This year, the Cheshire County Conservation District is excited to celebrate its 75th anniversary!
While Covid-19 may have thrown a wrench in our typical celebratory plans, we are excited to bring our 75th Annual Meeting celebration to a virtual platform for all to enjoy from the comfort and safety of their homes.
As always, we are excited to provide the public with an engaging and informative keynote speaker (as well as other programming highlights!). This year, Historical Society of Cheshire County Executive Director Alan Rumrill will share stories of changes and developments in agriculture, forestry and land conservation in Cheshire County over the past 75 years. Alan is an engaging speaker who has a wealth of knowledge about Cheshire County’s past. He is a native and current resident of Stoddard, NH where his family has lived since 1770! Alan has also served as Executive Director of the Historical Society of Cheshire County since 1983. He shares a story below about one momentous conservation action:
From Alan: The story of a large tract of land owned by the Dickinson family is one example of land use in the region that touches on both forestry and land conservation. The family had several large landholdings that were used to support their business enterprise, the New England Box Company. The company made wooden boxes that were used far and wide to hold a wide variety of products. One of their holdings was a tract of more than 13,000 acres where they harvested timber to be used in making the boxes, and made attempts to regenerate the forest for future use. Changes in the woodenware industry and the introduction of cardboard packaging meant that the family no longer needed the land. The New England Box Company worked with the State of New Hampshire to ensure that the land would be conserved. The result was the formation of Pisgah Park in 1968 – the largest state park in New Hampshire!
If you’re interested in hearing more uniquely New Hampshire stories like this, please join us virtually on October 27th @7pm to celebrate this year’s conservation successes and triumphs, celebrate awardees for Educator & Cooperators of the year, and hear Alan’s full keynote address. We hope you will join us and thank you for your continued support of CCCD.
To register for the CCCD’s virtual 75th Annual Meeting visit: https://cccd75th.eventbrite.com
The virtual meeting on the evening of October 27th will be streaming on several online platforms for your convenience. Registration will help us keep you informed on how to participate online.
Written by: Lola Bobrowski
CCCD Outreach Coordinator