It all started with a conversation. Tim Collins met Brian Hart, SELT’s Executive Director, during the 2018 fundraising campaign for Birch Ridge Community Forest and shared his thinking about the property and his ultimate vision for it - and thus kickstarted a process that would culminate in realization of Tim’s “endgame.”

In July 2019, SELT acquired Birch Ridge Community Forest, the first project of what would evolve into the Keep Merrymeeting Clean initiative, an initiative aimed at conserving the lands surrounding Merrymeeting Lake to protect the water quality, provide recreational opportunities, and preserve and restore wildlife habitat. A few months later, Brian along with Duane Hyde, SELT’s Land Conservation Director, would meet Tim for a walk around his property - and the second phase would begin.

Says Duane: “Tim was initially thinking about a conservation easement, but the more he thought about it and the work we were doing at Birch Ridge Community Forest, he realized that his vision of this property being protected for people and nature could better be served in the long term with SELT ownership.”

“After spending some time on the property, I knew right away this was a great project,” Duane added. “The views were incredible and the natural resources that were present made it a great opportunity.”

Front and center on the “natural resources” bucket list is the pristine watershed that the Collins property- especially the slopes of Mount Molly - provides. As precipitation rolls towards the lake, it gets filtered through the organic colander that is forestland, which helps capture excess nutrients or sediments that may hitch a ride on the droplets. Keeping these watershed lands undeveloped is key to ensuring that water quality remains at peak levels.

And add to that the abundance of wildlife that call this landscape their home (ranging from small voles and mice all the way to moose!) and the beloved hiking trails that wind their way skyward to some stunning views of Merrymeeting Lake at the top of Mount Molly, accepting this donation was one of the all-time no-brainers in the history of land conservation.

So it was, on December 9, 2020, Tim Collins and his family closed the deal with SELT, donating nearly 500 acres of contiguous property. When he etched his signature onto the closing paperwork, it put a cap on many years of purposeful, methodical land acquisition and assemblage, all in service of a greater vision of conservation that has now become a reality.

And that’s how the Collins Family Forest was born.

The Collins Family Forest is a rich, diverse woodland that stretches from the shore of Merrymeeting Lake to encompass Mount Molly and extends all the way to the trailhead at Devil’s Den. With almost the entire Collins Family Forest located within the Merrymeeting Lake watershed, the forest serves as a natural filtration system, helping maintain Merrymeeting’s status as one of the cleanest lakes in New Hampshire.

The Collins Family Forest includes the slopes and peak of Mount Molly. Follow the trails to the top of Mount Molly and take in a showstopper of a view of Merrymeeting Lake and Birch Ridge Community Forest with the Blue Hills Range in the distance.

Thank you to the Collins family for their extraordinary gift and to members of the community for the outpouring of support and donations to make the Collins Family Forest a reality.