News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2009

CONTACT:
Ryan Owens, (603) 357-0600, Monadnock Conservancy
Chris Wells, (603) 224-9945, ext. 355, Forest Society

QUABBIN-TO-CARDIGAN (Q2C) PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR 2009 LAND CONSERVATION GRANTS

The Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership (Q2C) is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals for its first round of Land Conservation Grants.  Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded to non-profit land trusts, state agencies that have land conservation as a primary function, and municipalities to fund transaction-related expenses on land conservation projects in the “Quabbin-to-Cardigan” region of western New Hampshire (see below for list of towns).

The area is part of the larger two-state region that spans one hundred miles from the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts northward to the southern boundary of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire.  The region is bounded to the east and west by the Merrimack and Connecticut River Valleys.  Encompassing approximately two million acres, the Quabbin-to-Cardigan region is one of the largest remaining areas of intact, interconnected, ecologically significant forests in New England, and is a key headwater of the Merrimack and Connecticut rivers. 

 Launched in 2003, the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership is a collaborative effort of 27 private organizations and public agencies working on land conservation in the two Q2C states. The partners share a vision of consolidating the permanent protection of the region’s most ecologically significant forests, and key connections between them for wildlife passage and human recreation. The Q2C partners worked for more than three years to develop the Quabbin-to-Cardigan conservation plan, which combines state-of-the-art natural resource science and the consensus vision of the partner organizations. 

 Completed in 2007, the Q2C plan has identified approximately 600,000 acres of “conservation focus areas” that represent the region’s most ecologically significant forests. These conservation focus areas represent about 30 percent of the two-million-acre region, and are currently 39 percent protected.  An additional 400,000 acres, or another 21 percent of the region, have been identified as “supporting landscapes” that buffer and link the core areas, and are currently 26 percent protected.  The extent to which proposed projects protect land in Q2C conservation focus areas and supporting landscapes will be the primary criteria used to assess applications for funding.

 For grant application materials, background on the Quabbin-to-Cardigan region and conservation plan, maps, and a list of towns in the region, visit www.q2cpartnership.org.  If you need application materials sent to you, or need help determining whether your project is eligible for funding, please call Chris Wells at (603) 224-9945. 

 Completed applications are due Friday, November 20th, 2009.  Successful grant applicants will be notified in writing no later than December 31, 2009.

 Projects must be located in the following towns to be eligible for funding:  Acworth, Alexandria, Alstead, Andover, Antrim, Bennington, Bradford, Canaan, Chesterfield, Danbury, Deering, Dorchester, Dublin, Enfield, Fitzwilliam, Francestown, Gilsum, Goshen, Grafton, Grantham, Greenfield, Groton, Hancock, Hanover, Harrisville, Hebron, Henniker, Hill, Hillsborough, Jaffrey, Keene, Lempster, Lyme, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson, Newbury, New Ipswich, New London, Newport, Orange, Orford, Peterborough, Richmond, Rindge, Roxbury, Rumney, Salisbury, Sharon, Springfield, Stoddard, Sullivan, Sunapee, Surry, Sutton, Swanzey, Temple, Troy, Unity, Warner, Washington, Wentworth, Wilmot, Winchester, Windsor.

Funding for the 2009 Q2C Land Conservatin Grants program is being provided by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) and was requested by U.S. Representative Paul Hodes (NH-02). The program is administered by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests on behalf of the Quabbin-to-Cardigan Partnership, through a cooperative agreement with NRCS.

Q2C partner organizations include the Appalachian Mountain Club, Audubon Society of New Hampshire, Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust (NH), East Quabbin Land Trust (MA), Franklin Regional Council of Governments (MA), Harris Center for Conservation Education (NH), Harvard Forest (MA), Highstead, Land Trust Alliance, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Massachusetts Dept. of Fish & Game, Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation & Recreation, Monadnock Conservancy (NH), Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MA), Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust (MA), The Nature Conservancy, New England Forestry Foundation, New Hampshire DRED - Division of Forests & Lands, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, North County Land Trust (MA), North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership (MA), Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, Southwest Region Planning Commission (NH), Trust for Public Land, The Trustees of Reservations (MA), Upper Valley Land Trust (NH), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. To learn more about the Quabbin to Cardigan Partnership, visit www.q2cpartnership.org.

Founded in 1989, the Monadnock Conservancy is a non-profit land conservation organization that serves 35 towns in southwestern New Hampshire. 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 or the Monadnock Community Conservation Partnership, call (603) 357-0600.