SCOUTLAND
MANAGEMENT PLAN
Presented to:
Rollinsford Board of Selectmen
Presented by:
Rollinsford Conservation Commission
MARCH 2006
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0
INTRODUCTION
3
2.0
SCOUTLAND DESCRIPTION
4
2.1
Location
4
2.2
Zoning
4
2.3
Historical Uses & Activities
4
2.4
Access
5
2.5
Vegetation
5
2.6
Wetlands
5
2.7
Wildlife
6
2.8
Soils
6
3.0
MANAGEMENT & PROTECTION OPTIONS
6
3.1
Conservation Easement
6
3.2
Town and City Forests
7
4.0
RCC RECOMMENDATIONS
7
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1.0
Introduction
In the summer of 2002, the Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC)
initiated an effort to develop strategies and initiatives with the Town of Rollinsford to
protect the Town’s open space and historic resources. An ad hoc committee, the Future
of Rollinsford (FOR) committee, was formed from members of the Board of Selectmen,
Planning Board, Rollinsford Conservation Commission (RCC), Historic Committee, and
SRPC. The FOR committee held monthly meetings over an approximately 18-month
period to discuss the preservation of open space and historical resources in Town.
During the course of the FOR meetings, the committee recognized and agreed that
immediate action is needed to protect open space and historic resources in Rollinsford
from widespread and prolific development that has occurred in neighboring communities
and the greater region in recent years. This recognition was recently substantiated by the
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests’ (SPNHF) 2005 report entitled New
Hampshire’s Changing Landscape. The SPNHF report states that NH has been the fastest
growing state in New England for four straight decades; from 1990 to 2004, NH’s
population grew by 17.2%, twice as fast as the average for the rest of New England; and,
NH is projected to add an additional 358,000 residents to its current population of 1.2
million (a 28% increase) by 2025.
One of the focal points of open space protection at the FOR meetings was the
approximately 100-acre, town-owned Scoutland property along the Salmon Falls River
near the Somersworth border. While this property is currently zoned as Conservation
District, this zoning designation does not afford the property any long-term protection
from development. The FOR committee recognized that future changes to less restrictive
zoning left open the possibility that the Scoutland property could be developed and that
an important recreational, wildlife, and potential public water supply resource could be
lost.
As a result of the FOR committee meetings, subsequent work by the RCC, and
recognition of Scoutland as an important resource, the following warrant article was
posted and approved at the March 9, 2004, Rollinsford Town Meeting:
ARTICLE VIII: To see if the Town will vote to ensure that the Town
owned 100 acre plus, Scoutland property, (Map 2, Lot 13) is preserved
only for conservation use in perpetuity by directing the Conservation
Commission, in consultation with the Planning Board, to prepare a
Scoutland Management Plan. The Conservation Commission shall
present the Management Plan for ratification and adoption at the 2005
Town Meeting. (Approved and Recommended by the Future of
Rollinsford Committee).
At the 2005 Town Meeting, voters approved an extension until the 2006
Town Meeting for the RCC to present its Scoutland Management Plan and further
research how best to preserve the property for conservation in perpetuity.
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Concurrent, with the development of the Scoutland Management Plan, the RCC
has also been working on other open space protection initiatives such as the inventory
and prioritization of potential conservation lands. This effort was initiated during the
FOR committee meetings and involved the creation of an inventory of all properties in
Town greater than 20 acres in area to assess their characteristics as potential conservation
lands. The inventory included a compilation of environmental and other property
features important for determining conservation value and potential. These features
included, among others, the presence of wetlands, perennial or intermittent streams,
shoreline, wildlife habitat, and prime agricultural soils; proximity to existing conservation
land or open space; and, the presence of known historical or cultural resources. This
inventory is being used by the RCC in an ongoing effort to evaluate, score, and prioritize
land in the Town of Rollinsford for potential future conservation.
2.0
Scoutland Description
2.1
Location
The Scoutland property is located on Tax Map 2, Lot 13 and is approximately
100-acres in area (see Figure 1 and Figure 2). Its boundaries are defined by two
unmaintained class IV roads — Scoutland Road to the south and Old Indigo Road to the
west; Lot 6 of Tax Map 2 to the northwest, the Salmon Falls River to the north, and Lot
13-1 of Tax Map 2 to the east. A deed description of the property is provided in
Appendix A.
2.2
Zoning
The property is currently zoned as Conservation (CON) District. As described in
Section 3.2.6 of the Rollinsford Zoning Ordinance, the general purpose of Conservation
District is:
to discourage any active development of land located adjacent to the
Salmon Falls River which will provide the Town with a natural resource
area for open space use and outdoor recreation.
As described in Section 3.3.7 of the Rollinsford Zoning Ordinance, the
Conservation District is bounded on the east by the Salmon Falls River, on the southwest
by the old railway right-of-way beginning at the B&M Railway and extending northwest
to Indigo Hill Road, on the west by the Indigo Hill Road on the north by the Town
boundary.
2.3
Historical Uses & Activities
Historical uses of Scoutland include activities by the Boy Scouts (thus the name
“Scout Land”); various recreational activities such as walking, horseback riding, hunting,
and off-road vehicular use (e.g., ATVs, snowmobiles, motorbikes); timber harvesting;
and, unauthorized dumping of household trash.
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The property has also been investigated as a potential future water supply. There
are three exploratory wells located off a small access road north of Scoutland Road. In
addition, there are a number of monitoring wells near Scoutland that are associated with
the study of potential groundwater contaminates associated with the former Town dump
on the south side of Scoutland Road.
2.4
Access
Currently, vehicular access to Scoutland is restricted by gates on Old Indigo Hill
Road near the railroad overpass on Rollins Road and Scoutland Road beyond the boat
launch on the Salmon Falls River. The gates can be bypassed on foot and with small offroad vehicles (e.g., ATVs, snowmobiles, motorbikes). Similar access can be gained on
foot or with small off-road vehicles where Scoutland Road and Old Indigo Hill Road
meet the Somersworth town line near Crocket’s Crossing, and by a footpath along the
Salmon Falls River that extends from Scoutland to the Malley Farm property in
Somersworth. Access can also be had by watercraft via the Salmon Falls River.
2.5
Vegetation
Scoutland is characterized by a diverse vegetative community. Hardwood tree
species include white birch (Betula papyrifera), the state tree of New Hampshire; beech
(Fagus sylvatica), oak (Quercus spp), maple (Acer spp.), and cedar (Chamaecyparis
spp.). Softwood tree species include the Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobes) and
Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis).
Additional plant species that have been observed on the property include High
Bush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosium), blackberry (Rubus insons), Princess Pine
(Lycopodium obscurum), wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), pink lady slipper
(Cypripedium acaule), wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), wild phylox (Phlox spp.),
trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), Canadian Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), and
foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia).
2.6
Wetlands
The United States Fish & Wildlife Service’s National Wetland Inventory (NWI)
provides information on the existence, extent, and status of wetlands in the U.S. Through
the NWI, a series of maps have been produced based on aerial photography and colorinfrared photography to show wetlands and deepwater habitats throughout the U.S. This
information is used extensively by local, state, and federal resource managers to promote
the understanding and conservation of these important resources. The NWI not only
identifies the location of wetlands and deepwater habitats throughout the U.S. but also
includes information on the characteristics of these important resources based on the
classification scheme detailed by Cowardin et al. (1979).
NWI mapping of Rollinsford reveals the presence of two (2) palustrine forested
(PFO) wetlands within Scoutland (see Figure 3). Unfortunately, the NWI mapping
procedure does not identify all wetlands that may be present on the ground because of the
limitations of interpreting wetlands and deepwater habitats from aerial photography. Site
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walks of Scoutland have revealed that additional wetlands are present in addition to those
present on the NWI maps. A professional wetland scientist or similarly qualified
professional will need to perform a wetland delineation of Scoutland to properly classify
and delineate all wetlands that are present.
2.7
Wildlife
A number of animal species have been observed in and around Scoutland and the
Salmon Falls River in recent years. Those reported include the red fox (Vulpes vulpes),
fisher (Martes pennanti), coyote (Canis latrans), white tail deer (Odocoileus
virginianus), moose (Alces alces), wild swans, hooded merganser (Lophodytes
cucullatus), wood duck (Aix sponsa), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), kingfisher, great
blue heron (Ardea herodias), marsh hawk, red tail hawk, long-eared owl (Asio otus),
great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), beaver (Castor Canadensis), and Common Muskrat
(Ondatra zibethicus).
2.8
Soils
The USDA Soil Conservation Service’s Soil Survey for Strafford County, New
Hampshire (1973), shows that Scoutland is dominated by the Windsor and Suffield soil
series, and to a lesser extent, by mixed alluvial soil (see Figure 4). Most of Scoutland is
characterized by a Windsor loam sand (mapping unit WdB) with 3 to 8 percent slopes.
This soil is typically forested and is considered a poor soil for agricultural purposes,
unless irrigated and fertilized.
The Windsor loam sand covers approximately three-quarters of the upland portion
of Scoutland. A narrower band of soil, paralleling the Salmon Falls River, covers
approximately one quarter of Scoutland and is identified in the Soil Survey as a Suffield
silt loam (mapping unit SfC) with 8 to 15 percent slopes. The peninsula of land jutting
from the northeast corner of Scoutland into the Salmon Falls River is characterized by a
mixed alluvial (mapping unit MI).
3.0
Management & Protection Options
3.1
Conservation Easement
NH RSA 477:45-47 authorizes landowners to establish a conservation restriction
(i.e., easement) which is a legally binding agreement between a landowner and a
qualified conservation organization or public agency (i.e., easement holder) that restricts
uses of the land to protect its environmental quality (see Appendix C). Land placed
under a conservation easement is still owned and maintained by the landowner, however,
the easement holder has the authority to enforce the easement restrictions to ensure
protection of the land’s conservation values.
Typical conservation easements allow the landowner to continue to use the land
for agriculture, forestry, outdoor recreation, wildlife habitat management and other uses
compatible with the conservation objectives of the property and not prohibited by the
easement (CLCA, 2004).
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3.2
Town and City Forests
NH RSA 31:110-113 authorizes towns to establish a town or city forest for the
main purpose of encouraging the proper management of timber, firewood and other
natural resources through planting, timber stand improvement, thinning, harvesting,
reforestation, and other multiple use programs (see Appendix D). As per Chapter 31, a
designated Town or City Forest shall be managed by a specially appointed forestry
committee or the conservation commission if the city or town has established one under
RSA 36-A.
The designation of a Town or City Forest under RSA 31:110 does not afford the
property under such designation any permanent protection from development.
Management activities must be consistent with any deed restrictions and any pertinent
local ordinances or regulations.
4.0
RCC’s Scoutland Management Recommendations
1. That this Scoutland Management Plan be adopted at public hearing as the interim
management plan for the property while the RCC, in consultation with the
Selectmen, continue to develop a more comprehensive plan. The RCC and
Selectmen will periodically update the plan, as necessary, for adoption at public
hearing, and will work to ensure that the plan is compatible with the conservation
objectives of the property and any conservation easement that may eventually be
placed on the property.
2. That unrestricted passive recreational uses of the property be allowed (e.g.,
bicycles, pedestrians, hiking, horseback riding, X-country skiing).
3. That off-road recreational vehicles (e.g., motorbikes, ATVs, snowmobiles) be
allowed on designated trails (e.g., Old Indigo Hill Road, Scoutland Road, and
other existing trails). The RCC further recommends that a local trail club or
organization be identified to maintain and self-police trial riding activities.
4. That hunting with firearms and archery be allowed on the property in accordance
with N.H. Fish & Game and local regulations.
5. That forestry practices such as selective cutting be allowed to enhance permitted
activities and to maintain the health of the existing forest. Forestry practices shall
only be conducted after prior consultation with a recognized professional
Forester. Any forestry practice conducted shall implement current Best
Management Practices (BMPs). Any forestry practice shall be carried out in
accordance with local, state, and federal laws and regulations.
6. That a metes & bounds survey of the property be conducted to properly identify
and delineate property boundaries with permanent markers or monuments.
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Figure 1
Rollinsford Tax Map
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Figure 2
USGS Topographical Quadrangle Map
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Figure 3
National Wetland Inventory (NWI) Map
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Figure 4
Soil County Survey Soil Mapping Units
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Appendix A
Scoutland Property Deed
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The Scoutland Property deed is recorded at the Strafford County Registry of Deeds in
book 490, page 286, and reads as follows:
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENT
THAT I, George H. Yeaton of South Berwick in the County of York and State of Maine for
and in the consideration of the sum of One dollar to me in hand before the delivery hereof,
well and truly paid by the Town of Rollinsford a municipal corporation in the County of
Strafford and State of New Hampshire have remised, released and forever Quitclaimed, and by
these presents do remise, release and quitclaim unto the said Town of Rollinsford its and
assigns forever.
A certain parcel of wood and pasture land situated in said Town of Rollinsford and bounded as
follows, viz: beginning at the junction of the Great Falls and Conway Railroad and the Indigo
Hill highway on the northerly side of said Railroad and running in an easterly direction by said
Railroad to land of the late James E. Wentworth to an iron hub driven in the ground a few feet
inside the railroad fence; thence in a northeasterly direction by said Wentworth land to an iron
hub and continuing in a straight line to a spotted oak tree on the bank of the Salmon Falls
river; thence up the river in a northerly direction to the land of Samuel Arnold to an iron hub
driven in the ground on the bank of the river; thence in a westerly direction in a straight line
over a steep hill past a midway iron hub to the Indigo Hill road; thence by said road the place
begun at, containing one hundred fourteen (114) acres, more or less.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said premises, with all the privileges and appurtenances
thereto belonging a, to the said Town of Rollinsford and its heirs and assigns forever; and I do
hereby covenant with the said Town of Rollinsford that I will warrant and defend the said
premises to the said Town of Rollinsford and its and assigns, against the lawful claims and
demands of any person or persons claiming by, from or under me
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this sixteenth day of
August in the year of our Lord, 1939.
Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of us:
C. D. Varney
George H. Yeaton
Seal
W. N. Flanders
STATE OF MAINE
York SS.
August 16 A.D. 1939
Personally appeared the above named George H. Yeaton and acknowledged the foregoing
instrument to be his voluntary act and deed. Before me,
C. D. Varney
(NOTARIAL SEAL)
Notary Public
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Appendix B
New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA)
Chapter 36
Conservation Commissions
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Appendix C
New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA)
Chapter 477
Conservation & Preservation Restrictions
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Appendix D
New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA)
Chapter 31
Town and City Forest
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