January 31, 2008

Dear Friends,

New Durham is a very special place with a unique rural character and a rare array of natural resources and beauty. One of the crown jewels of the Town is the crystal clear waters of Merrymeeting Lake and the surrounding topography of the ridge lines. These ridge lines actually form the divide between Merrymeeting Lake and the Merrimack River watershed, to the north and west, and the coastal watershed leading to Great Bay, to the south and east, thus forming part of the headwaters of both watersheds

While many of us are away this winter, the future of the Town of New Durham and the future of Merrymeeting Lake is being debated. By Spring, we could see a newly proposed 220-unit subdivision well into the approval process by the town’s Planning Board. This subdivision, called "Red Oak Ridge," is planned for the 2,000 acres on Birch Ridge above the south shore of Merrymeeting Lake.

The developer is an entity created by Gruss & Company, a $2 billion investment firm headquartered in New York City. Although over 300 people attended the conceptual discussion of this project at the New Durham Planning Board to express their concerns, the new owner has the right to develop the property—maybe not all 220 units, but enough to jeopardize the water quality of Merrymeeting Lake and to change the character of both the Lake and New Durham forever.

In addition to the impact on the character of life and the beauty of the Town, the other big consideration of this project is the ultimate cost and tax impact of such a large development. Through the efforts of the New Durham Conservation Commission, the Merrymeeting Lake Association, and support from Town Officials, an independent analysis of the future costs of this development is being prepared by experts in this area. The educated estimates done so far all show that the costs to the Town for additional services (schools, roads, fire and police protection, etc) will far out strip any tax revenue generated by the development. The independent analysis should be available in a few weeks so everyone can see the magnitude of the future costs we may be facing.

Planning Board or to cease development and sell the land to either another developer or some conservation entity.

A group of concerned citizens has been aggressively pursuing options for conserving this land and charting a path to ensure that Merrymeeting Lake remains one of the most beautiful and pristine lakes in New Hampshire. We believe that if we can motivate everyone to act together now, we have a very good chance of making sure the ridge lines and watershed around the Lake are preserved. We can also ensure that a looming major financial crisis for the Town and all taxpayers is averted.

We have been in close contact with, and sought the advice of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (the "Forest Society"), a 107-year old non-profit conservation organization headquartered in Concord, New Hampshire. The Forest Society has a long history of working on projects like this and a solid track record of success. They are very interested in helping us find a way to conserve this land, not only for the good of New Durham, but also to prevent the negative impact development of this property will potentially have on the southern New Hampshire watershed.

The current status of the project is as follows. The Forest Society is actively engaged with our group, the Town Government, and is in contact with Red Oak regarding a possible purchase. The Town Selectmen are considering a petition for a Special Town Meeting to be held in the early part of this coming summer. One of the primary purposes of the Meeting will be to vote on a warrant to approve a Bond Issuance in the amount of roughly $1,000,000 to help purchase the property. Next, and this is where you and I come in, we are actively engaged in raising private pledges from individuals and groups to come up with the $1.0 to $1.5 million dollars that will likely be needed. Finally, if the Town and donors show strong commitment to the project, the Forest Society will work to obtain grants from several sources to help with the funding. We think these grant sources are likely to provide about $1.0 million dollars toward the project.

In order to meet our goal of getting $500,000 in firm pledges by Town Meeting we need to find a lead group of individuals or entities that are willing to make substantial, tax deductible pledges to

kick off this effort. We are committed to working very hard over the spring and summer to raise the remaining pledges, large and small, to ultimately achieve our goal, but we need to get off the mark quickly given the time pressure of the anticipated Special Town Meeting in early summer.

All of us appreciate the unique beauty and tranquility that life on Merrymeeting Lake provides. I, and my family, have had the wonderful opportunity to spend a good part of our lives here for nearly 30 years. It is my sincere hope that my children and grandchildren will have the same opportunity to enjoy the lake and surrounding lands, in the same unique and pristine setting during their lives. This is why I have agreed to head up this fund raising program, and why I and my wife, Linda, are kicking off this fund raising effort with a pledge of $50,000.

We will be publicizing the amount of funds raised as the project proceeds. Here again success will likely breed success. The Forest Society and the Birch Ridge Conservation Project group, however, will respect your anonymity and/or the amount of your pledge, as you direct. The Forest Society is a great partner for us and is being very helpful in our efforts to conserve this land. Our commitment demonstrated by our pledges will greatly assist them in getting the support they need to commit to an active role in the fund raising process. The Forest Society may even be the ultimate holder of the land or the holder of a conservation easement for the land.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. I can be reached by email at pdecker@worldpath.net or by phone at 603-714-0502 or 941-496-8737. You can also contact the Forest Society directly. Their Vice President of Development is Susanne Kibler-Hacker. Mike Speltz is the project coordinator. Both can be reached at 603-224-9945. They have a web site at www.forestsociety.org.

If you would like to receive regular updates of the status of this project please forward your email address and phone number to me at pdecker@worldpath.net

Thank you for giving serious consideration to this project. This is not your typical yearly fund raising effort. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a very real change in the future of a very special place. We will be sending updates on the status of this project via email. If you would like to be on this list, please send me your email address.

Sincerely,

W. Patrick Decker