If land protection is to be meaningful, it must stand the test of time. When the Monadnock Conservancy accepts a conservation easement, it agrees to uphold the intent of the agreement forever. Our mission statement closes with our commitment to this responsibility: “To monitor and enforce the protection of lands in the Trust.” Once the Conservancy accepts an easement on a property, we become partners, working side-by-side with the current landowner and all future owners, to ensure the long-term protection of the land.
Good land stewardship has several components:
- Monitoring annually to ensure the land is being used according to the easement terms developed by the grantor
- Keeping good records of monitoring, correspondence, etc.
- Maintaining positive relations with easement donors and future owners of a property
- Maintaining funds dedicated to easement enforcement should any violations occur
The Monadnock Conservancy monitors each of its easement properties annually to assess compliance with the terms of the agreement. Staff or trained volunteers (aka land stewards) visit the property to meet with the landowner, walk the boundaries and interior of the property, and note any significant changes. The organization keeps written records and photographs on file to document its site inspections and communicates regularly with landowners.
A land steward at work on a Conservancy easement
In some rare cases an individual landowner may act in clear violation of an easement’s provisions. In other cases, abutters, members of the public, or professionals such as loggers or engineers may act counter to the terms. In any of these instances, the Conservancy does as much as possible to see that the activity is stopped and that the condition of the land is restored. If necessary, the Conservancy will seek independent arbitration and/or legal action to uphold its obligations, as guided by the terms of the easement.
Landowners who grant conservation easements know and appreciate the importance of living with their provisions for the land. When an easement property changes ownership, the seller must inform the Conservancy. Staff meets with the new owner to review and explain the terms of the easement. Easement stewardship becomes more important with time, to ensure that future users of the land understand and respect the original grantor’s intentions.
Recognizing the permanent fiscal obligation created by accepting easements, the Conservancy funds these stewardship expenses through revenue generated by the Easement Stewardship Endowment. In addition to the Stewardship Endowment, the Conservancy has established an Enforcement Fund that the organization will use when necessary to provide for the legal defense of an easement. The Enforcement Fund gives the Conservancy the confidence that it can uphold its commitments, now and for years to come.
Fee-Owned Conservation Land
Sometimes landowners choose to donate property ownership to the Monadnock Conservancy rather than conservation easements. For property the organization owns outright, the Conservancy follows a land use and management policy adopted by the Board of Trustees. The policy encourages constructive community interaction with the land, while protecting the natural, aesthetic, and cultural resources of the property.
Management Plans for each fee-owned property are based on scientific inventories of the property’s natural resources, as well as consideration of its cultural and recreational uses. In general, management of fee-owned land meets or exceeds the use limitations set forth in the Conservancy's standard conservation easement, and the land is open to the public for uses that do not threaten the conservation values of the land. Fee-owned properties are monitored annually, just like easement properties, and managed with the help of volunteers.
Volunteers gather after a trail work day at the Goyette Natural Area.
For more information on the fee-owned land use policy, contact the Conservancy's Stewardship Manager.
