ASNH Scotland Brook Sanctuary History

	A Brief History
	of the
	Scotland Brook Sanctuary
	Return to the Scotland Brook Sanctuary

Ever since the first Scottish and Irish settlers arrived in the North Country and founded the village of Landaff (chartered in 1764), the story of the land now called Scotland Brook Wildlife Sanctuary has been one of human management. Much of the property was once pastureland, during the period in Landaff history when sheep and cattle outnumbered human inhabitants. The story told here is the same told all over New Hampshire: great forests were cleared for pasture; then, as both markets and people moved elsewhere, the rocky pastures were abandoned again to forest succession. There were more people living in Landaff in the 1800's than there are now! The stages of this succession can readily be observed at Scotland Brook; trails pass through areas only recently abandoned or logged, on to medium-aged forests where only the tumbling stone walls and barbed wire hint at former use.

With a dream of owning their own preserve and nature center in the North Country, Gene Twaronite and Josie Kelleher purchased these 102 acres in 1976, and the adjacent 1858 one-room schoolhouse in 1980. Scotland School, Inc. was born: an environmental center offering natural history interpretation of the White Mountain environment, a small nature library, and a schoolhouse museum restored to its early 1900's ambiance.

Gene and Josie lovingly stewarded the land here for several years, maintaining the three miles of trails, clearing wildlife habitat areas, and operating a wild Christmas tree plantation. Realizing that their organization was too small to offer long-range protection for the property, the couple donated their land to the Audubon Society of New Hampshire in 1984, establishing the Scotland Brook Sanctuary. The Audubon Society and Scotland School Environmental Center were to co-manage the property and offer joint programs here, "to encourage a greater awareness and appreciation of this interesting corner of the White Mountains."

In 1986 the Schoolhouse was sold (and is now a private residence) and Scotland School, Inc. ceased to exist, but through the far-sighted wisdom of Gene and Josie, the adjacent 102 acres of wetlands, spruce-fir forest, and northern hardwoods remain protected. The property is now being managed by the Audubon Society primarily to preserve and maintain its high level of natural diversity, and to promote its study and enjoyment by the public. Plans exist to continue the management of the Christmas tree area and to create a demonstration woodlot on an 8-acre parcel, on which a conservation easement is held by the Grafton County Conservation District and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

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A Brief History

of the

Scotland Brook Sanctuary