This property has a conservation easement.
In fact, approximatley 1000 acres on this road have conservation easements.
This is an especially beautiful and much loved part of the White Mountains and many land owners have strived to protect the area
so it will retain its unique character forever!
What is a conservation easement?
In general, it is a legal agreement that protects some feature(s) of a parcel of land.
The restrictions apply not just to the current landower, but are "forever".
They often can be modified, but just to further enhance the restrictions.
Conservation easements can be specified to achieve the landowner's long term goals -
as long as an exisitng organization will agree to the terms of the agreement and monitor compliance with the easement.
The easement on this property is held by the Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF).
They were willing to accept the responsibility of monitoring the easement because it forever protects a wonderful esker.
This gravel ridge was left by a glacier about 13,000 years ago. New Hampshire used to have many eskers,
but too many have been used for road construction. In addition to the esker, there other artifacts on the property that were sculpted by the glacier.
It still gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to realize I have protect this land from major modifications.
Does the conservation easement effect the value of the property?
That is for a prospective landowner to determine! On the one hand,
the land cannot be converted into a housing development. On the other hand,
neither can the land of many of our neighbors, and we love living in an area where nature is so highly valued.
Where the house sits and 2+ acres around the house are not restricted by the easement. *
The specifics of the easement for the rest of the property are as follows:
The large esker (yes there are also smaller ones) cannot be excavated for gravel, even if that gravel remains on the property.
Other gravel sources can be used on the property, but not hauled off the property.
Structures cannot be built on the easement property unless they are for an agriculture or timbering purpose.
Farming is allowed. In fact, acres could be cleared for fields if so desired - as long as the esthetic value of the property is not jeopordized.
Logging and timbering is allowed, whether it be for sale or private use - as long as accepted good forestry practices are followed.
The land cannot be subdivided.
The landowner determines whether or not the public is allowed access to the property.
The current landowner allows snowmobiles and hikers to uses a specific trail, but does not allow access by other motorized vehicles.
Future landowners can make their own decisions about public access.
Before reading the actual conservation easement, it is helpful to understand a little history about this property.
It was created by dividing a 150 acre property into two parcels: 60 acres and 90 acres.
The original 150 acres had a conservation easement that is almost identical to the one that is on the 60 acre and 90 acre new parcels,
except the 150 acres easement allowed a limited subdivision and the 60 acre and 90 acre parcels cannot be subdivided further.
The original easement on the 150 acres can be read by accessing the following links: Page 1,
page 2,
page 3,
page 4,
page 5,
page 6,
page 7,
page 8,
page 9,
page 10,
page 11.
