Location
Deering, NH

Size
16.86 Acres

Year Protected
2007

Benefits
Habitat Protection
Wetland Protection
Scenic Views
Hayfields

Key Features
Brook and Associated Floodplain Forest
Fields

"To me it’s just the right thing to do, with all the development that’s been going on. I just didn’t want that for this land”

Robinson-Warner Easement

Photo Courtesy of C. Robinson

Shortly after moving to Deering in 1994, Keith Robinson got involved in land conservation work at the local level. Through the Deering Association and with help from a NH Audubon intern, Keith helped organize meetings about land protection and conservation easements for landowners. As a result, shortly thereafter three Deering properties went into permanent conservation. Others followed. With a conservation easement to the PWA, Keith and his wife Lauren have now added their land to the growing number of conserved properties in Deering.

“I hated the thought of something that’s been farmed for 250 years becoming developed,” Keith reflected recently when asked what motivated them to put their land into easement. “This was one of the oldest farms in Deering, and the fields have been here for a long time. To me it’s just the right thing to do, with all the development that’s been going on. I just didn’t want that for this land.”

Lauren agreed. “We think of our land as open space – the fields and forests, the stream and the wetland.”

Their children, Ben (9) and Ruthie (7), love the land as well. They have built trails and laid claim to special places on it and take an active interest in the scat, bugs, and plants around them. A variety of habitats characterize this backyard playground, including an old gravel pit now grown up in poplar. The stream that runs along the eastern corner of the property flows to the North Branch of the Piscataquog River, and the fields are crisscrossed with animal trails.

“It really all started with Bev Yeaple,” recalled Keith. “She was just completing an easement on her land when we moved here. She has been an inspiration to us and encouraged us to move forward with an easement ourselves.”

Ed Cobbett, long time chair of the Deering Conservation Commission, also helped, as did the prevailing attitude in Deering, that conservation is a good thing.

“The people in town are so support of conservation,” observed Lauren. “We know lots of people who have conserved their land – it’s just acceptable in this town.”

That support has resulted in nearly 25% of the town’s being protected. The Conservation Commission annually updates its map of conservation lands, and the number and size of green blocks that are emerging on it is an impressive testament to Bev, Ed, and the many landowners who have contributed to ensuring a green future for their community. The easement lands and lands in conservation ownership are protecting wildlife habitat, scenic vistas, community character, the North Branch and Contoocook rivers, and corridors of green that link Deering lands to conservation lands in adjoining towns.

In thinking about finalizing the easement and completing the process, Lauren’s eyes dance. “When we see our easement on the map along with all the others, it’s going to be very exciting!”

Lauren and Keith hope that their easement will inspire others to think about conserving their land just as they were inspired by Bev. If just a few more key parcels are protected, it’s not hard to visualize a green corridor on the map connecting their land with Bev Yeaple’s and beyond!