Piscataquog Watershed Association

I'm Deborah Schachter from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and this is Giving Matters.

A couple years ago, about 600 acres in the town of Weare were being primed for development.

Steve Najar, a local resident and member of the conservation commission, was concerned.

"The property is mostly forested, with some significant wetlands. It's got Rattlesnake Hill, which is the high point on the property. It's got a fabulous black red maple swamp that's rare. It has some old fields on it, there are some small beaver ponds, you can see a lot of bobcat signs...

"During the summer there are all kinds of different neotropical migratory birds that are in there. And that's really the key to the 600 acres, the habitat value is just extremely high."

Steve called the Piscataquog Watershed Association for advice. Margaret Watkins is the Executive Director.

"I will say, when we started on this project it was really tight time, and I thought 'this is going to be really hard, to pull together a bond issue in a town that's never done a bond issue for conservation before. And if it hadn't been for the energy of that group, it never would have happened."

The Piscataquog Watershed Association also included the state Fish and Game Department in the partnership to save the land. The land will be conserved forever, for a variety of uses.

"Things like hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, birdwatching, there's just a whole host of activities that can go on the community can enjoy. And then from a financial standpoint, by reducing the amount of development we've actually stabilized the tax base. We tried to reach out to all the different audiences."

Local land trusts play a unique role in preserving New Hampshire's landscape.

Nonprofits help maintain the quality of life in New Hampshire's communities.

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Giving Matters is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.