Many people have a deep, emotional attachment to land in the Monadnock Region. Our neighbors care deeply for fields, woods, and waters where they walk and picnic with their families, where they watch birds and swim, where they harvest crops and cut firewood, where they see birds and moose and spring peepers living alongside humans.
People also are concerned about what will happen when they no longer own their lands, or about the future of lands they don’t own but still cherish – scenic views they pass daily or lands that have been identified as significant for their community’s rural character.
These concerns are valid. New Hampshire is the second fastest growing state east of the Mississippi, and it's resources are at risk. More than 1,400 acres in the Monadnock Region are lost to development every year, putting tremendous growth pressure on water supplies, forestland, wildlife habitat, working farms, scenic views, and recreation areas. Many communities have adopted growth limits to slow the loss, but such measures are often divisive and are only temporary.
Voluntary land conservation, on the other hand, enjoys widespread support. In a time when the pace of change can seem bewildering, conservation lands are a tangible gift from the past to the future. As these landowner stories show, conservation ensures that future generations will benefit from the foresight of others, and that our children’s grandchildren will enjoy the same environmental quality and rural character that we all love today.
