Land Protection Goals

The Monadnock Conservancy has clear priorities for our conservation work, using established criteria to evaluate projects. Our goal is to conserve land that will support or enhance:

• Land overlying aquifers and aquifer recharge areas
  
• Frontage on rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs
  
• Wetlands, flood plains, buffer areas, and riparian zones
  

• Tracts of woodland with sufficient size, appropriate soils, and other attributes that support responsible forest management, including the production of timber and other forest products
  
• Farmlands and open fields with prime soils and other attributes that support viable agriculture
  

• Large tracts of undeveloped habitat and corridors important for wildlife
  
• Land containing ecologically significant or rare natural communities or species
  
• Other lands which increase the diversity and viability of wildlife populations, including fields, riparian areas, and land contiguous to existing protected natural areas
  

• Land that offers opportunities for responsible outdoor recreation by the public
  
• Scenic views, ridgelines, and other aesthetic areas
  
• Landscapes that preserve the region’s cultural and historic heritage
  

We are equally committed to:

• With municipalities, citizen groups, non-profit organizations, public agencies, and other important partners
  

In general, the Monadnock Conservancy favors land projects that:

• Abut, enlarge, or provide linkages to existing conservation areas
  
• Are threatened by a change in use that will undermine identified conservation values
  
• Have been designated for protection by a municipality, public agency, or land trust
  
• Have clear potential to stimulate future contiguous land protection projects
  
• Offer meaningful public environmental education opportunities
  
• Provide access for responsible outdoor recreation by the public
  
• Benefit a wide range of people and enjoy demonstrated public support

Click here for a one-page summary of the Conservancy's project selection criteria and priorities.