FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Chris Wells, Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests, 603-496-9246 (cell), cwells@forestsociety.org
Jim O’Brien, Nature Conservancy, N.H. Chapter, 603-856-5378, jim_obrien@tnc.org
Jennifer Goodman, NH Preservation Alliance, 603-224-2281, 603-470-7207 (cell) or jg@nhpreservation.org
Rodger Krussman, Trust for Public Land, Rodger.Krussman@tpl.org and/or 802-223-1373 ext. 113
Conservation Organizations Applaud Governor's Support for LCHIP
An alliance of organizations, including the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, The Nature Conservancy, N.H. Preservation Alliance, and the Trust for Public Land applaud Governor Maggie Hassan's decision to restore the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program's dedicated funding in the Governor's FY14-15 budget, with full restoration the second year.
We thank the Governor for her commitment to investing in what makes New Hampshire special, and her clear statement of principle that the diversion of Land and Community Heritage Investment Program funds for other purposes must not continue. From this positive starting point, our alliance of groups hope the final budget agreement will reflect this same principled approach in both years of the biennium.
Our alliance looks forward to working with members of the House and Senate in the weeks ahead to fully restore LCHIP’s dedicated source of funding for conservation and historic preservation.
More on the program at www.lchip.org.
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The Land and Community Heritage Investment Program’s dedicated source of funding is used to conserve land and protect and revive historic buildings and cultural resources. Revenue is derived from a fee collected on recorded documents at registries of deeds.
LCHIP has been tremendously successful at leveraging outside dollars: for every $1 dollar invested by LCHIP, nearly $6 is invested from local, private and other funds. In each of the past four years, the Legislature has diverted LCHIP monies for other purposes.
There remains an enormous demand and need for the program. In the most recent grant round, 51 applications were received, but adequate funding was not available to support most grants.
Voters strongly support natural resource protection across the Granite State. A recent survey conducted by the University of New Hampshire shows broad public support for the goals of LCHIP - over 80% of New Hampshire voters report that conserving land to protect drinking water supplies, working farms and forests, and wildlife habitat should be a priority. Nearly all voters (97%) agree that we must invest in the protection of critical natural resources to protect NH's quality of life for future generations and to stimulate the tourist industry, create jobs and provide locally-grown food. Preservation efforts help our economic vitality as the labor-intensive nature of rehabilitation work creates well-paying jobs.
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