BETHEL CITIZEN • October 4, 2023
On Sept. 25 a significant conservation easement protecting the 2,670-acre Shelburne Valley Forest and 1,030-acre Bald Cap Peak Forest, collectively known as the Mahoosuc Highlands Initiative conserved 3,700 acres. Both properties are now owned by The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests as a permanently protected forest reservation. The property consists of diverse riverine habitats, including cranberry bogs, red spruce swamps, silver maple floodplain forests, as well as talus slopes and cliffs helping to support a healthy black bear population.