Forest Reservation
Challenge
Take-Along Checklist
This printable list is meant to help you keep track of properties you’ve visited. Some Tier
2 questions can be answered by visiting the property, but some will require reading
about the property on the Forest Reservation Guide on the Forest Society’s website,
forestsociety.org. For both Tier 1 and Tier 2, please document each visit by sending the
photos and/or answers to [email protected].
Great North Woods Region
1. Washburn Family Forest - Clarksville
 Coordinates: 45.02034, -71.464
 Tier 1: Take a picture of yourself (selfie) with the Connecticut River.
 Tier 2: Capture the photo above and answer one set of the following
questions, using the online Forest Reservation Guide to help you:
i. The Washburn Forest has six miles of direct frontage on the
Connecticut River. What types of recreation does the river provide?
What special wildlife habitat types does this provide, and for which
species?
ii. The property also contains nine miles of excellent interior gravel
roads. What opportunities for specialized recreation does this
network provide?
iii. The view from the height of land at the terminus of the road to the
former Bressette Farm overlook the scenic Amey Family Farm.
What is the name of the major tributary? What historic NH event is
associated with this famous stream location?
2. Kauffmann Forest - Stark
 Coordinates: 44.6283, -71.3911
 Tier 1: Take a selfie with Christine Lake in the background.
 Tier 2: Take the above photo and answer the following questions given the
information provided. There are 2,200 protected acres surrounding
Christine Lake including the Percy Summer Club easement and the Forest
Society Kauffman Forest - all located between the 787,000-acre White
Mountain National Forest and 40,000 acre Nash Steam State Forest.
Christine Lake is now home to trout, loons, ospreys, bald eagles. The cliffs
of Devil's Slide are home to nesting peregrine falcons. These bird species
are making a comeback.
i. What happened to reduce these bird species numbers? What
threats might they face in the future?
3. David Dana Forest - Dalton
 Coordinates: 44.3904, -71.6417
 Tier 1: Take a selfie with the abandoned mine / cliff face in the background
OR showing the spruce and fir forest habitat.
 Tier 2: Take one of the selfies above and answer the questions given this
information: East-facing slopes growing spruce and fir are the site of a
steep ledge overlooking a 100-foot- deep, abandoned gold mine shaft now
entirely filled with water.
i. How would this forest have looked different at the time of active
mining? What challenges would a mining company have faced
here? Would you have invested in such an enterprise? Why or why
not?
White Mountains Region
4. Bretzfelder Park - Bethlehem
 Coordinates: 44.2973, -71.6932
 Tier 1: Take a photo of yourself with the property sign OR at pond.
 Tier 2: Take one of the photos above and answer these questions - Hike
from the picnic pavilion down to the pond. How long did that take? What did
you see? Did you visit the Charles Bretzfelder Memorial Pine Tree? What
did you find most unique about this large old White Pine?
5. The Rocks Estate - Bethlehem
 Coordinates: 44.2773, -71.7322
 Tier 1: Take a selfie at the Rocks Estate sign OR of the Christmas trees
 Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer one set of questions
below:
i. Two types of trees are grown here for Christmas trees - can you pick
them out? Do you know their names? How are they different?
ii. Growing Christmas trees takes a lot more work than you might think.
What kinds of maintenance do you think happens here throughout
the year? How would this field of trees look different if NO
maintenance was done at all?
6. Kingsbury Timber – Chippewa Trail Lot - North Haverhill
 Coordinates: 43.48301, -72.13683
 Tier 1: Take a photo of yourself with the limestone kiln or at the top of Black
Mountain.
 Tier 2: Take one of the selfies above and answer the following question:
The Chippewa Trail climbs gradually and then steeply, gaining 700 feet on
the ascent toward the summit of 2800' Black Mountain. On your hike, do
you tend to see more conifer trees or deciduous trees? Hint: the snout of
sandy, well-drained soil forming the steep west bank of Titus Brook is a
glacial esker, a feature frequently found at the toe slopes of peaks in the
adjacent White Mountain National Forest.
7. Lost River Reservation - Woodstock
 Coordinates: 44.0382, -71.7848
 Tier 1: Take a photograph of yourself at the Dilly Cliffs/Kinsman Notch sign
OR in Lost River Gorge.
 Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer these questions: Look at
the slopes surrounding Lost River Gorge. You can see many white birches
on them - do they look like healthy trees to you? Why or why not? Why do
you think they are in that condition? Can you guess why so many White
Birch are found in the White Mountains overall?
Dartmouth / Lake Sunapee Region
8. Grafton Pond Reservation - Grafton
 Coordinates: 43.58013, -72.04527
 Tier 1: Take photo of you with (or without!) your boat at the boat launch OR
a selfie at the property sign on Cardigan Point Trail OR of yourself on one
of the many islands (if you have a boat).
 Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer one set of the following
questions:
i. What types of watercraft are NOT allowed at Grafton Pond? How
many islands are located on Grafton Pond? Roughly six of the
seven miles of shoreline are owned by the Forest Society. Who
owns the remaining shorefront not owned by the Forest Society?
ii. Thousands of paddlers visit this pond every year to canoe and
kayak its pristine shoreline, explore the many islands, and go fishing
and wildlife watching. There are also breeding loons on the pond;
how do you think this recreational use might affect the loon
population? What could you (and others) do to minimize this impact?
9. Donas J. & Margaret Reney Memorial Forest - Grantham
 Coordinates: 43.48301, -72.13683
 Tier 1: Take a self-photo at the trailhead kiosk, OR at the snowmobile
warming hut.
 Tier 2: Take one of the selfies above and answer one set of questions:
i. The Barton Farm predates the forestland purchased by the Reney
Family. What were three pioneer tree species to first colonize the
former farmlands? What are three more shade-tolerant, Northern
Hardwood tree species now found growing in dense shade on the
former farmlands?
ii. Walk the loop trail at Reney Forest - do you see any evidence that
this forest has been managed for timber? If so, what? Try to guess
how long ago different areas were harvested.
10. Hay Reservation - Newbury
 Coordinates: 43.35145, -72.04036
 Tier 1: Take a selfie at the trailhead kiosk, OR at a cellar hole on the
reservation OR on the summit of Sunset Hill.
 Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer one set of questions
below:
i. What is the name of the cellar at the junction of Old Country Road
and Sunset Hill Trail? Show us a photo of the interpretive sign there.
The view from the summit of Sunset Hill above this cellar hole
includes a prominent nearby peak, the Forest Society's first-ever
forest reservation protected in 1912. What is the name of this peak?
ii. Find the Hastings Cellar Hole- can you imagine that a family used to
live right here on the side of Sunset Hill? How do you think the view
from their front door looks different than your view of the forest
today?
11. Ashuelot River Headwaters Forest - Lempster
 Coordinates: 43.188, -72.170
 Tier 1: Take a selfie at the log cabin OR of a view from the summit of Silver
Mountain.
 Tier 2: Capture one of the above photos and answer one set of questions
below:
i. What is the family name of the previous owners of this sprawling
1,800 acres? What is the connection between the name of the open
summit mountain and the family's primary business venture?
ii. Take a walk along the trail to Sand Pond or Long Pond. Did you
pass any enormous boulders in the woods? How do you think they
got there?
Lakes Region
12. High Watch Preserve - Effingham/ Freedom
 Coordinates: 43.758, -71.020
 Tier 1: Take a selfie with the Fire Tower OR of the view from Hanson Top
OR the trailhead sign/kiosk.
 Tier 2: Complete one of the tasks above and answer one of the questions
below:
i. Can you find evidence of an ice storm that damaged trees? Show us
a photo. This sprawling 2,171 acres includes two summits: Green
Mountain and Hanson Top - What are their respective elevations?
What are the names and elevations of two other named summits
located to west along the same ridge of Green Mountain?
ii. The Green Mountain Fire Tower is one of the remaining fire towers
in NH that is still occasionally staffed. Why do you think we have
fewer staffed fire towers today than we did 50 years ago?
13. Merriman Forest - Sandwich
 Coordinates: 43.7749, -71.479
 Tier 1: Take a self-photo with the Eagle Cliff Forest sign OR from the
ledges at Eagle Cliff.
 Tier 2: Capture one of the photos above and answer these questions What tree species grows best on the steepest rocky slopes of Eagle Cliff?
Why do you think conifers (evergreens) out-compete deciduous trees on
shallow soils?
14. Cockermouth Forest - Groton
 Coordinates: 43.7279, -71.8423
 Tier 1: What is the name of the trail to Little Pond OR take a photo at the
property sign, OR at Bald Knob OR Little Pond.
 Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer these questions - What
kind of special nine-acre ecological community surrounds Little Pond? Can
you name a specialized plant found there? In the view from Bald Knob,
what is the name of the lake fed by the Cockermouth River and the most
prominent bare granite peak with a fire tower you can see on a clear day?
15. Weeks Forest - Gilford
 Coordinates: 43.55132, 71.4042
 Tier 1: Take a photo of you and/or a friend at the grindstone OR at the
property sign.
 Tier 2: Take the above picture and answer the questions: What is the
inscription on the small brass plaque on the granite grindstone located near
the kiosk? What was the subject’s connection to this Forest Reservation?
16. Evelyn H. & Albert D. Morse, Sr. Preserve - Alton
 Coordinates: 43.4794, -71.279
 Tier 1: Take a self-photo at the Morse Preserve sign on Avery Hill Road,
OR a photo at the top of Pine Mountain by the sign naming the mountains
you can see from there.
 Tier 2: Take one of the pictures above and answer these questions - What
crop was historically grown in commercial quantities on the open slopes of
Pine Mountain at Morse Preserve? How was this barrens habitat
maintained in the past? Can you find evidence of how it is maintained by
the Forest Society today?
17. Cooper Cedar Woods - New Durham
 Coordinates: 44.42263, -71.15347
 Tier 1: Take a selfie at the trailhead property sign OR find an Atlantic white
cedar and take a "tree hugging" selfie.
 Tier 2: Take one of the above photographs and answer the question: What
species of tree gives this reservation its proper name? The Latin name?
Why do you think this plant is rare in NH?
18. Moose Mountains Reservation - Middleton / Brookfield
 Coordinates: 43.513344, -71.05536
 Tier 1: Take a photo of one of two cemeteries, OR Burrows Farmsite
plaque, OR Moose Mountains Reservation's trailhead sign, OR one of the
views from Phoebe's Nable, Beauty Ledge, OR of Bowser Pond.
 Tier 2: Capture one of the above photos and answer one of the following
questions:
i. What is the name of the family who inhabited a former farm just west
and beneath “Phoebe’s Nable”? Take a photo of the family cemetery
or the plaque at the former farm site.
ii. Did you find an amazing view at Moose Mountains Reservation?
Where? (Phoebes Nable, Beauty Ledge, Bowser Pond, Burrows
Farm fields, etc). Did you see any signs of wildlife? If so, what?
Monadnock Region
19. Madame Sherri Reservation - Chesterfield
 Coordinates: 42.86534, -72.51839
 Tier 1: Take a photo next to the staircase (do not climb- unsafe) OR at
Indian Pond.
 Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer one set of questions:
i. Why is there a grand staircase in the middle of the woods at
Madame Sherri Forest? Who lived here once?
ii. Timber rattlesnakes once lived in the rocky talus slopes on the side
of Indian Pond, but they have not been seen in this area for many
years. Why do you think that is?
20. Gap Mountain Reservation - Troy / Jaffrey
 Coordinates: 42.82948, -72.13153
 Tier 1: Take a photo of yourself at the property sign at either trailhead OR
of Mount Monadnock from the summit of Gap Mountain OR of you picking
blueberries on Gap Mountain OR of an old orchard, if you can find one.
 Tier 2: Take one of the above photographs and answer one set of
questions below:
i. There are two old apple orchards on this property, one on the south
trail and one just off the north trail. See if you can find one, and take
a photo. Why do you think there are these little orchards in the
"middle of nowhere?"
ii. How many "peaks" are there on Gap Mountain? Which did you visit?
Look at Mount Monadnock from the top of Gap Mountain. Can you
see hikers at the bald summit? Guess how many people visit Mt.
Monadnock each year versus Gap Mountain.
21. Monadnock Reservation - Jaffrey / Dublin
 Coordinates: 42.845446, -72.088592
 Tier 1: Take a photo at the summit of Mount Monadnock OR at the remote
trailhead OR at the park headquarters.
 Tier 2: Take one of the above photographs and answer one of the two sets
of questions below:
i. Pick a trail to hike at Mount Monadnock. Which one did you hike?
Did you pass any other people? What kinds of impacts do you think
occur on Mount Monadnock's trails as a result of the intense hiker
use here?
ii. This mountain has inspired writers and poets for many generations,
including Henry David Thoreau. Write a poem or paragraph inspired
by your visit to Monadnock.
22. John Kulish Forest / Welch Family Farm and Forest - Hancock, NH
 Coordinates: 42.98795, -72.01632
 Tier 1: Take a photo of yourself at the property sign OR of plaque on a rock
in Welch field.
 Tier 2: Capture one of the above photographs and answer the questions
below - This property was once a working farm. What kind of farming do
you think was done here? Why?
23. McCabe Forest - Antrim, NH
 Coordinates: 43.04233, -71.93395
 Tier 1: Take a photo at the property sign OR kiosk OR at Contoocook River
 Tier 2: In addition to capturing one of the above photos, answer these
questions - Walk the trails at McCabe Forest along the Contoocook River.
Can you find any evidence that this river has overflowed its banks in the
past? What is it? What kind of adaptations do plant and animals that
grow/live in the floodplain have to possess?
24. High Five Reservation - Deering, NH
 Coordinates: 43.04258, -71.86522
 Tier 1: Take a selfie with the property sign OR from top of Wilson Hill.
 Tier 2: Capture one of the above photographs and answer the questions
below - Look out over the landscape from the top of Wilson Hill. Do you see
any differences in the forest types? Do you see any evidence of forest
management? What?
25. Heald Tract Reservation - Wilton/Temple/Greenville, NH
 Coordinates: 42.80227, -71.80722
 Tier 1: Photo at property sign OR photo at Heald Pond
 Tier 2: In addition to taking one of the above photos, answer the following
questions - There are many wetlands and ponds at the Heald Tract. What
evidence do you find the key habitat-managing furbearer mammal living
here? What might this landscape look like if this mammal did not exist
here?
Merrimack Valley
26. Buxton Forest / Elizabeth Simons Preserve - Weare
 Coordinates: 43.08318, -71.74802
 Tier 1: Take a self-photo at the Buxton Simmons sign on Flanders
Memorial Drive OR a photo at a wetland OR at the top of Mt. Wallingford
 Tier 2: The Mount Wallingford Trail parallels an extensive wetland. What
evidence do you find the key habitat-managing furbearer mammal living
here? What might this landscape look like if this mammal did not exist
here?
27. Hutchins Forest / Paul & Thelma Ambeau Memorial Forest - Canterbury
 Coordinates: 43.31454, -71.56917
 Tier 1: Take a photo of yourself (selfie) at the Hutchins Forest kiosk OR at
the sign on Mountain Road OR the Ambeau Forest sign OR of a vernal
pool.
 Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer one set of questions
below:
i. Be a forest detective! What are the more common types of trees
growing from the sandy, well-drained soils overlooking wetlands and
vernal pools?
ii. Find a vernal pool on this property- there are several near the trails.
If it is winter, find an area that you think might be a vernal pool in
spring. Why did you guess that area? Many amphibians use vernal
pools to breed- why do you think it is important for these species
that the vernal pools they are using dry up during part of the year?
28. Merrimack River Outdoor Education & Conservation Area - Concord
 Coordinates: 43.2337, -71.5309
 Tier 1: Visit the Conservation Center - Forest Society headquarters on the
bluff overlooking The Merrimack River Conservation Area. Take a photo of
yourself. OR walk the trails on the floodplain and take a photo at the
Merrimack River.
 Tier 2: Take the above selfie and answer these questions:
i. Why are silver maple trees found here growing along the riverbank?
Do you see any evidence that the area you are hiking through may
be seasonally flooded? What evidence do you see? What
adaptations do you think are important for plants and animals that
grow/live in floodplain areas? Look at the banks of the Merrimack
River- what do you notice about them? Do you think we are gaining
or losing land on this side of the river? How about the other side?
Why?
29. Monson Center - Hollis/Milford
 Coordinates: 43.31454, -71.56917
 Tier 1: Take a photo of youreslf (selfie) at the Hutchins Forest kiosk OR at
the sign on Mountain Road OR the Ambeau Forest sign OR of a vernal
pool.
 Tier 2: Take one of the above photos and answer one set of questions
below:
i. Be a forest detective! What are the more common types of trees
growing from the sandy, well-drained soils overlooking wetlands and
vernal pools?
ii. Find a vernal pool on this property- there are several near the trails.
If it is winter, find an area that you think might be a vernal pool in
spring. Why did you guess that area? Many amphibians use vernal
pools to breed- why do you think it is important for these species
that the vernal pools they are using dry up during part of the year?
30. Leslie C. Bockes Memorial Forest – Londonderry/ Hudson
 Coordinates: 42.8082, -71.3619
 Tier 1: Take a self-photo at the gate or sign at Mill Road.
 Tier 2: Take one of the selfies above and answer one set of questions:
i. This property is an island of forest habitat within a mosaic of
suburban homes. What wildlife species might you expect to be
common? Why not moose or lynx?
ii. A timber harvest was conducted on this property in late 2014. What
evidence do you see of this forest management? What do you think
are some of the reasons that the Forest Society harvests timber on
its forestlands?
Seacoast
31. William H. Champlin, Jr. Forest – Rochester
 Coordinates: 43.27994, -70.92664
 Tier 1: Take self-photo at the trailhead kiosk.
 Tier 2: Take the above selfie and answer this question - Did you find
evidence of prior land uses? Document features or evidence with photos.

32. Dame Forest – Durham
 Coordinates: 43.100267, -70.905036
 Tier 1: Did you park at Longmarsh or Dame Rd? Take a photograph of a
wetland at Dame Forest, or a sign on the Sweet Trail.
 Tier 2: Capture the photograph above and answer the following questions Name some of the prominent wildlife at Dame Forest. What special habitat
types are present? What is the name of the creek draining to Great Bay?
33. Creek Farm- Portsmouth
 Coordinates: 43.05782, -70.74078
 Tier 1: Take a self-photo at the main house, Sagamore Creek shoreline,
OR Little Harbor Loop Trail sign.
 Tier 2: Capture one of the above photographs and answer one set of the
following sets of questions:
i. Who constructed Creek Farm? What is the connection to historical
events of 1905?
Ii. The Little Harbor Loop Trail crosses 3 Portsmouth properties…what are
they? How are they similar? How are they different?
iii. Find the large tidal pool along the shoreline of Sagamore Creek on the
Creek Farm property. Do you think this is natural or man-made? Why?