NH’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) Awards 26 Grants to Communities and Non-Profit Organizations Across the State
- Tags:
- Land Conservation,
- Clean Water,
- Climate
Campton Bog (Photo: Ryan Smith)
Governor Chris Sununu joined the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) Committee in announcing $3.3 million in matching grants to support 26 land conservation and historic preservation projects across the state. The grants will support efforts to rehabilitate 14 historic buildings and permanently conserve more than 3,314 acres of farmland, timberland, and ecologically significant habitat in all corners of the state.
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests was awarded $250,000 to help purchase 375 acres in Alton that will expand the Evelyn H. and Albert D. Morse, Sr. Preserve. The Forest Society was also awarded $197,000 to conserve 454 acres encompassing much of Campton Bog in Campton and Rumney.
Popular Preserve Expanding to 1,065 Acres
The Forest Society originally conserved the Evelyn H. and Albert D. Morse, Sr. Preserve in 2008, and since that time has worked with adjacent landowners to expand the acreage. The $250,000 LCHIP grant award will support the acquisition of 375 acres, bringing the Morse Preserve to 1,065 acres. Located at the southern end of the existing Preserve, this addition will significantly expand the network of contiguous conservation land in the southern Belknap Range.
The property, visible from Alton Bay, includes the ridgeline from Pine Mountain to Rocky Mountain, which provides exceptional higher elevation habitat and serves as a wildlife corridor. A beaver pond on the northern boundary hosts a heron rookery, and a logging road through the property is used by local hunters and recreationists. According to NH Fish and Game’s 2020 Wildlife Action Plan, 32 percent of the property is considered “Tier 1” habitat, or some of the best wildlife habitat in the state. Ninety acres of the property fall within a wellhead protection area for Alton Water Works, which supplies water to 700 residential and commercial buildings.
Protecting a Diverse Wetland Complex
The second LCHIP grant awarded to the Forest Society will support the purchase of a conservation easement on a 454-acre property in Campton and Rumney that is owned by Green Acre Woodland, Inc. The property encompasses most of Campton Bog (which is technically a fen rather than a bog, in fact). Campton Bog is a high-quality peat wetland complex of regional significance. Peatland habitats are extremely important for carbon sequestration on a local and global scale, and peatlands like Campton Bog are biologically diverse habitats containing some 550 different plants — many of them highly specialized to their environment —such as sheep laurel, leatherleaf, willows, pitcher plants, and sundews. Campton Bog provides critical habitat for numerous waterfowl and bird species, deer, bear, moose, otters, fish, and beaver. For all these reasons, it is also a treasured kayaking destination.
“We truly appreciate LCHIP’s investment in helping the Forest Society conserve these two parcels of land, the Morse Preserve addition and Campton Bog,” said Jack Savage, president of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forest. “These LCHIP grants will enable the Forest Society to protect critical watershed and wildlife habitat, help our forests remain resilient in a changing climate and preserve recreational opportunities for Granite Staters. Across the state, the LCHIP grants are helping protect remarkable assets that define our state. We’re pleased to be part of that.”
LCHIP grant recipients must match each dollar contributed by LCHIP with at least one added dollar and complete the funded projects according to the program’s rigorous standards. This year’s $3.3 million awards will be matched by more than $9 million from other public and private sources, infusing $12.3 million into the state’s economy through direct project activity.
###
About New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program
The New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) is an independent state authority providing matching grants to New Hampshire’s municipalities and non-profits, helping to preserve the state’s most important natural, cultural, and historic resources and ensure their contribution to the economy, environment, and quality of life in New Hampshire. LCHIP grants are funded by a $25 fee assessed when deeds, mortgages, and plans are recorded at the state’s ten registries of deeds.
Since 2001, LCHIP has awarded 615 grants, totaling over $65 million. As of July 2024, the program’s investment has helped to conserve 246,000 acres of land and rehabilitate 184 historic structures across 204 NH communities. Learn more about how LCHIP is helping to preserve and protect New Hampshire’s heritage at LCHIP.org, by following LCHIP_NH on Instagram, or Facebook.