News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 7, 2008

CONTACT: Ryan Owens (603) 357-0600

GOVERNOR TO DEDICATE TEMPLE MOUNTAIN STATE RESERVATION

Event will recognize federal, state, and local collaboration

( KEENE)—Governor John Lynch, U.S. Congressman Paul Hodes, and other state and local officials will dedicate the new Temple Mountain State Reservation at a ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on August 14 th at the base of the mountain. The public is invited to the ceremony, which will include light refreshments under an open tent. Please contact the Monadnock Conservancy if you think you will attend: info@monadnockconservancy.org.

 After the beloved ski area closed for good, it was purchased by a Temple couple in 2003 to avert residential development and afford time for a purchase by the state. The 352-acre property features a popular section of the Wapack Trail; a prominent ridgeline; and opportunities for cross-country skiing, hiking, and other public recreation.

Led by the Monadnock Conservancy and the NH Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED), the multi-year campaign to protect this icon of southern New Hampshire brought together the Governor’s office, state and federal lawmakers, municipal officials, and scores of private citizens. Leadership for the Temple Mountain project also came from U.S. Senator Judd Gregg; U.S. Congressman Paul Hodes; State Rep. Anne-Marie Irwin; State Senator Peter Bragdon; Executive Councilor Debora Pignatelli; conservation commissions and selectboards from Temple, Sharon, and Peterborough; and the Friends of the Wapack and Appalachian Mountain Club.

In 2002, after the ski area closed, the Friends of Temple Mountain began work to preserve the mountain. John and Connie Kieley of Temple purchased the mountain in 2003, holding the property until the coalition could raise the $1,000,000 asking price; the property was worth in excess of $1,600,000. Funding for the purchase included a $135,000 LCHIP grant from the state of New Hampshire, $330,000 from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, a total of $60,000 from the three towns, an appropriation in the Governor’s budget of $435,000, and scores of private donations ranging from $5 to $25,000.

“The Temple Mountain acquisition is a shining example of private/public cooperation,” said State Representative Anne-Marie Irwin. “It was a grassroots local effort that attracted the support of both the state and federal governments and resulted in the preservation for perpetuity of an important part of the Monadnock Region’s heritage.”

“We are very proud to be part of this extraordinary collaborative effort,” said George Bald, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development. “This property is a wonderful addition to the 167,000 acres of state reservations under DRED management.”

Founded in 1989, the Monadnock Conservancy is a nonprofit, membership-supported land trust serving the 35 towns of the Monadnock Region. Its mission is “to identify, promote, and actively seek protection of significant natural, aesthetic, and historic resources in the Monadnock Region; and to monitor and enforce the protection of lands in the trust.” For more information, visit www.monadnockconservancy.org, or call (603) 357-0600.