Moeckel Pond - A Journey
Located in the southwest corner of Windham, Moeckel Pond is a 40-acre 200-year-old
mill pond that could only be enjoyed by hikers as they walked the Deer
Leap conservation trail. This trail leads you to an outcropping of ledge
and a magnificent view of the pond. Moeckel Pond has long been
valued by New England birders, local fishermen, and devotees of nature
but exploring the waterways was out of the question because it has been
privately owned since the late 1700’s.
In 2002, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES)
began issuing Letters of Deficiency with respect to Moeckel Dam,
alleging that the dam failed to meet 50-year flood standards for a
low-hazard dam. The private owners of the pond and dam did not have the
funds to restore the dam to meet those standards which are currently
estimated to cost about $300,000. In 2010, DES ordered the dam be
breached. If Moeckel Dam is not restored within 3 years, DES will order
the dam be completely dismantled. This would mean destruction of the
historic Simpson Mill foundation and render extinct Moeckel Pond itself.
With the draining of the pond, Windham and Southern New Hampshire lost
an environmental oasis.
A few Windham residents have been working for the last year and a half
to find a way to repair the dam and restore Moeckel Pond, and those few
people have now turned into a coalition for action. The Friends of Moeckel
Pond, Windham Endowment for Community Advancement, Town of Windham
Conservation Commission, Historic District/Heritage Commission, and the
Moeckel Pond Village District have joined forces to restore, preserve, and
maintain Moeckel Dam and open the pond to the public.
Moeckel Pond is a 40-acre waterbody surrounded by dense tree cover and
abutting 54 acres of Town of Windham conservation land known as Deer
Leap. It also connects to a 150 acre upland and wetland area conserved
by the Town of Pelham. Adjoining this area is an additional 200+ acre
naturally functioning wildlife corridor preserved by the Town of Windham
Conservation Commission, the State of New Hampshire, and town-owned
planned open space. The pristine pond was home to at least one
identified endangered species, migrating waterfowl, thriving aquatic
plant, amphibian, and reptile populations, as well as deer, moose,
fisher cat, fox, and coyote.
The pond is unique in that it is surrounded by 17 homes but these
homeowners do not have waterfront rights. Because the pond was privately
held, the adjacent homeowners had the same restrictions as the rest of
the town's residents. In 2010, the homeowners voted at a special town
meeting to create a village district. When the pond is restored, the
residents have agreed to tax themselves to maintain the dam. These
homeowners will have access to the pond but will not have any additional
water rights.
By way of background, the existing Moeckel Dam has been both a dam for
the pond and the historic foundation for Simpson Mill, built around
1778. The dam created the pond as support for a lumber mill, grist mill,
and and to supply hydroelectric power to the surrounding
property, which it did from the early 1900s until 1957.
In 2011, the Windham Endowment’s Board of Directors voted to expand their work in the
community to include environmental preservation. Representatives from
the Board reviewed their options and after extensive research chose to
support the restoration of Moeckel Pond. Over the next three years, the
Windham Endowment’s Environmental Subcommittee will work closely with the
coalition to develop communication and fundraising tools. The Endowment
is proud to support this coalition in its effort to return to the Town
of Windham a premier pond with public access. Windham residents will be able to
enjoy a natural area that will provide wildlife and environmental
protection, educational experiences, a historical renovated site, and
passive water sport activities.
