$42,000 Awarded for Local Conservation Projects

July 1, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  Contact: Dijit Taylor (603) 717-7045
                                                                               Jim Graham (603) 224-9945, ext. 330

July 2, 2004

$42,000 AWARDED FOR LOCAL CONSERVATION PROJECTS
Grants support 18 projects in five New Hampshire communities

Eighteen conservation projects in five New Hampshire communities were awarded a total of $42,000 recently by the Center for Land Conservation Assistance, a program of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.  The land conservation projects are in the towns of Brentwood, Durham, Lee, Newmarket and Strafford. 

The grants provide matching funds of up to $3,000 per project to help cover transaction costs associated with permanent land conservation.  Transaction costs include surveys, attorney’s fees, land protection staff time, consultant’s fees and other related costs.

In total, the projects supported through these grants provide permanent conservation for more than 880 acres.  The appraised value of the conserved land is more than $5 million. Some of the projects are conservation easements and some are acquisition of full title to the property.

“We’re pleased to award these grants, which will play a critical role in protecting some of the most cherished open spaces in the fastest-growing region of New Hampshire,” said Dijit Taylor, director of the Center for Land Conservation Assistance. “With so much development pressure on the land these days, it will take partnerships like this – between federal, state, private and local interests – to craft creative solutions for land conservation.”

The effort was funded by a grant from the New Hampshire Estuaries Program, pursuant to an award from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.  All towns and land conservation groups in the New Hampshire Estuaries area were invited to apply for the money.  Applications were reviewed by a team of regional and state land conservation professionals.

Details of the grants are shown below:

  • Bear-Paw Regional Greenways received $300 for a project in Strafford that protects 48 acres.
    The Town of Brentwood received $7,007 for five projects that protect 171 acres.
  • The Town of Lee received $21,142 for eight projects that protect 380 acres.
  • The Town of Newmarket received $7,851 for three projects that protect 235 acres.

Land protection grants

  • The Strafford Rivers Conservancy received $300 for a 50-acre project in Durham and Lee.

For more information about the grants or any of the projects, contact Dijit Taylor, director of the Center for Land Conservation Assistance, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, 54 Portsmouth Street, Concord, NH 03301, 717-7045,

The Center for Land Conservation Assistance provides support and assistance to land trusts, conservation commission and other seeking to conserve undeveloped land in New Hampshire through direct assistance, coordination and education, access to training and funding, and referrals.  CLCA is a program of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

Founded in 1901, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is a 10,000-member, nonprofit organization that has helped protect more than one million acres. Visit www.forestsociety.org for more information, or call (603) 224-9945.

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