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Beyond the Lake

Posted Wednesday, October 13, 2021
— eNews
Hale Brook

A small yet highly developable property along North Road in Alstead, New Hampshire, is now conserved. It’s less than half a mile from Lake Warren, an anchor for the East Alstead community where many boat, fish, swim, or simply enjoy its scenic beauty. The lake’s waters come from several tributaries, the most important of which is Hale Brook.

Protect a Watershed

Hale Brook runs through the conservation land. To truly protect a watershed, it’s not just the shorelands that need to be protected, but also the waterways and wetlands, woodlands and fields upstream. Ann De Lancey understands this. It’s why she purchased this 5.6-acre lot and worked with the Conservancy to conserve it, adding it to an existing 54.7-acre conservation easement that she and her late husband donated in 2009.

“In general, anytime we can expand our existing conservation land, it’s worth doing. This small lot is very developable and has frontage not only on Hale Brook, but also on a small tributary of Hale Brook,” said Anne McBride, land protection director for the Conservancy.

Preserve Water Quality

“By conserving this land, we are ensuring a buffer for these waterways and, therefore, for Lake Warren,” Anne continued.

Buffers preserve wildlife habitat and protect groundwater and surface water quality. They also help slow the movement of stormwater runoff, reducing the erosion of soil and lessening the impacts of downstream floods. If land use along a stream were to change significantly, the benefits buffers provide could be lost. Conserving the land, then, ensures that Hale Brook stays healthy and so does Lake Warren.

Related Links

Read more about land conservation efforts around Lake Warren.