NH’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) Awards Funding to Protect Prominent New Durham and Alton Land
EPPING – This week, Governor Sununu announced $4.3 million in matching grants to support thirty-four land conservation and historic preservation projects across the state by the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). The grants will assist municipalities, non-profit organizations and community groups in rehabilitating 17 historic structures and permanently conserving more than 2,700 acres of farm, timber, and ecologically significant land in all ten counties of the state, including Mount Bet in New Durham and Alton.
SELT (the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire), located in Epping and serving Strafford and Rockingham counties. has received a $300,000 grant award to support the conservation of the 376-acre Mount Bet property. Mt Bet is a prominent peak at 1,158 feet along the northwest shore of Merrymeeting Lake, the sister peak to the adjoining and already conserved Mount Molly. Primarily located in New Durham, Mount Bet provides clean water to Merrymeeting Lake and abuts the 500-acre Collins Family Forest (owned by SELT), providing an opportunity for unified forest management, stunning lake and mountain vistas, and recreation opportunities.
“Since 2018, remarkable progress has been made in the community effort to preserve the scenic, recreational, and water quality value of Merrymeeting Lake,” says Brian Hart, Executive Director of SELT. “Adding Mount Bet to the growing tapestry of conserved lands that protect Merrymeeting represents an incredible opportunity, and we are grateful for LCHIP’s support of this remarkable opportunity.”
LCHIP grant recipients are required to match each dollar contributed by LCHIP with a minimum of one additional dollar, and to complete the funded projects according to the program’s rigorous standards. This year’s awards of $4.3 million will be matched by more than $15 million in funding from other public and private sources, infusing a total of more than nineteen million dollars into the state’s economy in direct project activity. Recipients will be expected to completed the funded work within two years. A list of previously completed LCHIP-funded projects can be found at www.LCHIP.org.
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About New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program
The New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) is an independent state authority created by the legislature in 2000 to ensure the perpetual contribution of natural, cultural and historic resources to the economy, environment, and quality of life in New Hampshire. Since 2000, LCHIP has provided 564 matching grants to municipalities and non-profit organizations, investing over $58 million to help partners conserve more than 236,000 acres of land and rehabilitate 341 historic buildings. Grants have been awarded in all parts of the state and in 195 of New Hampshire’s 234 communities. The money for LCHIP grants comes from a surcharge assessed when recording documents at county Registries of Deeds. For more information about LCHIP, visit LCHIP.org or call (603) 224-4113
About SELT
SELT is a nonprofit land trust with a mission to protect and sustain the significant lands in our communities for clean water, fresh food, outdoor recreation, healthy forests, and wildlife. Since 1980, the Southeast Land Trust has worked in 52 communities of southeastern New Hampshire to conserve more than 25,000 acres of land through conservation agreements and ownerships. SELT is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. For more information, visit seltnh.org.