Conservation Lands and Parks

A legacy of conservation

Durham has a long legacy of conserving historic sites, scenic landscapes, farms, forests, recreational areas, wildlife habitats, wetlands and shorelines, and drinking water supplies. This tradition dates back over 100 years, beginning when Olinthus Doe left his 87-acre farm to the Town in his 1907 Will.

The Town of Durham acquired the Chesley Homestead Farm on September 15, 1989 from the Estate of Mary H. Tirrell. This followed a public hearing, special town warrant, and Council approval in the summer of 1989. The Town purchased the property for $3.1 million dollars in bond funds “to preserve its scenic vistas, provide for future municipal purposes and preserve open space in order to provide for healthful and attractive outdoor environment for work and recreation, and to conserve land, water, forest and wildlife resources”. The town renamed the property Wagon Hill Farm.

More recently, in 2003, voters overwhelmingly approved a warrant article authorizing a $2.5 million "Open Space" bond to fund land conservation projects. The seven conservation projects completed between 2003 and 2008, comprising 465 acres, are highlighted in the brochure Scenic Durham, which can be viewed and downloaded from below. Funds provided by the Town for these and subsequent projects were highly leveraged through state and federal grant programs and augmented by private donations. 

Durham's Town-Owned Conservation Areas

• Doe Farm
• Longmarsh Preserve
• Milne Nature Sanctuary
• Oyster River Forest
• Spruce Hole Bog Conservation Area
• Stolworthy Wildlife Sanctuary
• Thompson Forest
• Wagon Hill Farm
• Weeks Lot

Town Parks & Recreation Areas

• Father Lawless Fields - Woodridge Park 
• Jackson's Landing
• Mill Pond Park
• Packers Falls Park
• Wiswall Dam and John Hatch Park 

Durham's Historic Sites

• Hamilton Smith Memorial Chapel
• Old Brick Town Hall
• Town Landing & General Sullivan
• Town Pound

Other Properties

• Beech Hill Road and Water Tank
• Solid Waste Management Facility

Land Stewardship Plans
In the spring of 2009, the Durham Conservation Commission, with the endorsement of the Town Council, submitted a grant application to the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP), Community Technical Assistance Program, for the development of a stewardship plan to better track, manage, and protect the ecological values of Town-owned conservation lands. Subsequently, the DCC hired a Technical Assistance Provider, Ellen Snyder, of Ibis Wildlife Consulting (Newmarket, NH) to develop stewardship plans on four Durham properties: Wagon Hill Farm, Doe Farm, Longmarsh Preserve, and the Weeks Lot.