They had so many memories of going on hikes, cross-country skiing, and hunting in the forest next to their home in Groton, New Hampshire, that when a 204-acre parcel of land came up for sale, Pamela and John McPherson purchased it and immediately donated it to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
The McPherson family bought their cabin near the Cockermouth Forest in 1992, and said they did not want to see the land, which is hilly and packed with trees and streams, developed. As nature lovers, they wanted others to be able to enjoy the land, and felt it was best to give it to the Society, which was founded in 1901 and has helped conserve more than 1 million acres of land in the state.