Skip to main content

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests

Get our e-news! Sign up

small nav

  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Staff
    • Board of Trustees
    • Our History
    • Employment
    • Conservation Center
    • FAQs
    • Partners
    • Business Members
    • Annual Reports
    • Bylaws
    • Policies
  • log in
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Main menu

  • What we do
    • Land Conservation
    • Education & Events
    • Advocacy
    • Forestry & Recreation
    • News & Features
    • Forest Notes & More Publications
  • Current Projects
    • Mahoosuc Highlands, Shelburne
    • Forest Society North at The Rocks Campaign
    • Cole Conservation Easement, Cornish
    • Derevya Farms, Allenstown
    • Build Creek Farm Restrooms, Portsmouth
    • Mount Major Stewardship Fund
    • Recent Accomplishments
  • Visit & Explore
    • The Rocks
    • Conservation Center
    • Mount Major
    • Creek Farm
    • Forest Reservation Guide
    • Visitor Use Guidelines
  • Get Involved
    • Upcoming Events
    • Membership/Renewal
    • Support Our Work
    • Take Action
    • Volunteer
    • Subscribe to E-news
  • Search

Search form

Donate
Menu
  1. Get Involved
  2. Volunteer
  3. Land Steward Program

Land Steward Program

  • How to Become a Land Steward

News

  • Service With a Smile: Celebrating Those Who Make Conservation Happen

    acrowley
    February 8, 2020

    For the last 27 years, the Forest Society has leaned on the assistance of community volunteers to monitor our conserved lands and help with ...

  • Forest Society Land Stewards – Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities

    acrowley
    May 3, 2019

    Since its early beginnings in 1993, the Forest Society Land Steward Program has been the volunteer backbone of our forest reservations. Each ...

  • Seeking New Volunteers to Help Care for Forest Reservations across New Hampshire

    acrowley
    February 27, 2019

    The Forest Society is currently recruiting new volunteer land stewards for a number of our Forest ...

Land Steward Program

 

Since 1993, the Forest Society has trained and supported volunteers to help monitor and manage our forest reservations through the Land Steward Program.  Volunteer land stewards visit their adopted properties throughout the year conducting stewardship activities and serving as local ambassadors for the Forest Society.  More than 170 volunteers are currently active in the Land Steward Program, and these land stewards contribute more than 5000 hours of stewardship and monitoring work annually.  Over its more than 20 year history, the Land Steward Program has been a model for other volunteer land stewardship programs run by state agencies, municipalities, and other land conservation organizations.

Before adopting a forest reservation to monitor, land stewards receive hands-on training in forest management, GPS/compass use, trail maintenance, community engagement, boundary monitoring and recreation management. Stewards also have opportunities to meet and work with land conservation professionals and other volunteers through group workdays, training workshops, field trips, and social events. Most importantly, Forest Society land stewards are an integral part of land conservation in New Hampshire!

​

Land stewards work on a bridge at Buxton-Simons Forest
Land stewards work on a bridge at Buxton-Simons Forest

 

Land Steward Qualifications

  • Live within 20 miles of an "available" Forest Society reservation (one currently lacking steward coverage).
  • Be able to attend a required two-day, in-residence, core training session, offered annually in Spring (typically a Friday/Saturday)
  • Be willing to make a 2-3 year commitment to monitor a property annually.
  • Be mentally and physically able to perform stewardship responsibilities.
  • Have a strong interest in forest conservation and management.

 

Responsibilities

  • Monitor your adopted property thoroughly on an annual basis.
  • Help to manage recreational and educational uses of the land.
  • Assist Forest Society staff with stewardship projects on your adopted property.
  • Maintain gates, signs, kiosks and other property infrastructure.
  • Perform basic trail maintenance and wildlife habitat improvement, where appropriate.
  • Remove trash and debris from the property.
  • Walk property boundaries to identify encroachments and/or maintenance needs.
  • Act as liaison with local officials, schools, neighbors, conservation organizations, and other Forest Society members.
  • Document and report property activity to Forest Society using our online monitoring report system.

Benefits

  • Free core training in land management and stewardship as well as continuing opportunities for training in natural resource topics.
  • Complimentary Forest Society membership, including a subscription to our quarterly magazine, Forest Notes, and access to free lectures/events.
  • Work with Forest Society staff and other volunteers with similar interests and a commitment to conservation.
  • Get to know a beautiful piece of land intimately, in all seasons. This is something few people take the time to do today!
     

For questions about the Land Steward program, or to be added to a notification list for the next training, email Laurel Swope-Brush. 

 

Land Stewards
Painting trail blazes, Moose Mountains Reservation
Constructing a log stringer bridge
Hanson Top trail workday, High Watch Preserve
Peeling a log, Monadnock Trails Week
Pruning apple trees on Hay Reservation
Installing signs

Download the Forest Society Mobile App, powered by OuterSpatial

Available on the App Store
Get it on Google Play

Footer menu

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests54 Portsmouth St.Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603.224.9945Fax: 603.228.0423info@forestsociety.org
Land Trust Alliance accreditation logo