The Center worked with residents of Hanover, NH, and partner organizations the Trust for Public Land and the Hanover Conservancy to create a Community Forest that protects 250 acres containing the headwaters of Mink Brook, mature forests and a scenic hay field.

Center Program Director Julie Renaud Evans helped prepare community members for owning and managing the 250 acres as a town resource. “I helped residents identify management and recreational priorities and think about how to balance sustainable forestry and development of new trails and recreation opportunities with ecological protection,” she explained.

She collaborated with the Hanover Conservation Commission and consultants to write a management plan for the property. The plan integrates all the science and natural community data with input about community priorities. It also highlighted the ecological, economic, and social benefits of this community project.

Hanover is a rural town of about 11,000 people, and home of Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. The Mink Brook Community Forest project staved off development that had threatened the property and helped conserve the rural character close to downtown. Well over 200 people participated in community Zoom meetings and property tours.

The new Community Forest will likely provide new trails for walking, biking and cross-country skiing. It will also keep development away from the Appalachian Trail, which runs nearby. The town had identified conserving the property as part of its open space plan to create a greenway around the downtown area.

“For many towns, managing a Community Forest is a new way of working,” said Renaud Evans. “I am always so impressed with the energy and commitment of volunteers on these projects.”

In October 2020, the New Hampshire Land & Community Heritage Investment Program awarded a $200,000 grant to support the project.