Northeast Wilderness Trust to Preserve Wapack Wilderness 

View the Wapack Wilderness Conservation Campaign Presentation

Donate to the Wapack Wilderness Conservation Campaign

Learn about the Cultural History of the Wapack Wilderness

We are pleased to report that we have raised $1.3M towards our year end goal of $1.4M. Just $100,000 left to go!

"Some places have a memorial arch, some have a mascot," said Bill Dickerman, headmaster of Hampshire Country School, in Rindge and New Ipswich, New Hampshire and owner of the Wapack Wilderness, "our identity is our land." The Northeast Wilderness Trust is working to ensure that this identity remains wild--through a conservation easement on the school's 1,400 acre Wapack Wilderness.

Follow Dickerman along the Wapack Trail that cuts through the eastern part of the school's property, and onto the summit of Stony Top Mountain. You'll see a green carpet rolling towards a network of wetlands. To the northwest rises Mount Monadnock, one of the most-hiked mountains in America. But here is a quiet place, mostly forested, with rich stands of hemlock, oak, and pine.

"We have for decades been looking for a way to make sure that in the long run this would be protected," Dickerman said, but the school's trustees never found the right conservation partner. "Then, a few years ago, we and the Northeast Wilderness Trust discovered each other and it was an exact match," he said. "The trust understood that we want the land preserved just as it is."

The Wapack Wilderness contains over a mile of the Wapack Trail, one of the oldest footpaths in New Hampshire, stretching north from Mount Watatic for 21 miles to the Pack Monadnocks near Peterborough. Those who hike the trail follow some famous boots. Benton MacKaye, creator of the Appalachian Trail and co-founder of the Wilderness Society, delighted in the Wapack Trail, which he saw as a microcosm of his beloved "AT."

But the Wapack Wilderness is more than a hiking trail. It is a refuge for people and nature, harboring fifteen distinct natural communities, including three rare ones. Its ancient trees, pristine waters, and rugged topography make it an ecological treasure; its landscape context makes it a regional conservation priority. The property abuts and is in close proximity to other protected lands. Saving the Wapack Wilderness will link and expand a network of natural areas.

The opportunity to protect an intact forest the size of the Wapack Wilderness is increasingly rare--and increasingly important. New Hampshire faces unprecedented growth. By 2020, the NH Office of State Planning estimates a population increase of 38%, much of it concentrated in the southern part of the state. With rapid growth comes habitat damage and fragmentation. Each year, nearly 14,000 acres of open space are lost to development in New Hampshire.

Not surprisingly, in recent years the cost of maintaining such a large property has become a financial burden for the Hampshire Country School, a family-style boarding school for students who need a small school with an unusual amount of adult attention. Rather than developing its land holdings for maximum profit, the school found a solution that speaks to its values and history: its trustees have offered to sell a conservation easement on the school's wildest 1,400 acres to the Northeast Wilderness Trust. By working with the Trust, the school will preserve this unique landscape, maintain a natural classroom for its students, and generate needed revenue for its educational programs.

Students and school, land and wild creatures, residents and visitors--all win.

The Northeast Wilderness Trust has raised over $1,020,000 towards its $1,400,000 target, which is needed to purchase a conservation easement that ensures the Wapack Wilderness remains forever wild. We need your help to get the job done. Your support is crucial. Please make a contribution today and send it to the Northeast Wilderness Trust or donate on-line.

Thanks to the Wapack Wilderness Leadership Committee for spearheading the campaign.

Wapack Wilderness Leadership Committee
Walter and Dorothy Peterson, Peterborough, NH, Honorary Co-Chairs
Bob Boynton, New Ipswich, NH
Anne Faulkner, Sullivan, NH, Co-Chair
Art Fiorelli, Rindge, NH
Liz Freeman, New Ipswich, NH
Mary Jane Grasty, New Ipswich, NH
Virginia Harnden, New Ipswich, NH, Co-Chair
Richard Mellor, Rindge, NH
Barbara Richter, Keene, NH
Rebecca Todd, West Chesterfield, NH
David Tower, Jaffrey, NH
Rick Van de Poll, Center Sandwich, NH

Committee members Richard Mellor, Kathleen Fitzgerald, Art Fiorelli, Mary Jane Grasty, David Tower, Liz Freeman, and Virginia Harnden

There has been extraordinary support for the Wapack Campaign. Thanks to the following supporting organizations:

To learn more about the school, visit their web-site: www.hampshirecountryschool.org.

Former Governor Walter Peterson and wife Dorothy Peterson join Wapack Wilderness Conservation Campaign!