I hesitated on whether to post this, as the timing may be a bit premature... Those of you who have been enjoying the trails in the central Mahoosucs around the NH/ME state line should know about the recent changes in land ownership that affect hikers on the Notch Trail, Carlo Col and Goose Eye Trails, and Success Trail, as well as outdoor enthusiasts enjoying the rest of Success Twp (or at least the part of it north of the AT corridor). This area is owned by the TR Dillon company. Some of what I've heard is going on in the area (from reputable sources) makes me very upset. Can't post particulars but it seems to confirm his rep as a lumber liquidator. I found out about Dillon's ownership shortly after the sale and it's been real frustrating not being able to do much of anything about it.
If you care about this area, please contact anyone who you feel has leverage in the land conservation community, and express your concern and ask what can be done.
The following is an excerpt of a letter I wrote recently to some prominent state officials & heads of conservation organizations.
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I am writing because I am very concerned about the unincorporated township of Success, just east of the city of Berlin.
In case you were not aware, the bulk of this township was put up for sale by John Hancock Natural Resources in 2003 and was purchased on February 18, 2004 by T R Dillon Logging of Anson, Maine (cf. Coos County Registry of Deeds book 1071 p 0274). Logging operations have since proceeded on this property. While I am not qualified to judge Dillon’s forestry practices, Mr. Dillon has a reputation of being a “lumber liquidator” i.e. one who harvests timber as heavily as possible, in an unsustainable manner, and then sells off the property into smaller portions for real estate developers to subdivide into camps and second homes. That such a fate should come to this property would be tragic, and particularly ironic given the name “Success”.
I have enclosed some maps of the area. I am most concerned about the foothills of the Mahoosuc Range, between Success Pond Road and the narrow Appalachian Trail corridor. There are four trails (Success Trail, Carlo Col Trail, Goose Eye Trail, and Notch Trail) which cross the T R Dillon property and lead to summits with superb views and fewer crowds than the more heavily-traveled sections of the White Mountains. These are among my favorite hikes in New Hampshire; I have hiked all of the trails from Gentian Pond to the main (west) peak of Goose Eye and am planning to hike the rest of the Mahoosuc Range trails. I usually come here a few times a year. I’ve visited Mt Success five times and plan to go back again in September.
Road access to these trails, parking at the trailheads, and use of the trails by the general public are now subject to the whims of T R Dillon Logging. A large section of open alpine ledge known as “The Outlook”, which affords great views of the North Country and is a popular stopover for hikers on the way up to Mt Success, is owned by T R Dillon Logging. Should these trails be blocked off, it would make day hikes to Mt Success and Mt Carlo, though still possible from the southeast, very long and arduous.
The Mahoosuc Range has areas of great ecological significance, including rare subalpine bogs and heath balds. While the major ponds of the Mahoosuc Range and the summit of Mt Success are within US government ownership of the AT corridor, several miles of ridgeline in New Hampshire, and the surrounding alpine and subalpine environment, are owned by T R Dillon Logging. On the other side of the border, the State of Maine took the wise course of protecting 27,000 acres of the Mahoosuc Range as a Public Reserve Land, and has designated the boggy summits and nearby areas of that land as an 8,400 acre ecological reserve. I am saddened and frustrated that our state has not taken similar steps, and has let the ownership of Success Township pass to someone with a reputation of a lumber liquidator.
A few years back, International Paper had put up much of the town of Pittsburg for sale. I can remember reading it on front-page news and hearing it on the radio, and being very worried about what was going to happen. To those of you who helped protect that property as a long-term recreational, ecological, and timber resource, thank you so much. The IP deal is an example of what can happen when things get worked out for the best. I would like to see something similar happen to the township of Success. So far it hasn’t; this area seems to be one of the forgotten stepchildren of the North Country, and there’s been little news coverage in the Concord Monitor and the Union Leader. Success Township is unfortunately outside the White Mountain National Forest’s “proclamation boundary” and cannot be made part of the WMNF despite similar recreational and ecological characteristics as the Carter/Moriah range south of Rt 2, and despite the fact that intensive short-term logging, such as T R Dillon seems to be pursuing, was one of the major reasons the Weeks Act was passed and WMNF was created nearly a hundred years ago.
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