Ransmeier Woods Easement, Hopkinton, 68.5 acres
Nestled within walking distance of the village of Hopkinton, with its historic churches and town common, the Ransmeier Woods property consists of a remarkable combination of field and forestland. Acquired this year by the town after voters approved a below-market-value purchase generously offered by the Ransmeier family, the property consists of two parcels totaling 65 acres.
Stately red and white pine, as well as mature hardwoods of red oak and beech grace this remarkable landscape. The larger of the two parcels also has two brooks, one of which meanders past an old, tumbledown, breeched dam through a steep-sloped ravine whose tall hemlocks filter sunlight with a dappled effect upon the flowing waters. It is an almost ethereal place, one whose silence is punctuated by the occasional call of a pileated woodpecker and other birds of the deep woods. It is a place that truly belies its proximity to the charming village center located just over the rise.
A further feature of the Ransmeier Woods property is its 9-acre field. An undulating landscape underlain by the outwash sediments left by retreating glaciers of millennia past, the open field today is blanketed by a sea of lush summer green, grasses that are hayed during each growing season. Again, tucked away beyond the sight of nearby Hopkinton Road, the field is a pleasure for those who take the time to visit. Deer, as well as wild turkeys and song birds, know it well.
One of the special attributes of the property is that it overlays a major groundwater aquifer. In fact it is the aquifer that serves as the public water supply source for the Hopkinton Village Water Precinct, with town wells just downgradient of the property. Protecting water quality is certainly a major benefit of open space protection. Keeping this landscape free of development helps to ensure that the town’s public water supply won’t be jeopardized from potential runoff and pollutants.
Recognizing that preserving open space affords water supply protection benefits, the State this year provided the Town of Hopkinton with considerable grant money to help in purchasing the property. Under the N.H. Department of Environmental Services’ Water Supply Land Grant Program, $173,000 was provided to the Town of Hopkinton. Coupled with the town’s open space bond money, the grant went a long way toward helping the town acquire this special land.
Five Rivers Conservation Trust is pleased to have partnered with town officials and the Ransmeier family to create a conservation easement for this very special landscape, one that will serve to protect this wonderful landscape for generations to come.
*Ransmeier Woods preserves open space and protects town water supply
