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The Work of LRCT

Shannon Brook in the Ossipees

The Lakes Region Conservation Trust was founded in 1979 to protect key wildlife habitat in central New Hampshire, to provide for public access to conservation lands for thoughtful recreation purposes, and to preserve some of the largest freshwater and wilderness resources within one hundred miles of metropolitan Boston and a single days' drive of New York, Philadelphia, and Washington.

Principles and Function

The Lakes Region Conservation Trust is a member-supported, community-based, non- profit organization.  The Trust unites private philanthropy with voluntary community service to protect key conservation properties and to endow their stewardship in perpetuity.  Since 1995, the Trust has protected more than 16,500 acres of conservation land, bringing its total protected properties to more than 18,500 acres, including more than 22 miles of protected shore frontage on the region's lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.  During this period, the Trust has raised more than $25,000,000 in donated assets.  In most cases, the Trust seeks to secure the conservation, study, and recreational use of its lands through direct ownership, the oldest and most established form of property holding.

The Trust responds to local conservation and recreation priorities by protecting properties that have clear conservation value and demonstrated community support.  The Trust defines a projected management plan for the property, acts with dispatch to negotiate a gift, bargain sale, or other favorable agreement, and identifies sufficient private funds to secure the acquisition.

The Trust is an independent non-profit organization and funds its operations and acquisitions completely through private sources.  The Trust refrains from seeking public funds of any kind.  The Trust's work, however, often relieves towns and agencies from the burden of raising taxes to purchase undeveloped land.

The Trust relies upon its governing board and core staff, consultants, and dedicated volunteers to meet its mission.  The Trust is assisted by volunteers who serve on several standing committees and by consultants who provide professional services to the organization.  The Trust has worked closely with the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Nature Conservancy, the Yale School of Environment and Forestry, the Tuck School of Dartmouth College, and the University of New Hampshire, and with local schools and organizations in the service of its mission.

The Trust makes management decisions based on scientific data collected on its properties.  Since 1998, the Trust has commissioned scientific bio-inventories on many of its protected properties.  These studies are researching ecosystems on some of the largest landholdings in the region; among their discoveries are trees that date back to the 1590's.  These kinds of data allow the Trust to make informed decisions as it seeks to achieve a balance between public access and the preservation of wild lands.

The Trust encourages the free use of its properties by the public for traditional low impact uses while valuing the natural peace and quiet of protected lands.  Walking, hiking, hunting, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, low impact boating, and other forms of traditional recreation are encouraged.  Snowmobiling is permitted on several properties; the use of motorized wheeled vehicles, such as ATVs, is prohibited.

The Trust furthers its mission by fostering, training, and supporting local groups who wish to preserve land in their own towns.  The Trust provides support to local groups as they define conservation priorities, negotiate with landowners, and seek to identify private funds to protect land.  The Trust has assisted in the founding of land trusts in a number of communities and has developed a comprehensive guide to assist in the creation and operation of sustainable conservation endeavors.

The Trust assists local families and landowners to develop conservation plans for their property.  The Trust provides counsel and encouragement to those who own lands with conservation value and works closely with family members and their advisors to define conservation options and their outcomes.