The dirt road to Cogswell Hill in Canterbury passes through a thick forest before reaching a well-worn area of beaten-down grass and gravel. From the clearing at the top of the hill, drivers can take in the New Hampshire countryside and the mountains beyond mountains sprawling in the distance.
The hill and the surrounding woods not only provide memorable views for visitors, but they are also home for wildlife ranging from wild turkeys to bobcats.
For the past 32 years, much of this land, which also includes low wetlands and a small stream, has made up the majority of Howard Moffett’s 56-acre property.
“I fell in love with it because I was looking for a place with a little bit of land and a view,” he said.
And thanks to the conservation efforts of the Five Rivers Conservation Trust, an organization operating out of Concord, visitors will be able to enjoy the property as it is for years to come.
Moffett said he had long maintained the property, which contains ski and running trails, “simply to preserve it as open space and … to preserve access to public trails.”
Earlier this year, Moffett put the property up for sale after he and his wife decided to turn another home in Canterbury into a bed and breakfast.
The property was eventually purchased by Chris and Jim Devine.
“When you pull down that road and you turn that corner and you see that magnificent view, that’s one of the big reasons we bought it,” Chris Devine said.
The Devines will continue to abide by the Moffett easement for conservation which, according to a press release, “(makes) it possible for the landowners to continue agricultural and forestry … (and) guarantees access on a recreational trail used by snowmobiles, walkers and skiers.”
The Devines plan on eventually growing heirloom apples and Christmas trees on the property.
Five Rivers Executive Director Beth McGuinn said the organization will work closely with the Devines to protect the property.
“We go out and look at the boundaries and the trails and the areas that would be most likely problems and we talk with the landowner,” she said. “Our responsibility is to make sure the land’s conservation values remain intact into the far distant future, we say forever, but that’s a long time.”