North River Preserve
Location: 128 Stage Road (Route 156) Nottingham, NH 03290
Parking: Small gravel lot with room for ~4 cars off Stage Road. This parking area is not plowed in winter; additional parking is available across the street year round.
Parking: Small gravel lot with room for ~4 cars off Stage Road. This parking area is not plowed in winter; additional parking is available across the street year round.
TrailsThe North River trail is a 1.1 mile out-and-back with a short loop at the end. The trail is narrow but level, with no noticeable change in elevation. It follows along the river for most of its length, offering beautiful views year round. The trail crosses over seasonal wetlands in two places via small foot bridges. It's an easy walk, even for those without excellent balance, although there are no rails on the foot bridges.
A granite bench is located about 1/4 of a mile along the trail to allow visitors to rest or simply sit in peaceful contemplation of the beautiful scenery. 
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HistoryNorth River Preserve was purchased in 2010 from the same development company that sold Bear-Paw the land that is now Fordway Brook Preserve. The portion of the property that lies west of North River was logged, while the eastern portion was determined to be too close to both North River and Stage Road for either timber extraction or development. Seeing its conservation and recreational value, Bear-Paw purchased the land with help from NRCS Wetland Reserve Program grants.
Bear-Paw worked with NRCS and the town of Nottingham to improve the small field just after the bridge, which was used as an unofficial parking area. The condition of the field and its proximity to the road was negatively impacting the water quality: water draining off the pavement passed through the sandy lot and directly into the river. A small swale now directs water away from the river so that it can be filtered naturally, and boulders outline the improved parking area. Stone steps leading to a canoe put-in were added so that canoers could continue to access the river without threatening to destabilize the river bank. |
North River Preserve parking area before improvements.
North River Preserve parking lot and field after improvements.
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Habitat & WildlifeAlthough the predominant habitat type is Appalachian oak-pine forest, with small patches of hemlock-hardwood-pine forest mixed in, this preserve is best defined by its unique wetlands. The large shrub wetland through which the North River runs into the northern end of the property is surrounded by a small area of floodplain forest. The width and depth of the river are very variable, one of the causes of such significant change in vegetation communities along its banks. As the river continues south through the property it's surrounded by more wet meadow than shrub wetland, though in some areas the forest continues right up to the steep banks along the rivers edge. Much of the forest in the southern portion is floodplain forest, with a seasonal oxbow wetland and vernal pools between the river and Stage Road. During particularly wet periods the entire property may be flooded, even areas that aren't considered floodplain.
The small grassy field in front of the parking area doesn't show on the habitat map, and requires regular maintenance to prevent it from growing back into a forested state. A biothon was done on the North River Preserve in 2012.
A list of species identified is available, broken down into: |
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