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CELEBRATE DUNDEE COMMUNITY FOREST
October 13, 5-8PM, at Ledge Brewing

September 25, 2023 — The acquisition of Dundee Community Forest spanned years and was a herculean effort by Trust for Public Land (TPL), Upper Saco Valley Land Trust (USVLT) staff and volunteers, State of New Hampshire, the Beal family, grant makers and funding partners, and community supporters. In late July, USVLTacquired the land and has been getting to work to mark the boundaries, reach out to abutters, and prepare to share this new community forest with the public.

On October 13, USVLT and TPL are hosting a celebration for Dundee Community Forest from 5-8PM at Ledge Brewing. This event is free and open to the public.

According to Jen Pribble, Executive Director, “We are excited to offer an opportunity to gather and celebrate Dundee Community Forest together. It was a long, hard road to protect this special place, but we did it by fostering relationships, collaboration, and community engagement. This celebration will honor that.”

“Trust for Public Land was pleased to conserve this 1,250 acre property for the benefit of the Jackson and Bartlett communities. We are excited to see the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust and State of New Hampshire work together to manage it for outdoor recreation, sustainable forestry and drinking water protection.” said J.T. Horn, Trust for Public Land’s Director of Trails. 

The evening will kick off with a speaker to share project tales, recognize partners, and talk about next steps for the community forest. Following the program, guests can enjoy the company of friends, purchase a bite to eat from Ledge’s Taco Bar or Libby’s Long Dogs, enjoy live music by Food for Bears, and raise a glass of beer (or your nonalcoholic beverage of choice) to celebrate Dundee Community Forest!

In honor of Dundee Community Forest, Ledge Brewing is crafting a special beer: Great Brook Stout. The name is a nod to Great Brook, which runs through the northern part of the forest. A portion of the sales from every Great Brook Stout sold will benefit Upper Saco Valley Land Trust to help protect and care for special places in the Upper Saco Valley.

Ian Ferguson, co-owner of Ledge Brewing, sees a strong link between beer and conservation, “Great water makes great beer, so it only makes sense to celebrate the protection of our watershed.”

Funding for the Dundee Community Forest was provided by Trust for Public Land, United States Forest Service Forest Legacy Program, NH Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), NH Department of Environmental Services Aquatic Resource Mitigation Program, NH Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund, , and many generous donors.

Upper Saco Valley Land Trust (USVLT) is a nonprofit land trust, accredited by the Land Trust Alliance, that works to protect land for community benefit. Since 2001, USVLT has completed 84 conservation projects, totaling nearly 12,000 acres throughout the towns of Hart’s Location, Bartlett, Jackson, Albany, Chatham, Conway, Eaton, and Madison in New Hampshire, and Brownfield, Denmark, and Fryeburg in Maine. To learn more, visit usvlt.org.

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,364 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $93 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.4 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.