Update as of January 2026!
In December of 2025, SELT closed on the permanent protection of Mount Jesse in New Durham and Middleton, acquiring the 606-acre property as part of its Merrymeeting Clean Forever conservation campaign. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this initiative!
The effort was made possible by gifts from more than 140 families, buoyed by the Merrymeeting Clean Forever Matching Challenge, and through leadership gifts of $50,000 from the Merrymeeting Lake Association’s Conservation Fund and a $50,000 grant from the New Durham Conservation Commission to support the long-term stewardship of Mount Jesse.
These gifts were coupled with grants from New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) and US Forest Service Community Forest Program, and a bargain sale price from the family who sold the property substantially below is fair market value. In recognition of that generosity, the Mount Jesse tract will be known as “The Robert Deslauriers Memorial Forest”, named in memory of Robert Deslauriers who loved the mountain as a retreat for friends and family.
Mount Jesse will be managed as part of the Birch Ridge Community Forest, overseen by the Management Committee.
Why Mount Jesse?
Dominating the east end of the lake, Mount Jesse is a keystone parcel with stunning, unobstructed 360-degree views of Mt. Washington, Lake Winnipesaukee, and Merrymeeting. Its protection will:
Ensure public access. Long posted against trespassing due to private shooting ranges, Mount Jesse will be open for public access as part of the Birch Ridge Community Forest, with two miles of trails including snowmobile Corridor 22. Hiking, skiing, snowmobiling, biking, horseback riding, and hunting will all be permitted.
Support clean water: With its protection, an additional 10% of the watershed will be conserved, making 49% of Merrymeeting’s forested ridges protected! This land includes two tributaries to the lake signifying Mt. Jesse’s critical impact on lake water quality.
Connect the landscape for wildlife and more: Mount Jesse links Birch Ridge Community Forest to a 5,400-acre block of conserved forestland centered on the Moose Mountains. This interconnected landscape, as well as hundreds of acres of blueberry barrens, offer ideal habitat for species like moose, bear, bobcat, and more.
Dominating the east end of the lake, Mount Jesse affords stunning, unobstructed 360-degree views to Mount Washington, Lake Winnipesaukee, and Merrymeeting. For those with a penchant for adventure, this land offers an array of recreational benefits including trails for hiking and biking, and portions of Corridor 22, an important state snowmobile trail.
On the landscape scale, Mount Jesse slots perfectly into the growing canvas of conserved lands, linking the 2,600-acre Birch Ridge Community Forest to a 5,400-acre block of conserved forestland centered on the Moose Mountains. Its forestland as well as hundreds of acres of once commercially operated blueberry barrens provide ideal habitat. Add Peter Brook (and its native brook trout) and another tributary to the lake, and it is apparent how critical Mount Jesse is for water quality.
Mount Jesse has another unique feature: a visually prominent, off-grid home on the absolute peak of the mountain. As the only ridge top structure overlooking Merrymeeting, the house and its 1.3-mile steep driveway were a focus of SELT’s negotiations with the landowner, who originally intended to retain ownership of the house.
However, by the fall of 2024, those intentions shifted, and the landowner and SELT reached agreement for SELT to acquire the entire 640+acre property and the house for a price of $1 million, still well below the appraised value of $1.5 million. This $500,000 reduction in price is a reflection of their desire to see this land conserved.
With the additional costs and complexity of the house, SELT needed more time to consider how the structure could meet SELT’s and the community’s goals, while remaining consistent with our mission and financially viable. Fortunately, a friendly intermediary acquired the entire property and gave SELT the rest of 2025 to raise the necessary funding and consider options for the house. SELT hosted a public input session on July 31, two open houses at the summit in September 2025, and gathered feedback through an electronic survey. In 2026, SELT will continue its evaluation of the future of the house, and post additional information as available.
