Latest News
Maidenhair Fern at Rinker Steele Natural Area
RINKER STEELE NATURAL AREA - Conservation set for August 9
The Council is partnering with the Town of Hanover Conservation Commission to conserve the 24-acre Rinker Steele Natural Area. We are delighted to report that the Council and the Hanover Board of Selectmen will sign the conservation easement at the board’s August 9 meeting.
The property is located on Route 10 just northeast of Ferguson Field, across from Kendal and the Chieftain Motor Inn. The land includes mature forest with 300-year-old hemlocks and dramatic steep slopes. This key parcel provides important wildlife habitat and recreation connections to Ferguson Field, Storrs Pond, and Oak Hill.
The town has recently acquired the six-acre Steele property, known affectionately as “the Enchanted Forest,” for long-term conservation, with the help of enthusiastic residents and a $25,000 contribution from the Hanover Conservation Council. The Council will hold a conservation easement on this and the abutting Rinker tract to permanently protect both. The easement will prohibit development, protect the natural beauty and extraordinary forested habitat of the area, and allow for continued public access.
The Co
uncil and the town’s hard-working Conservation Commission, assisted by Senior Planner Vicki Smith, have been working closely together on a detailed management plan for the two properties. We thank all for pursuing this worthy project with us.
Rinker Steele Conservation Map
Rinker Steele Natural Area Management_Plan
THE MONARCHS ARE BACK!
Monarch butterflies are back at Balch Hill, fluttering around the milkweed near the summit. Soon it will be time to search for the caterpillars and watch as they prepare their distinctive dangling cocoons. Female butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of milkweed leaves, leaving them to hatch in 3-12 days. The larvae feed on their host plant for about two weeks, developing into caterpillars about 2 inches long.
The monarch’s distinctive orange coloration is a visual warning — “beaks off!” — to blue jays and other would-be predators, letting them know that this butterfly is not a good snack item. Because they feed on acidic milkweed sap, they become distasteful, and sometimes downright poisonous, to the birds.
About the Council
The Hanover Conservation Council is a non-profit membership-based organization focused on land conservation in Hanover NH. The Council is dedicated to the conservation of land and water, and to deepening the appreciation of natural resources for the benefit of the Hanover community and beyond. We achieve our mission with programs in land conservation, active land stewardship, environmental education and support for conservation oriented public policies. 
The Council has helped to facilitate the conservation of over 20 parcels of land in Hanover since 1963. We currently own and manage the Mink Brook Nature Preserve (east of Route 10), the summit of Balch Hill, Slade Brook Natural Area (off River Road) and the Greensboro Ridge Natural Area adjacent to the Appalachian Trail, north of Greensboro Road.
We work in partnership with landowners, town government, other conservation groups, and developers to find conservation opportunities and solutions in our town. The Council can protect land through ownership, conservation easement or identifying other conservation resources.
To learn more about the Council view our 2009 Annual Report.
