News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2008

CONTACT:
Ryan Owens, Pete Throop
(603) 357-0600

Awards Foster Conservation Capacity
Monadnock Conservancy Earns Grant for
Community Program

( KEENE)—In recognition of the significant effort that land conservation requires, the Monadnock Conservancy and the Northeast Utilities (NU) Foundation have joined forces in an effort to help communities acquire the necessary skills for successful community-wide collaboration. The Monadnock Conservancy has received a $60,000 grant from the NU Foundation to fund the two-year pilot of its Community Conservation Partnership, which will take place in the towns of Alstead, Gilsum, Surry, Walpole, and Westmoreland.

“The NU Foundation is pleased to have this opportunity to partner with The Monadnock Conservancy to build on our shared goal of environmental stewardship,” said Gary Long, president and COO of Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) and director of the foundation. “As NH continues to grow,” said Long, “the importance of implementing effective land conservation strategies should be apparent to all those interested in the long-term economic viability of our lands, as well as the environmental and cultural benefits that they provide.”

The Community Conservation Partnership will provide training and support to local volunteer conservation groups and community leaders whose cooperation is vital to implementing more locally effective and relevant strategies. Training will include developing shared priorities and making shared decisions on the landscape features and natural resources most critical to conserve within their communities. “The goal of the Community Conservation Partnership is to conserve more of the region’s imperiled natural resources and rural character before development pressure and land prices overwhelm the region,” said project director Peter Throop. “We are grateful to the NU Foundation for its support of our efforts through this grant.”

Other funders of the Partnership include the Jesse B. Cox Charitable Lead Trust and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

Founded in 1989, The Monadnock Conservancy is a non-profit land conservation organization that serves 35 towns in the Monadnock Region. Its mission is to identify, promote, and actively seek protection of significant natural, aesthetic, and historic resources in the Monadnock Region; and to monitor and enforce the protection of lands in the trust. For more information about the Monadnock Conservancy, call 603-357-0600.

The Northeast Utilities Foundation, established in 1998, has proudly supported charitable partners in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire with total donations of more than $10 million. For more information on the Northeast Utilities Foundation, please visit www.northeastutilitiesfoundation.org.