A Hopkinton couple has purchased 77 acres in town and donated a conservation easement on that land to the nonprofit Forest Society, according to a press release from the organization.
The donated parcel is mostly forestland (about 80 percent), which was last harvested about five years ago.
About 20 percent of the land is wetlands, including a unique water feature known as a kettle bog, which is a shallow, sediment-filled body of water formed by retreating glaciers and draining floodwaters, according to the press release.
The land includes an oak-white pine forest, including 65 acres of a wildlife habitat rated in the state’s top tier of quality.
The easement was donated by Donald and Susan Ware, who have a history of conservation efforts in town. The Forest Society, known officially as the Society For The Protection of New Hampshire Forests, has been working with the Wares for more than a decade on conservation projects.
In 2007, the couple donated an easement on their 120 acres of land in Hopkinton to the Forest Society. They did it again in 2009, purchasing and then donating another 50.5 acres.
They purchased this 77-acre in 2015.
“Donald and Susan love their land and appreciate what conservation of the land offers to the community, wildlife, water quality and scenic beauty,” said Brian Hotz, vice president of land conservations for the society, in a statement.
The Forest Society currently holds more than 750 conservations easements in the state, protecting more than 135,000 acres.