
Division of Forests and Lands
172 Pembroke Road
P.O. Box 1856
Concord, NH 03302-1856
CONTACT:
Philip Bryce, Director, DRED – (603) 271-2214
Richard Ober, Executive Director
Monadnock Conservancy – (603) 357-0600
December 11, 2007
Temple Mountain Is State’s Newest Reservation
Acquisition caps effort of broad public/private partnership
(Concord/Keene) -- An historic effort to protect one of southern New Hampshire’s most beloved mountains was completed last week when the State bought the former Temple Mountain ski area in the Monadnock Region. Temple Mountain State Reservation -- the largest state acquisition in southern New Hampshire since the 1980s -- will be managed for wildlife, non-motorized recreation and forestry.
"Adding Temple Mountain to our state-owned lands not only provides an important new recreational opportunity for people in southern New Hampshire, but it also ensures this treasured area will be preserved for future generations to use. Our state lands are our treasures, and Temple Mountain is another jewel that will help us make sure our public lands continue to meet the demands of our population," Gov. Lynch said. "Bringing Temple Mountain under state ownership took a coordinated local, state, and federal effort. I want to thank everyone involved for helping to make this important transition possible."
Led by the Monadnock Conservancy and the NH Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED), the five-year campaign brought together state and federal lawmakers, municipal officials and scores of citizens. “No one group or agency could have done this alone, so we all pitched in together,” said Richard Ober, executive director of the Monadnock Conservancy. “ Temple Mountain is one of those very special places that everyone agreed should be conserved for the future -- and now it is.”
“The Temple Mountain acquisition is a shining example of private/public cooperation,” said State Representative Ann Marie Irwin. “It was a grassroots local effort that attracted the support of both the state and federal governments and resulted in the preservation for perpetuity of an important part of the Monadnock Region’s heritage.”
“We are very proud to be part of this extraordinary collaborative effort,” said George Bald, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development. “This property is a wonderful addition to the 167,000 acres of state reservations under DRED management.”
The State purchased the 352-acre property from John and Connie Kieley of Temple Highlands LLC, which bought the land in 2003 to prevent development. According to officials from DRED and the Monadnock Conservancy, the Kieley’s willingness to keep the land off the market and sell it to the state for less than its value was critically important.
Funding for the $1 million acquisition came from the 2007 state capital budget proposed by Governor Lynch and approved by the legislature ($435,000); the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program ($135,000); the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund ($301,367); appropriations from the towns of Temple, Peterborough, and Sharon; and nearly two hundred private donations ranging from $5 to $25,000.
In addition to the Governor’s office, DRED, and the Monadnock Conservancy, leadership for the Temple Mountain project came from U.S. Senator Judd Gregg, U.S. Congressman Paul Hodes, State Rep. Anne-Marie Irwin, State Senator Peter Bragdon, Executive Councilor Debora Pignatelli, local Conservation Commissions and Selectboards, and the Friends of the Wapack Trail. The entire effort started with a small group of local residents called Friends of Temple Mountain, which formed shortly after the ski area closed and development was threatened in 2002.
Temple Mountain is on Route 101 in the towns of Temple, Peterborough, and Sharon, just 30 minutes from Nashua. It is the site of one of America’s first downhill ski areas, which closed in 2001. The property includes a prominent ridgeline, a popular section of the 21-mile Wapack Trail, a cross-country ski trail network, and diverse wildlife habitat.
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