Ploss Pines Preserve
 PLC Land Protection Committee Chair Len Allen, and Friends of
Goffstown Land Conservation members David Nieman and Jason Sachs at
the recently protected Ploss Pines Preserve in Goffstown.
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Ploss Pines Preserve Established in Goffstown
by Eric Masterson
The Piscataquog River and its forested edge have always featured large in Barbara Robinson’s life. From the time her father, Ernest Ploss, was in grammar school, he would head to the Merrimack River in Manchester with a can of beans and a fishing pole every chance he got. When he bought his first house on the east side of Henry Bridge Road in the Grasmere section of Goffstown, it was too far from the river, so he sold it and bought a house and 32 acres on the west side of the road to be closer to the Piscataquog.
Barbara herself never moved away from the area. During her childhood, the steep slopes of the glacial terrace that guides the river provided ideal conditions for tobogganing, and the cool waters of both Harry Brook and the Piscataquog River were wonderful swimming holes during the summer. Even during the Great Depression when times were really tough, the land was their friend. Barbara remembers her father bringing back rabbit for the pot.
So it’s no surprise that with a lifetime of memories, Barbara wants to see the land protected. PLC shares her desire to conserve this enclave of green in a rapidly changing landscape. It has much to offer to both people and wildlife. The glacial deposits of the kame terrace overlooking the river support a pitch pine forest – an uncommon forest type in New Hampshire and habitat for eastern hognose snake and other threatened wildlife. The aforementioned rabbits persist, and just a few weeks ago, after a lifetime living on the property, Barbara saw her first moose. It wandered onto Grasmere cemetery to the astonishment of a graveside gathering before disappearing back into the forest. That we still have moose seven miles from Elm Street in downtown Manchester is remarkable. Barbara’s gift, coupled with future regional conservation efforts, will be key to the future of moose and other large wildlife in Goffstown.
The preserve will also be a retreat for people – open for public use once trail work is complete. In addition to low impact uses such as hiking, the property will provide fishing access to the north side of the Piscataquog River. Watch future issues of Piscataquog News for developments.
Please join me in extending to Barbara Robinson a big “Thank You!” for her tremendous generosity and foresight. Goffstown is all the richer for her. I would also like to recognize the tremendous efforts of the Friends of Goffstown Land Conservation (www.foglc.com), a tireless advocate for local conservation whose members are helping to secure transaction costs for the project, get the word out, blaze new trails, and much, much more.
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