This story was originally produced by the Portsmouth Herald. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
Thirty-seven years after a Boston Globe real estate advertisement caught his eye, Sam DeMarco continues to own and operate the sprawling Cobbler Hill Farm.
Several horses ranging from 9 to 31 years old roam the 10.5-acre Washington Road property, as do deer, turkeys, crows, raccoons and other species. Pasture Lane, a pathway on DeMarco’s farm carved out beneath a forest archway, is open for public use and intersects with several town-owned trails leading to Berry’s Brook and four egresses.
But trail hikers, dog walkers and horseback riders may soon lose access to their favorite trails through the woods. Nearly one-third of public trails in Rye are suggested to be potentially closed or decommissioned to protect local wildlife, vernal pools and habitats from harm and collapse, recommendations shared in a study authorized by the Rye Conservation Commission. Among them are trails located behind DeMarco's farm.
“What we have here is a gift of forest preserved by people, and I’ve been the caretaker for 37 years out here,” DeMarco said in an interview. “Whatever the gain is, I just don’t have an answer.”
Read more of this story from Seacoast Online.
