The New Hampshire State Award for Conserving Native Plants and Their Habitats was given to the Fells in Newbury, New Hampshire, originally owned and cultivated – out of its “rocky upland pasture” – by the family of John Hay, private secretary to President Lincoln, Secretary of State to Presidents McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, and co-author of the ten-volume Abraham Lincoln: A History.

In 2008, the Friends of the Fells acquired 84 acres of the Hay property from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, including the mansion, gardens, and additional acreage.  The acquisition of part of the original estate has allowed the Fells to restore the gardens in a conscientious way, removing the invasive plants and creating a native wildflower walk.  Bunny Van Valey accepted the award for the Fells.