LCHIP Supplement Before NH House

Matt Leahy | May 24, 2019

Tags:: LCHIP

Spring wildflower at Powder Major's Forest in Durham, Madbury, and Lee. A grant from the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program helped to conserve the property in 2016.

On May 28, the House Ways and Means Committee will vote on SB 74 which aims to increase the level of funds the State provides LCHIP each year. As you may know, the source of LCHIP’s funding is a twenty-five dollar fee charged on four types of documents that are recorded at the County Registry Offices. In the current state budget, the fee supported approximately $3.5 million in grants. The bill proposes to raise that fee by ten dollars starting on July 1, 2019. This increase will bring in an estimated additional $1.5 million annually for the program.

The New Hampshire Senate approved the bill by a vote of 16-8 in March. The New Hampshire House of Representatives has also already taken one vote in support on May 2 by a vote of 214-144. However, under House rules, because the bill proposes to raise a fee, the Ways and Means Committee must also hold a separate vote on it and then send it back to the House for a second vote.

The earlier action by the full House shows the depth of the backing for LCHIP in the Legislature. It will be important to reinforce that vote by getting an equally strong vote first in the Ways and Means Committee on May 28 and then again in the full House.

The Forest Society continues to support the bill. We encourage readers to contact members of the Ways and Means Committee in support of SB 74. Let them know how the program has impacted your community and highlight these points:

Your connection to an LCHIP project. For example, did you donate money or volunteer your time towards its completion? Were you part of the planning effort?
The strong, local backing for the project. While LCHIP typically is one of the key pieces in any fundraising campaign, it is important to note how LCHIP leverages other sources of financial support.
How you believe the LCHIP-supported project has improved the quality of life in your community.
Over the last 10 years, 177 out of the 505 total applications received were not funded. That figure indicates the demand and need for LCHIP continues, even 18 years after the Legislature established the program.
Most importantly, this interest in LCHIP shows how much the people of our state value our natural and historic resources and are committed to the protection of those resources.

View to see all past LCHIP projects listed by Town.

Some of the Forest Society's recent LCHIP-supported projects include the Manchester Water Works Project in Auburn, Mt. Major in Alton, The Merrimack Riverfront in Hooksett, Powder Major's Forest in Madbury, Durham, and Lee, and Stillhouse Forest in Canterbury.

Legislators may ask questions or raise concerns about SB 74. Here are responses to potential issues which may be raised during these calls:

Q: Doesn’t LCHIP have enough money?

A: The blue ribbon commission that proposed the creation of LCHIP in 1999 identified a need for $12 million a year to meet the need for conservation and preservation at that time. LCHIP has never received anything near that amount per year. Furthermore, the current value of that 1999 $12,000,000 is now $23,000,000.

Q: There have been no projects in my town so why should I support?

A: LCHIP can only fund projects for which it receives applications. If the legislator feels there are worthy projects in the community/communities they represent, he or she should encourage the townspeople with an interest in land conservation or historic preservation to consider LCHIP as a possible source of assistance.

Q: Isn’t this 40% increase in LCHIP’s fee way too much?

A: The fee is actually being increased by only $10. It was first implemented in 2009 but has not been raised since that time. Requests for funding from LCHIP have risen over that time.

Q: Do LCHIP projects help the local economy?

A: Yes. Nearly all historic preservation projects employ local contractors for their work, contributing substantially to both wages and opportunities for people to work in and learn about traditional building skills. Natural resource projects employ local land use specialists, natural scientists, appraisers and surveyors. Also, LCHIP projects draw half a million or more visitors a year, many of them who also spend money locally on food, lodging and souvenirs. Outdoor recreation is an important part of NH’s economy. Protecting open space means protecting the economic opportunities which contribute to the outdoor recreation economy.

Q: Isn’t the request for an increase in the fee premature?

The trend in income from the current fees is actually leveling out and dropping slightly. Cost of projects continue to increase as land, construction materials and workers become more expensive.

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.