Locally Controlled. Community Owned. 
Conserved Forever

Cooley-Jericho Community Forest

Spanning 840 acres in the northwest corner of Easton, the Cooley-Jericho Community Forest (CJCF) was created in 2013 to protect a large tract of upland forest on the ridgelines of Cole Hill and Cooley Hill. Four communities—Easton, Franconia, Landaff, and Sugar Hill—were involved in the creation of the Community Forest, which is now owned and managed by the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust (ACT) on behalf of the 4 participating towns. Permanently protected for all to enjoy, the property is open for many forms of recreation including hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, cross-country and glade skiing, hunting, and wildlife observation.

Logged extensively in the past, the CJCF is now regenerating and provides prime wildlife habitat. Black bear, moose, white-tailed deer, turkey, and bobcat have been documented on the property. There is also the possibility that American marten and Canada lynx may be found there. Bird observations at CJCF have included Canada warbler, ruffed grouse, olive-sided flycatcher, scarlet tanager, northern flicker, ovenbird, white-throated sparrow, wood thrush, American woodcock, hermit thrush, red eyed vireo, pileated woodpecker, hairy and downy woodpeckers, blue-headed vireo, raven and chestnut-sided warbler.

The name of the Forest reflects the local history of the area. The Cooley family lived and farmed in Sugar Hill for many years and had holdings in Easton as well as Sugar Hill. Jericho was a logging community in a remote section of Landaff.

The Cole family lived at the base of the Cole-Cooley hills & ridge line.  

Ready to start exploring? Download driving directions and trail map here!

A Legacy Remembered Through Conservation

Gols Forest

The Gols Forest consists of 82 acres of forested land surrounded on three sides by the White Mountain National Forest in Easton, NH. This property is a fee acquisition in Easton thanks to the extreme generosity of Lorie Gols.

The headwaters of the Ham Branch stream run close to the property, which hosts some of the state`s highest ranked stream and aquatic wildlife habitats – with tributaries flowing through the Gols forest. This unique piece of land is also part of a much larger undeveloped forest which is an important wildlife habitat for both animals and plant life and provides connections to other nearby conserved land.

In addition to the protection of the forest, the wildlife, and the local water quality, this property has a deep connection for the Gols family who have a decades-long love of the North Country.

The Gols family grew up and lived in Massachusetts with frequent visits to the North Country to enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains, valleys and streams. Lorie’s father grew up part-time in Germany and the landscape of the North Country happily reminded him of his days spent in Europe. After many summer visits renting houses for the family, the Gols acquired the land in the 60’s with the family goal to preserve and protect this special place. Going to the property as a young girl, Lorie recalls the vibrant stream running through the land and reflects on her great childhood spent visiting this beautiful place.

Her father had a love for hiking and nature which extended to their local community garden where he would grow everything and anything he could to eat organic produce year-round. Lorie’s childhood visiting the North Country was instilled through her father’s passion for these natural spaces, she reflects on her love of nature and the natural world and preserving it. She shares that she gets emotional when she comes up to visit saying, “he’d be really happy to know it’s being conserved”. By generously donating this land to ACT she is focusing on making a positive mark and fulfilling her father’s dream. Lorie says, “Dad would be happy and smiling”. Conservation is imperative for future generations but in this heartfelt story, it can also be important and valuable to those who are no longer with us.

ACT would like to thank Lorie and her partner Fred Fowler for working with ACT to conserve this special piece of property and to ensure the vitality of the environment in the North Country. ACT takes its responsibilities for the long-term care of its conserved lands very seriously and is honored that Lorie chose ACT to carry out her father`s legacy.