Land Conservation
The passage of the Weeks Act in 1911 started a new era of conservation in New Hampshire. Today the public interest is served by protecting habitat for plants, animals and other organisms, conserving watersheds, preserving rare and exemplary nature communities and demonstrating sound forestry practices. As stewards of the land, we strive to protect a wide variety of ecological services while allowing public access for recreation in perpetuity.
There are several programs in New Hampshire focused on conservation of our important natural and cultural resources. Additional information about a few of these programs can be found below.
The Forest Legacy Program is a federally funded program that protects privately owned and environmentally significant forest land from being converted to non-forest uses. This program is a strictly voluntary program and involves the acquisition of rights in land through a conservation easement or acquisition of land in fee. If a conservation easement is acquired, the land remains in private ownership but does provide for public recreational access.
NH Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP)
The New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) is an independent state authority that makes matching grants to NH communities and non-profits to conserve and preserve New Hampshire's most important natural, cultural and historic resources.
NH Conservation and Heritage License Plate Program (Moose Plate)
The NH Conservation License Plate (Moose Plate) Program supports the protection of critical resources in New Hampshire, including scenic lands, historic sites and artifacts, plants and wildlife.
