Johnson Farm & Islands
The property includes a half mile of frontage on the Connecticut River.
ACT and the Vermont River Conservancy (VRC), worked together with the landowner to conserve this historic farm in Monroe, NH.
Richard Johnson was the owner of this 311-acre property that includes riverine habitats, islands, forests, and great agricultural soils. A dairy farm until the 1990s, today the rich bottomland grows corn and hay.
This land has been in the Johnson family since about 1800. Mr. Johnson wanted to honor the legacy of his ancestors and ensure that the land stays open and not turned into a development or trophy home site. It’s an excellent example of how ACT can preserve New Hampshire’s landscape and tradition of farming. We did this with a ‘farm-friendly’ conservation agreement, meaning farming and forestry are encouraged in the future.
The farm provides an emblamatic New England view for paddlers.
Rolling fields, forests, and riparian zones provide habitats for rare plants, animals, and shorebirds making this land highly ranked by the New Hampshire Wildlife Action Plan. In total 2,248 feet of CT River shore land are protected. You might glimpse bald eagles or osprey that nest in the area.
The two islands included in this property are managed by VRC, to further promote recreation on the river and create a new campsite for the Connecticut River Paddlers Trail.
Media Coverage:
Click here to listen to the NHPR story.
We are thankful for the generosity of our funders who have made this project possible:
Federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP), Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Dept. of Agriculture
Upper Connecticut River Mitigation and Enhancement Fund
New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP)
The NH State Conservation Committee grant program, through the sale of the Conservation License plates (Moose Plate)
The Russell Farm & Forest Foundation
A bargain sale by the landowner
ACT members and donors, whose contributions covered costs for the several years before the project closed (such as the survey, appraisals, staff work, lawyers) and ACT received the funds listed above.
The Neil & Louise Tillotson Fund and TransCanada, each providing funding to the VRC and planned campsite improvements.
