Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP)

Issue brief:

The Land and Community Heritage Investment Program was enacted by the state legislature with broad bi-partisan support in 2000 for the purpose of providing competitive grants for land conservation and historic preservation projects that permanently protect iconic landscapes and historic structures in the Granite State. The purpose of making these investments is to strengthen the social and natural resource fabric of local communities and to enhance the local and regional economies in the State that depend on tourism.

Since its establishment in 2003, LCHIP has awarded 530 grants in 193 communities across the state. This support has helped to conserve 237,000 acres and to rehab 160 historic structures. Equally noteworthy is how the program can incentivize financial support from other sources. In fact, every dollar from LCHIP leverages $5.75 in additional funding. Furthermore, as you know, tourism and outdoor recreation are key components of New Hampshire’s economic strength. LCHIP’s role in protecting the places which draw tourists here contributes to this vitality. Building on that point is an economic analysis the Trust for Public Land conducted of the return on New Hampshire’s investment in land conservation through a variety of state programs, including LCHIP. This study found that every $1 invested in land conservation returned $11 in natural goods and services to the New Hampshire economy. One notable example of this impact is LCHIP’s grant to permanently conserve one private ownership of 146,100 acres of working forest land, now known as the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Project, in the towns of Pittsburg, Clarksville and Stewartstown, at the State’s northern tip.

The original goal was to provide $12 million a year in state funds through LCHIP to leverage at least as much in non-state funds to make these conservation projects possible. However, between 2000 and 2008 general funding for LCHIP was very erratic, and far below that initial goal. As a consequence, the legislature established a dedicated fund for LCHIP in 2008, creating a $25 recording fee on deeds, mortgages and plans at the State’s 10 county registries of deeds. The fee was projected to raise about $6 million a year and was specifically dedicated to the LCHIP fund. Once again, state budget pressures led to legislative diversions of this dedicated fund (from 2009 to 2012) to non-LCHIP purposes. In June 2013 the Governor and Legislature adopted a comprehensive state budget that for the first time left the LCHIP dedicated fund in place, without any raid or diversion. Because of this bi-partisan support, LCHIP was able to award nearly $3.5 million in grants in Fiscal Year 2014-the most it had ever supported in one year.

Forest Society position:

The Forest Society strongly supports LCHIP, its program goals and its dedicated fund. To conserve the most attractive and vulnerable landscapes and structures, LCHIP funding needs to be consistent and predictable. Landowners and building owners make long term decisions to conserve their assets; projects take months and--in some cases--years to develop. Erratic funding from the State sends exactly the wrong message to the community of land and building owners LCHIP is designed to engage and to the variety of partners involved in developing individual projects. For these reasons, SPNHF continues to strongly advocate for consistency and predictability in the State’s contribution to land and historic structure conservation. We strongly oppose any new raids on the dedicated LCHIP fund.

On June 20, 2023, Governor Sununu signed into law House Bill 1, the operating budget for the State of New Hampshire for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025. HB 1 provides $5 million in both years for the program. This strong backing by the Legislature the Governor is the result of the continued advocacy from the broad network of LCHIP supporters across New Hampshire. Thank you all.

Key Links:

LCHIP website

LCHIP Enabling Legislation: RSA 227-M

News

Press Release: LCHIP Awards 3 Grants to Forest Society

December 14, 2022

The Forest Society has received three grant awards totaling $307,500 to support land conservation projects in Canterbury, Concord, and Middleton.

THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NH FORESTS AWARDED THREE LCHIP GRANTS

December 4, 2019

CONCORD, N.H. (Dec. 4, 2019)--The Board of Directors of the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) has announced $3.5 million dollars in matching grants awarded to thirty-three projects across the state, including the Society for the Protection of NH Forests’ (Forest Society) Ammonoosuc River Project in Bethlehem, Tuckaway Farm in Lee, and Morrill Dairy Farm in Boscawen.

The Forest Society is a private, non-profit land trust and forestry organization established in 1901. The organization has received a $300,000 grant for its Ammonoosuc River Project, which will conserve an exceptional 1.8-mile stretch of the Ammonoosuc River in Bethlehem. The Ammonoosuc is one of the largest rivers in the northern White Mountains, originating in the Lakes of the Clouds on Mt. Washington’s western slope and flowing westward to the Connecticut River in Woodsville. With scenic vistas and key coldwater fisheries in its upper reaches, the Ammonoosuc still harbors wild brook trout as well as rainbows and browns. To permanently protect important trout habitat and enhance angler access, the Forest Society will acquire 257 acres that include frontage on the main stem of the Ammonoosuc River and seven feeder streams. Please join us in making this conservation vision a reality.

Tuckaway Farm in Lee is receiving $73,000 to conserve a 36-acre property adjacent to a farm owned by Dorn and Sarah Cox and Chuck and Laurel Cox. The 200-plus acre Tuckaway Farm is under an existing conservation easement held by the Town of Lee. The Cox family has farmed the 36 acres of land for nearly 50 years and it’s an important component to their operations, so much so that they bought the land and the abutting house when it went on the market in 2018. The old historic home on the property, which will be excluded from the proposed easement, will become a farming education center. Please join us in making this conservation vision a reality.

Lastly, $85,000 was granted to help conserve land owned by the Morrill Dairy Farm in Boscawen. The Forest Society is working together with the Town of Boscawen to purchase a conservation easement on 115 acres of high-quality agricultural land on Long and Water Streets in Boscawen from the Morrill family. The Morrill Dairy Farm has been in operation for nearly a century and is now owned by Rob and Sherri Morrill and their sons, Andy, Kevin, and Ryan, and daughter Kim. Currently, the Morrill's are milking 140 cows and have a total of just over 500 cows on the farm. Please join us in making this conservation vision a reality.

“We’re pleased that LCHIP recognized the extraordinary value in conserving these three projects—two farms and a forested river,” said Jack Savage, president of the Society for the Protection of NH Forests. “It’s important to remember, too, that these projects are made possible by our partners and landowners who also understand the value of land conservation. Across the state, the LCHIP grants are helping protect remarkable assets that define our state. We’re pleased to be part of that.”

Projects are being supported in each of the state’s ten counties. This grant round was highly competitive, with over $7 million in funding requests compared to $3.5 million available for grants. LCHIP Board Chair Amanda Merrill of Durham observed “The LCHIP Board of Directors was particularly impressed with the variety and quality of projects seeking support this year.”

Grant recipients are required to raise a minimum of one dollar for each dollar provided by LCHIP. This year’s awards of $3.5 million will be matched by more than $10 million that the project proponents will raise from other public and private sources, infusing a total of almost $14 million into the state’s economy in direct project activity.

About New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program

The New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program is an independent state authority created by the legislature in 2000 with a legislative mandate is to ensure the perpetual contribution of natural, cultural and historic resources to the economy, environment, and quality of life in New Hampshire. LCHIP provides matching grants to New Hampshire communities and non-profits to conserve and preserve the state’s most important natural, cultural and historic resources. Prior to the grant awards described herein, the program has provided 466 grants which have helped to conserve more than 290,000 acres of land for food production, water quality, ecological values, timber management and recreation and supported 280 projects to rehabilitate historic structures and sites. Grants have been awarded in all parts of the state and in 167 of New Hampshire’s 234 communities. Forty-six million dollars of state money has led to a total project value of more than $317 million. The money for LCHIP grants comes from fees on four documents recorded at the Registry of Deeds in every county of the state.

Senate Overrides Governor’s Veto of LCHIP Bill but Bill Dies in the House

Matt Leahy | September 20, 2019

Despite a strong 17-7 vote in the Senate in favor of overriding Governor Sununu’s veto of Senate Bill 74, which would have increased dedicated funding for the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), the legislation died in the House when it was unable to get the two-thirds majority needed to have it enacted. The Governor vetoed the bill in July. If approved, SB 74 would have increased the surcharge from $25 to $35 for the recording of certain documents at the registries of deeds. This proposal would have added an additional $1.5 million each year to LCHIP’s budget.

The Forest Society strongly supported the bill. We would encourage our members to thank those legislators who supported the veto override. Despite the disappointing outcome, it is clear the majority of our elected representatives in the House and Senate recognize the important benefits LCHIP brings to our state.

It is important to remember LCHIP’s annual budget is set as part of the overall State budget process. Not surprisingly, the Governor’s veto of the State’s operating budget for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021 and the protracted negotiations between legislative leaders and the Governor to find a compromise has created uncertainty among all the organizations, agencies and municipalities, including LCHIP, who depend on the state budget to operate.

However, the veto of SB 74 does not mean the program will be left without any resources in the coming year. The proposed State budget the House of Representatives and the Senate approved prior to the Governor’s veto of it included $3.5 million for both FY 2020 and FY 2021. Given the support it has, we are confident any budget solution will include this level of funding for LCHIP.