Preserving Paradise: Local Organizations Lead the Way in Environmental Stewardship

By Mark Okrant

The conservation of natural and developed spaces is of great concern to most Americans. The news media are filled with stories lining up on either side of the question about extracting natural resources—e.g., strip mining and deforestation—versus protecting fragile spaces.

One need look no further than the tourism industry to continue the controversy. For many years, hundreds of thousands of people have descended upon places such as Barcelona and Venice that contain special cultural/historical settings, or Phuket, Thailand, with its beautiful beaches. While the visitors to these places certainly intend no harm, their sheer numbers have overwhelmed the carrying capacities of the host spaces. Recently, some of the afflicted areas have been forced to enact extreme measures.

Clearly, the best solution lies in taking protective measures in advance, i.e., before the destruction of environmental or cultural character—or both—occurs. Here, in New Hampshire, we have seen several excellent examples of agencies that are being proactive by enacting a procedure known as “stewardship”.

What exactly does this term entail?

You may laugh, but when I think of stewardship, I’m reminded of the actor Jimmy Stewart. Stewart’s career from the late 1930s through the 1950s saw his characters provide protection from unscrupulous land barons whose potential victims lacked his proficiency with a Colt pistol or Winchester rifle.

Modern-day stewardship is the responsible management and care of something entrusted to one's care. It involves taking ownership and acting with accountability, whether it's natural resources, a community, or an organization. The core concept is recognizing that something has been given into your charge, then actively working to preserve, protect, and enhance its well-being. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

• Careful and responsible management:

Stewardship implies a proactive approach, not just passive oversight. It involves making thoughtful decisions and taking actions that ensure the long-term health and sustainability of what is being stewarded. 

• Entrusted to one's care:

This highlights the sense of responsibility and accountability that comes with stewardship. It means recognizing that you have a role to play in the well-being of something beyond your own self-interest. 

Stewardship can be applied to various contexts, such as:

1. Environmental stewardship: caring for natural resources like land, water, and wildlife. 

2. Financial stewardship: managing resources responsibly, whether personal finances or organizational budgets. 

3. Organizational stewardship: leading with integrity and creating a positive impact within a company or group. 

For our purposes, we will examine three in-state organizations—the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, the Moose Mountain Regional Greenways, and the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire—looking at the mission and methods they use to conserve space within the state.

The Lakes Region Conservation Trust (LRCT) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1979, dedicated to the permanent conservation, stewardship, and respectful use of lands in the region. For more than 45 years, LRCT has worked with landowners and local volunteers to protect land with significant conservation value. The organization focuses on preserving the region’s lakes, forests, mountains, wildlife habitats, water quality, scenic landscapes, and open spaces for both current and future generations. A very serious focus is on providing outdoor recreation opportunities and providing/continuing access to conserved lands. 

The LRCT is currently working on land conservation projects involving more than 1,500 acres around the region, including projects in ten Lakes Region towns and in such areas as the Ossipee Mountains, Red Hill, the Winnipesaukee, Squam, Newfound, Waukewan, Wentworth, and Ossipee Lake Watersheds, and the Pemigewasset and Red Hill River Watersheds.  In addition, they are always busy exploring new land conservation opportunities with landowners and interested community volunteers. 

LRCT utilizes a variety of protection methods to achieve its conservation goals.  Before LRCT approves of a land conservation project, each project is reviewed by LRCT staff and evaluated by LRCT’s Lands Committee to determine whether the proposed project is consistent with LRCT’s conservation priorities. 

1. Land Conservation: the organization works with interested landowners and local volunteers using methods such as conservation easements, direct land donations, and bargain sales to permanently collect land with conservation value. It uses scientific data and mapping techniques, in collaboration with regional partners, to identify priority areas for conservation based upon carefully defined criteria.  

2. Land Stewardship: the organization manages and monitors conserved properties continually through habitat management and trail maintenance, to ensure that the land remains protected and accessible for recreation and wildlife. A series of educational programs is used to promote awareness of the importance of these initiatives.

3. Community Engagement: LRCT offers a wide range of guided programs to connect people with conserved lands and the importance of their initiatives. The role of member support, volunteers, and donors cannot be overstated here.

4. Ongoing Assessment and Planning: the Trust participates in regional conservation planning efforts and updates its own strategies to focus on issues that have been identified as critical to ecological well-being.

5. Long-Term Vision: the aim is for “permanent conservation” of lands, i.e., indefinite protection—using ongoing stewardship and adaptive management.

Moose Mountains Regional Greenways (MMRG) is a nonprofit land trust organization serving nine communities in New Hampshire: Brookfield, Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, Ossipee, Tuftonboro, Wakefield, and Wolfeboro. It was founded by a group of conservation commissioners and planning board members who sought to protect the central Moose Mountains and its surrounding natural resources from despoiling by various forms of development.

The organization has identified five central purposes: 1) permanent conservation of important natural resource areas—including wildlife habitat, forests, farmland, water resources, as well as recreational, cultural, and scenic areas. 2) strategic connection of protected lands into greenways to facilitate wildlife movement and provide recreational trails and open spaces. 3) conservation land stewardship and management to foster a healthy and resilient environment using best practices. 4) education and community engagement—teaching all ages about the natural world and promoting an area where positive elements contribute to the well-being of all. 5) use of sound forest management practices--supporting sustainable forestry and working forests. MMRG has helped to protect over 4800 acres by standing firmly by a set of interrelated actions: stewardships and management, connecting greenways, providing technical assistance, educational programs and events, partnerships, and community building.

Similarly, Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire (SELT) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation and stewardship—primarily serving Rockingham and Strafford counties. Since 1980, SELT has conserved tens of thousands of acres for nature preserves, hiking trails, farmland, and scenic vistas. It accomplishes this through conservation easements, direct land ownership, deed restrictions, managing and stewarding conserved lands, and through education and community engagement.

Without LRCT, MMRG, SELT, and similar organizations, the natural environment of New Hampshire that we dearly love may have been lost to aggressive development long ago.

For additional details about each organization, visit their respective websites at lrct.org, mmrgnh.org, and seltnh.org.