New Hampshire Land Swap Plans

The website NewHampshire.com has a 29 February 2008 piece by Paula Tracy titled "NY’s Whiteface Mountain faces similar challenge to Mittersill" that is mostly about skiing, but touches upon hiking down in the middle of the story where it says:

"At Mittersill, the little bird facing similar decline is the Bicknell’s Thrush, which nests above 2,500 feet in openings in the forest.

"Both plans protect the habitat and limit construction until after nesting season.

"At Mittersill the White Mountain National Forest would swap 100 acres it owns at the summit where the lifts must terminate, for an equal valued parcel in Piermont; 325 acres owned by the state, which contains a quarter mile of the Appalachian Trail. It is the largest of four sections of the Appalachian Trail not currently administered by the White Mountain National Forest.

"'The projects must not result in a net decrease of suitable Bicknell’s thrust habitat,' wrote the Forest Supervisor in a scoping report issued Jan. 28, which said the proposed exchange complies with the goals and objectives of the Forest Plan, to allow skiing at Mittersill. Proposed actions which could affect the rare birds would be overseen by a committee including representatives of the state’s Fish and Game Department and the Audubon Society of New Hampshire."