On June 29, a dedication ceremony was held for a 77-acre parcel of land on Long Pond Road. The land was given to the city by John Swope and his family in memory of his wife, Marjory Mason Swope, who died in 2007.
Opening remarks were given by Kit Morgan, Chair of the Concord Conservation Commission. He introduced John Swope, who spoke of his pleasure in making the gift in memory of his wife. He later cut the ribbon to the trail that goes to the summit of Jerry Hill.
Mayor James Bouley spoke about his memory of working with Marjory Swope.
“This park will be a fitting tribute to Marjory who knew how to be persistent in getting community projects completed,” Bouley said, adding “Thank you, John, for this incredible gift which is actually a gateway to 800 acres of conservation forests. Your generosity has made Concord a better place to live.””
Margaret Watkins, vice chair of the Five Rivers Conservation Trust, said, “We are glad to be a part of this project which will be a magnet for generations to come.”
A poster on the kiosk at the trail head includes the following information:
“The City of Concord expresses thanks to John Swope and his family for this generous donation of land, to St. Paul School for their donation of 68 acres conservation easement to allow trails to cross from the park to the summit of Jerry Hill, to the Hok family whose generosity has made possible the future trail connections to nearby conservation land, to the City Forester, Ron Klemarczyk, to the Concord Trails Committee and the many community volunteers to construct the trails.”
Becky Hebert, city planner, and Jay Haines, executive director of the Five Rivers Conservation Trust, welcomed over 100 guests to the dedication. They handed out programs which noted that Marjory Swope “was a passionate, lifelong environmentalist, a longtime member and chair of the Concord Conservation Commission, and served as executive director of the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions from 1981 to 2006. She is the recipient of an Environmental Merit Lifetime Achievement Award from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Sarah Thorne Conservation Award from the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and was named an honorary member of the New Hampshire Association of Natural Resources Scientists.”
Bouley has well said that the gift of this land is a fitting tribute to the memory of Marjory Swope.
