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Four Generals Greenway

Four Generals Greenway

A Natural Resource Protection Initiative

At the March 2006 Town Meeting, residents overwhelmingly voted to support the Four Generals Greenway, as part of a non-binding referendum to acknowledge the over arching value of Nottingham’s rural qualities. The Four Generals Greenway is named for the Nottingham generals who served with distinction in the Revolution: Thomas Bartlett, Henry Butler, Joseph Cilley and Henry Dearborn.

The significant points of the referendum included the following:

  • Nottingham’s rural character is of significant value
  • Open farm lands and forested lands define the rural character of Nottingham
  • Large blocks of land provide the major components of natural resources in Nottingham and its rural character
  • Large blocks of land provide wildlife habitat, protect plant communities and conserve our watersheds, wetlands, and aquifer recharge zones
  • It is important to provide connections for wildlife between large blocks of land so they do not become isolated. Smaller blocks and passage greenways support the health and quality of Nottingham’s natural resources
  • Participation by land owners is to be completely voluntary and informal
  • This initiative will not replace best practices for the protection of smaller habitats and sensitive areas that do not lie in the Greenway. Vernal pools, Critical Wetlands and uplands will continue to have high value for property owners and the community

The Four Generals Greenway encompasses the three large blocks in Nottingham:

  • The Stevens Hill (Mulligan) parcel of over 3000 acres in Nottingham and extends into Deerfield. This is the largest privately held piece in Nottingham and includes the Mulligan Forest Easement, which protects over 2000 acres of land and water resources.
  • The Kennard Hill parcel in the southeast part of Nottingham. This block extends into Epping and includes several easements and pending easements. The total size of the Kennard Hill block is over 4750 acres.
  • Pawtuckaway State Park, which is a valuable natural public resource of over 5000 acres, including Pawtuckaway Lake.

In addition, four significant smaller blocks provide support and connectivity for the Four Generals Greenway. One of these blocks includes the Quincy Pond area in the west part of town. A second block includes the Cedar Waters area that overlies a large surface aquifer. This second block extends to the Cyrus and Langley area all of which is bounded by Gile, McCrillis, Smoke, Kennard, Gravel Pit, and Priest Roads. A third area in Nottingham contains two easement properties on the north side of the First NH Turnpike and connects with easements in other towns including the Stonehouse Forest property. This block has a total area of 4360 acres. The fourth block is located in the northeast sector of Nottingham and includes the Terninko easements. It extends into the town of Lee and is confluent with several easements in that town.

In 2015, the NH Dept. of Fish and Game completed the NH F&G Wildlife Action Plan Update. Copies of the Plan and new maps are currently available for communities. The Commission is moving forward to employ this data in order to develop and define an overlay district to formally (and digitally) locate the Greenway within Nottingham. In this way, residents will be informed of the natural resource values within Nottingham and thus will be able to better secure assistance to preserve these resources from all levels of supporting agencies and their programs.

rev. March 2016