In 2006, the Albany campus and the Nature Learning Center became the headquarters for Tin Mountain Conservation Center. Tin Mountain owns just over 300 acres in Albany, NH, including the Rockwell Sanctuary, the Dr. Michael Cline Memorial Forest, The Margaret Marshall Mountain Laurel Warbler Garden and the Lori Jean Kinsey Arboretum & Sanctuary. About 10 miles of trails weave in, around and through the fields and forests of the property. An observation platform, benches, boardwalks and the trails around 6-acre Chase Pond provide great spots for bird watching. If you’re quiet and lucky, you may spot a beaver or otter.
All the sanctuaries, gardens and forests are connected, so you can park in several locations or access all trails from the Nature Learning Center. The Rockwell Sanctuary is named after Barbara Henry Rockwell, founder of Tin Mountain Conservation Center. She was a visionary who saw the need to teach children, experientially, about the natural world around them.
The memorial forest was named in memory of Dr. Michael Cline, a forester and beloved long-time executive director of Tin Mountain Conservation Center. Parking for the Dr. Michael Cline Memorial Forest is available at the small lot across from the water tank on Bald Hill Road.
In 2021, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to honor long-time board member Margaret Marshall by naming a section of the Albany campus in her honor: the Margaret Marshall Mountain Laurel Warbler Garden. It features the largest and most northern patch of native mountain laurels in the country. In late June or early July, this section of forest erupts in spectacular mountain laurel blooms, and the flowers attract black-throated blue warblers. There is space for a few cars on Bald Hill Road by the engraved rock bearing the name of the garden.
Finally, the 73 acre Lori Jean Kinsey Arboretum and Sanctuary was named after a long-time Tin Mountain employee and our current executive director. Lori joined Tin Mountain as a Teacher-Naturalist in 1984, and was named the first LL Bean Environmental Educator in 2008. Be sure to explore the 1.2 mile Accessible Nature Trail located in the LJK Arboretum and Sanctuary. The trail's flat surface and gradual grades welcome everyone. Beautiful stonework, an overlook with views of Mount Chocurua, benches along the way and 'bump-outs' (small side trails) with benches make this an inviting place to walk, sit, listen to and enjoy the natural world. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at one of the picnic tables in the Kendal C. and Anna Ham Foundation Pavilion.
There’s so much to see at Tin Mountain in Albany. Enjoy this gallery of sights, you’ll have to visit to hear the sounds!
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Explore the Nature Trail in the Lori Jean Kinsey Arboretum and Sanctuary
