In recent years, the Merrimack River Watershed has lost significant forested habitat. The 130-acre Jack & Margaret Hoffman Wilderness Sanctuary in Francestown, NH is an important forever-wild stronghold in a region facing increasing development pressure.
The Sanctuary protects wetlands and forest, including the summit and southerly slopes of Campbell Hill. The land hosts two large beaver ponds that feed into Brennan Brook, part of the Merrimack River Watershed. According to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, which supported this conservation project, these wetlands are ranked among the highest quality habitat in the region.
The property has at least four active vernal pools, where amphibians and insects breed in the spring. Within the young forest, remains of stone walls and cellar holes reveal that a little more than a century ago, this land had been cleared and farmed and is slowly and steadily rewilding.
A deep personal connection to place, family, and conservation moved the children of the late John L. (Jack) and Margaret Hoffman to protect the land as a safe haven for wildlife. In honor of their parents, the siblings sold the property to the Wilderness Trust in November of 2020 at a bargain-sale price.
