For 200 years, Chickering dairy farm has operated in Westmoreland. In 2019, Jim Chickering, now deceased, worked with the Conservancy to protect roughly 350 acres of the farm. In September of 2025, the Conservancy finalized the purchase of a conservation easement covering an additional 47 acres. 36 of the 47 acres contain some of the best agricultural soils in the region. These new acres under easement also boast two streams, a wet meadow, and part of an aquifer – fragile underground deposits of sediment that clean and refresh local water supplies. In addition to the farmland and water benefits, this property also contains a variety of wildlife habitats for species that are in decline in the region. The property also hosts a portion of a snowmobile trail that is part of the statewide snowmobile trail network.

*Funders who supported the project include New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), New Hampshire State Conservation Committee’s Conservation Moose Plate Grant Program, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Thomas W. Haas Fund, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Service’s Local Source Water Protection Program, the Town of Westmoreland’s Conservation Commission, and anonymous donors.