Celebrating 60 Years

A resident of Hanover and student at Hanover High School, Ezra McGinley-Smith can be found on the Connecticut River, camera or fishing rod in hand, every month of the year. His commitment to use filmmaking and photography for conservation stems from his many early outdoor experiences; by the time he was eleven years old, he had thru-hiked the Long Trail, the John Muir Trail, and the Tour du Mont Blanc. His recent films have been featured on Vermont PBS and at the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival.

60th Anniversary Celebration

On Saturday, October 2nd we held our 60th anniversary celebration at the Dartmouth Rivercrest field across from our office at 71 Lyme Rd in Hanover. 76 people came out to help celebrate 60 years of community conservation with Hanover Conservancy and we had a chance to hear stories from fellow community members. It was very heartwarming to be able to capture a photo with past and present board members from 1961 till now. We also had the opportunity to recognized our key partners.

Russell Hirschler- Upper Valley Trails Alliance
Julia Griffin & Rob Houseman- Town of Hanover
J.T. Horn- Trust for Public Land
Betsy McGean- Trust for Public Land & former president

A huge thank you to our event sponsors!

Fisher Financial Advisors

Poverty Lane Orchards

Special thanks to

Dartmouth College

Lars Blackmore- Ameridane Press

Lyme Road Dental, Neal Wallace Dental

Sheridan Printing

Red Clover

Hanover Parks & Recreation

Those Guys of Lyme

How it all began..

On March 14, 1961, five friends were alarmed when Hanover adopted its first town-wide zoning ordinance without the Nature Preserve zone recommended by the Town’s consultant. The vision was for a “green necklace” of protected natural lands surrounding Hanover’s urban center. Bob Norman, Carolyn Tenney, Jean Hennessey, George Wrightson, and Ted Hunter gathered after the meeting to decide what to do.

They weren’t alone. The very next day, a petition was filed to change the zoning of Pine Park and land along the Connecticut River down to Mink Brook, to add it to the Forestry and Recreation zone. 100 conservation-minded folks signed on. [view petition here]

Bob Norman recalls that the group quickly mobilized to ensure that their request to protect the town’s natural assets was indeed constitutional. Bob wrote federal and state politicians, including Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, and Carolyn wrote members of the U.S. Supreme Court (receiving replies!).

The next year, the team successfully supported adding the Nature Preserve zone, but they were just getting started. They continued to meet about ways to promote local conservation, first as a nameless group (to avoid stimulating any controversy, according to Bob). They incorporated as the Hanover Conservation Council in 1963 and scored their first riverfront protection victory in 1964 by coordinating efforts for NH Fish & Game to purchase the 43-acre Wilder Wildlife Management Area in Lyme.