Skiers over come Bicknell's Thrush

According to the Manchester Union Leader, the long dormant Mittersill ski trails will be open to Cannon skiers. The forest service has agreed to give the Mittersill land to the state of NH in return for a patch of land in Pierson. This deal will increase Cannon's ski trails by 50 percent. The Mittersill trails can be reached with a short climb up over "the Saddle", which gives access to the old Taft Race Course running down into the Mittersill area. Those in the know can find a pair of cutbacks of Baron's Run back to the lifts at Peabody.
The need for a climb will limit the Mittersill skiers to the more energetic, but it will ease the crowds on the Cannon slopes. A trip "over the Saddle" and back takes an hour, compared to maybe 10 minutes to run down Upper Cannon to Avalanche and catch the tram again.
One of these days, when money becomes available, a double chairlift at Mittersill is planned, running up the old Baron's Chairlift line.
It's only taken 3 years that I know of to get the paper work thru the Forest Service.
The conservation community has attempted to block the skiers thru the device of Bicknell's Thrush. This bird nests about 1200 feet in wood lot with cleared land such as ski trails, nearby. Bicknell's thrush was declared to be a species only in 1995. Prior to 1995 it was just another thrush. Shortly after being invented, Bicknell's Thrush was declared endangered, and entitled to protection under the Endangered Species Act. Fearing that passing skiers would disturb the nesting Bicknell's Thrush, the Forest Service held up the paperwork.
Upon learning that Bicknell's Thrush goes south for the winter and that sking doesn't happen in the nesting season, the Forest Service relented and did the deal.