Easement Protects 113 Acres in Hancock

Bridging the Gap

My wife and I have lived on Antrim Road in Hancock for 25 years, long enough for three beloved Jack Russell terriers to share our home, one after another. We bought the location, not the house, hoping that the qualities that made our neighborhood a walking destination would remain unchanged. Flanked by Harris Center conservation easements on both sides, that was guaranteed for at least a small part of the local landscape.

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For most of the last quarter-century, the SuperSanctuary grew to our west and northwest, with thousands of acres added in Nelson, Stoddard, and Antrim. That changed in late 2023, when the Monadnock Paper Mills decided to divest of its large land holdings in east Hancock.

Through the combined efforts of the Harris Center, The Conservation Fund, and NH Fish and Game, that land is now protected, creating a 750-acre island of conserved open space — but the momentum to protect the character of that part of Hancock continued.

General Lessey, who died in 2023, left instructions for his beloved Antrim Road farm to be protected upon his death. The Lessey conservation easement closed last August, helping to narrow the gap between the SuperSanctuary and the Monadnock Paper land.

Inspired by this emerging greenbelt, James Meltzer and his wife Cindy Amidon worked with the Harris Center to put their beautiful 113-acre property under easement. Their land includes 4,000 feet of road frontage on Brimstone Corner Road, Antrim Road, Birch Road, and Shady Lane, and almost 1,500 feet of frontage along Clark Brook, a tributary of Moose Brook. The roads bordering the easement create a scenic destination for local residents to walk their dogs. I know this because our current Jack Russell, Jiggy, throws himself at the door every time someone walks by, and a lot of people walk by.

But perhaps most importantly, the Meltzer conservation easement is a critical piece in a jigsaw puzzle that bridges the gap between the Monadnock Paper land and the larger SuperSanctuary. A bobcat (or moose or bear) can now walk from Bennington to the Washington town line without ever leaving conserved land. Hopefully bobcats and their wild brethren will be around for the long haul.

Thanks to the actions of people like Jim Meltzer and Cindy Amidon, it won’t be for lack of a place to call home. If you see Jim and Cindy while out walking your dog, please thank them for their foresighted and generous decision to protect their land.

— Eric Masterson, Land Program Director