Hopkinton residents Bob and Binney Wells are continuing their longstanding tradition of land conservation, this time with a donation of 455 acres.

The 455 acres in Hopkinton and Henniker donated to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests for permanent conservation are a blend of open fields, forests, wetlands and a beaver pond.

“We’ve always felt the Forest Society was an extremely responsible organization,” said Bob Wells in a statement. “There’s a balance between how property is managed and used for recreation as well as for silviculture that we really appreciate.”

This diverse landscape stretches from the Hopkinton-Everett Flood Control lands to the Stumpfield-Mudgett Recreation Area, expanding the block of protected land in the region to nearly 10,000 acres.

This includes easements on the French land and Federal land managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Bob and Binney Wells have long been champions of environmental stewardship in Hopkinton. In 1984, they donated a 19-acre conservation easement to the Forest Society, safeguarding the land for future generations. But their dedication to conservation goes far deeper.

Bob Wells, raised on a sprawling 2,000-acre family farm in Missouri, has been passionate about land preservation from a young age. His family’s commitment to managing the land since the 1800s shaped his lifelong dedication.

Binney Wells, on the other hand, drew inspiration from her grandmother, Helen Binney Kitchel, who made her mark by purchasing and donating 1,000 acres to the State of Connecticut. This land now forms part of the Algonquin State Forest.

The 455 acres in Hopkinton and Henniker have been contributed not only by Bob and Binney, but also by their family, including their two children, their spouses, and their four grandchildren.

“I think that it’s by introducing people, and children specifically, to the natural world that you create caring for the landscape around us,” said Binney Wells in a statement. “We are so happy that we instilled these values in our children and that they and their spouses and their children (our grandchildren) are conserving this wonderful land.”

The protected land spans the Contoocook River Watershed and includes the southernmost parcel within the Merrimack River Watershed.

“We’re honoring the legacy that Bob and Binney started here 50 years ago,” said daughter-in-law, Anna Wells. “They’ve shaped these hundreds of acres that we’re on right now over those 50 years. That’s a huge legacy that will now go on in perpetuity.”

It features a diverse range of habitats, including hemlock-hardwood-pine forests, Appalachian oak-pine forests, open grasslands, wet meadows, shrub wetlands, and distinctive rocky ridge habitats.

“Land conservation is critical, not just for enjoying outdoor recreation, but in preventing massive loss of biodiversity in the age of climate change,” said their son, Ted Wells.