Stratham conserves crucial trail link with 17-acre acquisition: 'This is a huge thing'

STRATHAM — A crucial segment of Stratham’s cherished trail system will be permanently conserved following the town’s July acquisition of the Ross parcel.

The town's Conservation Commission had been eyeing the 17-acre property for nearly 20 years. The newly acquired property will add nearly 0.7 miles of trails for walking, biking, and snowshoeing to the existing outdoor recreation network encompassing the 465 acres of Stratham Hill Park and the Gordon Barker Town Forest .

“This addition creates one of the town’s largest contiguous pieces of conserved land,” said Mark Connors, director of Planning and Community Development for the town of Stratham. “The Ross land connects to Stratham Hill Park and to the extensive trail system that radiates out from the park. In fact, most people who walk the Ross property think they’re at the park.”

With its proximity to the Stratham Memorial School, the acquisition provides more town-owned real estate to host academic and recreation activities and provides direct trail access to Stratham Hill Park and Barker Forest.

Stratham’s Conservation Commission members, including Chair William McCarthy and Select Board representative Allison Knab, have worked for years to acquire the parcel.

“It’s such a valuable acquisition for the town and for the residents to have access,” said Seth Hickey, Parks and Recreation director for Stratham. “When I’m out there at the park, near the school, there’s always children and teachers getting out and exploring. Having this land conserved so close gives the kids a vested interest in the open spaces that are out there.”

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How the purchase of the 17-acre property became a reality

SELT, the Southeast Land Trust of NH, played an “assist” role in the purchase. They facilitated the negotiations with the landowner and helped the town secure a purchase agreement, assisted in the grant writing, and managed all the acquisition due diligence on behalf of the town.

This land was originally the woodlot for the Ross family's dairy farm, which they called ''Souncyseel.'' It was still wild land in the 1950s and '60s, and the Ross children spent a lot of time playing and wandering that land during their growing-up years.

The woodlot was particularly enjoyed by the Ross family matriarch, Nancy Ruth Webber, who loved skiing through the woods and who dreamed that the woodlot might one day become a parkland. The land is offered by Robin, Jeffrey and Dana Ross in remembrance of their mother and of their father, Douglas Ross.

“I think this a huge thing for Stratham,” said Dana Ross. “It’s a success for us and for the town.”

The Ross project is the third project that SELT and the town have partnered on at Stratham Hill Park. Each of the prior projects – conservation easements on the Short property and Barker’s Farm – supported continued public use and town management of the existing trail network, which draws in people from all over the region for biking, running, and more.

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Stratham conserves crucial trail link with 17-acre acquisition: 'This is a huge thing'