Connecticut Lakes Headwaters

When it comes to protecting public land, size doesn’t always matter. A half-acre lot in a city can make a massive impact on a community, and a 20-acre forest can do just the same.

But at the northern tip of New Hampshire, there’s a case to be made that size certainly can matter. This is where Trust for Public Land helped protect 171,000 acres—encompassing almost the entire watershed of three of the lakes that form the Connecticut River’s headwaters. The Connecticut River is New England’s largest river, flowing 406 miles through Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

This area, which makes up 3 percent of the state’s footprint and has long been a popular tourist destination for hiking, snowmobiling, fishing, and hunting, was once owned by International Paper Company, leaving it at risk for future sale or development.

Now, after TPL and its community and conservation partners orchestrated the purchase of the property in 2002, this huge swath of land belongs to the people—safeguarding critical wildlife habitats, protecting clean waters, and of course, giving us humans a special place to get outside and play.