Carye family decision to preserve 387-acre woods praised

GILFORD — The conservation of the 387-acre Carye Family Woods property was hailed by local officials at a dedication ceremony held here Saturday as a major step in protecting critical natural resources in the community.

''This is absolutely fabulous,'' said Everett McLaughlin of the Gilford Conservation Commission, who during the ceremony unrolled a large map of the town which had been put together during a natural resources inventory which showed that the property was the highest priority for protection in the entire community.

''It has prime wetlands, brush habitat and critical habitat for many species and multiple critical resources,. It is really important to conserve this for future generations,'' said McLaughlin.

The property abuts the town of Gilford's Kimball Castle property with 250 acres, creating a significant conservation corridor. The property also contains a substantial portion of the Lazy Brook watershed and affords views of nearby Lake Winnipesaukee.

Conservation Commission Chairman John Goodhue said he was thrilled to see the property protected and praised the Carye family's generosity. In 2001 the Caryes donated an abutting 65-acre parcel and farm buildings, known as the Gilford Meadows, to the Gilford School District.

"The Carye family is to be commended for this special conservation achievement," said Whitney Beals, director of Land Protection for New England Forestry Foundation, who said that the property is the first in town to be owned outright by the foundation. Other properties on which the foundation holds easements are the Dame Farm and Ramblin' Vewe Farm.

He said that in November 1990, the Caryes had received approval from the Planning Board for a fully engineered, 37-lot residential subdivision on 73 acres located off Lazy Brook Lane and Route 11. Instead of proceeding with the subdivision, the Caryes opted to retain the land in its natural condition. ''He said that he'd done enough developing and loved the out of doors and the woods and wanted to to leave a legacy of conservation for future generations,'' said Beals.

Katrina Carye of Cambruidge, Mass., said that her parents, now 90 and 88, couldn't make the trip to the ceremony but had a great sense of satisfaction in being able to conserve the property.

She said that when her parents first brought the property off from Rte. 11-A in 1959 they were questioned by their friends as to why they hadn't bought lakefront property instead.

''That's how they came to call their home Carye's Folly,'' she said, adding that in 1961 her parents bought the Meadows property from Maurice Sawyer and promised him that they would not develop the meadows but would instead leave it as farmland.

Carye recalled that the property was ''a paradise'' to which the family would retreat on weekends where they could enjoy the apple trees and blueberry fields and spend time at Gilford Beach during the summer.

''I took ski lessons from Pepi Herrmann during he winters and loved coming here where I could see wildlife like red foxes, deer, woodchucks, bob cats and blue heron,'' said Carye.

Robert Perschel, executive director of the New England Forestry Foundation, said that organization is a long-time leader in conservation and sustainable land management, having conserved over one million acres throughout New England, more than any other nonprofit organization and an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.

He said that the organization owns 43 community forests in New Hampshire, totaling more than 10,3000 acres.

Among the properties it manages in the area are the J. Edgar Rich Memorial Forest in Sandwich, 95 acres; Bearcamp Woodlands in Ossipee, 244 acres; Thisell Smith Memorial Forest in Ossipee, 165 acres; Chamberlain-Reynolds Memorial Forest in Center Harbor, 150 acres; I. Frank Stevens Memorial Forest in Ashland, 177 acres; Newsom Memorial Forest in Ashland, 55 acres; J. Tyson Stokes Memorial Forest in Hebron, 45 acres; Storer Memorial Forest, Meredith 88 acres; Knox Mountain Tree Farm in New Hampton, 730 acres; Hersey Mountain in New Hampton, 1,904 acres and Mike Burke Memorial Forest in New Hampton, 500 acres.

CAPTIONS

Whitney Beals, director of land protection for the New England Forestry Foundation; Katrina Carye, daughter of Raymond A. and Barbara F. Carye, who donated a 387-acre parcel of land in Gilford which will be known as the Carye Family Woods to the New England Forestry Foundation, and Robert Perschel, executive director of the foundation, are shown at a dedication ceremony of the conservation land Saturday. (Roger Amsden photo for the Laconia Daily Sun)

Katrina Carye, daughter of Raymond A. and Barbara F. Carye, who donated a 387-acre parcel of land in Gilford which will be known as the Carye Family Woods to the New England Forestry Foundation,Whitney Beals, director of land protection for the foundation, and Everett McLaughlin of the Gilford Conservation Commission, are shown at a dedication ceremony of the conservation land Saturday. (Roger Amsden photo for the Laconia Daily Sun)