What's A Land Trust?

You probably are somewhat familiar with land trusts, but you may not know some of the particulars. Land trusts are non-profit organizations that are dedicated to conserving land, and most land trusts operate within a specified region, such as a watershed. There are many land trusts hard at work in New Hampshire, protecting special places one property at a time. 

These special places include pristine nature, land with recreational hiking trails, and scenic vistas. In addition to natural areas, land trusts support farmers and forest-products jobs by conserving and protecting working farms and forests. Agriculture, in particular, is on the rise in NH (thanks in part to the support of land trusts).     

Although land trusts are getting more and more creative in the ways they fulfill their missions, land trusts mainly conserve land by either buying a property outright or accepting a conservation easement on a property. Conservation easements are either donated or sold to the land trust. If donated, there may be income tax benefits to the donating landowner. 

A conservation easement is the conveyance of a landowner’s right to develop (and usually subdivide) the landowner’s property. The conservation easement almost always leaves an area around the existing buildings unaffected by the development restrictions and often allows the construction of agricultural buildings or other improvements that are consistent with the conservation purposes of the easement. In fact, the landowner and the land trust can write the conservation easement together so that the landowner’s wishes can be accommodated, be they related to agriculture, forestry, or recreation. Conservation easements can be creatively written and not unduly burdensome.

I mentioned that land trusts are non-profit organizations, which means that you can donate money to them and deduct it from your taxes as a charitable deduction. (Before donating, feel free to double-check with the land trust to confirm their non-profit status.) As a member or supporter of a land trust, you will probably receive periodic emails or newsletters informing you of particular projects that the land trust is working on or inviting you to take part in activities.

The Piscataquog Land Conservancy (PLC), one of the more active land trusts in much of the Monadnock Region, is one land trust that I have been involved with. Thanks to the PLC, I went on a hike up Joe English Hill, which is otherwise restricted to most visitors as part of the New Boston Air Force Station.  The PLC also has a great Lobster by the River event in the late summer.    

Perhaps the most active land trust in the Monadnock Region is the Monadnock Conservancy, which is the only land trust serving the entire Monadnock Region. Based in Keene, the Monadnock Conservancy was the first land trust in NH to be accredited by the nationwide Land Trust Alliance. The accreditation process is rigorous and generally regarded in the conservation community as a mark of excellence. The Monadnock Conservancy has protected 18,000 acres of land, which is significantly larger than the size of Manhattan. 

There are other land trusts operating in the Monadnock Region. You can find them and learn more about all of the state's land trusts by visiting the website of the New Hampshire Land Trust Coalition at www.nhltc.org.  Many conserved areas are open to the public, so you can also learn about land trusts by visiting those properties to get a first-hand look at what these organizations work hard to protect.