On July 1, the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust (ASLPT) and landowners Jan and Paul Sahler closed on the Sahler Conservation Easement. This property represents the first ASLPT-protected property in Wilmot. The 21.4-acre Sahler easement is adjacent to or near over 3,918 acres of conserved land, including the Mount Kearsarge State Forest.
Jan and Paul Sahler moved to New Hampshire in the early 1980s looking for the ideal spot to live and continue raising their family. Their Realtor brought them to a 23.4-acre, primarily forested parcel of land on Kearsarge Mountain Road in Wilmot that allowed the Sahlers to build the house they desired and open up views to King Ridge and Mount Sunapee. They later constructed two ponds, joined by a seasonal stream, that they periodically stock with trout.
In 1999, the Sahlers had a selective logging project completed in the woodlands, and they continue to maintain the remaining logging road that extends back to Cascade Brook. This and some additional side trails now provide cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and pleasant hiking paths that offer opportunities to observe deer, coyote, bear, moose, numerous birds, and other wildlife. It is listed in the Wildlife Action Plan as “Highest Ranked Habitat in New Hampshire.”
After years of enjoying the property and the westerly views of Mount Sunapee and King Ridge, the Sahlers determined that they “didn’t want to lose these assets to future development or subdivision.” Jan explains that, “after researching how to accomplish this, we concluded that the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust was the only way for us to go. Its local focus is an assurance that our property will be forever preserved as we have desired.”
The logging road and the trails on the Sahler Conservation Easement will be open to the public for low impact, non-motorized, non-wheeled, pedestrian access.
On Tuesday, August 12, Ausbon Sargent Land Protection Specialist Andy Deegan, will lead a Dragonfly Walk on the Sahler property. Join Andy to learn more about dragonflies and damselflies and their significance in nature.
With the addition of this property, Ausbon Sargent now conserves 130 properties on more than 10,700 acres of land in their 12-town region. Ausbon Sargent is a non-profit land trust whose mission is to help preserve the rural landscape of the 12 towns it serves in the Mount Kearsarge/Lake Sunapee region.