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Gaining Ground

New Hampshire

1,285,373

Acres Protected

That’s about 973,767 football fields!

Land trusts have already conserved 61 million acres of private land across the nation — more than all of the national parks combined. Help us conserve another 60 million acres by the end of the decade.

Together, let’s keep Gaining Ground.

Visitors to Land Trust Properties

557,782

Visitors in 2020, more than triple that of 2015.

Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

91%

Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

Number of People Served

20,847

Land trusts provide programs and activities to get people outside and learn about the land.

Miles of Trails

585

Walking, hiking and other outdoor recreation improve people's health and well-being.

Miles With Universal Access

9

Universal access trails are designed to be used by all people, regardless of ability.

Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Community Engagement in the Last Five Years

79%

Land Trusts Are Deepening Relationships With:

  • People from various racial and ethnic backgrounds

  • Older adults or those living in retirement communities

  • People who identify as LGBTQ+

  • People living with disabilities

  • Veterans

Land Trusts Are Helping Address Community Needs, Including:

  • Youth education and development

  • Community and economic development

  • Food security and agriculture

  • Health and wellness

  • Social and environmental justice

Demographics

Every land trust is as unique as the community it serves.

New Hampshire land trusts are community-led and supported and protect lands and waters that help the entire state.

Active Land Trusts

28

A land trust is a nonprofit that conserves land by acquiring and stewarding land or conservation easements.

Learn more about land trusts
Alliance Member Land Trusts

22

Land Trust Alliance members commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

Learn about the land trust alliance
Accredited Land Trusts

12

Accredited land trusts undergo a thorough review of their practices in governance, finance, transactions and stewardship.

Learn about land trust accreditation

People

  • Members/financial supporters

    21,770

  • Volunteers

    1,584

  • Full-time staff

    95

  • Part-time staff

    42

  • Board members

    292

Land Trust Longevity

  • Oldest

    121 years old (1901)

  • Youngest

    18 years old (2004)

  • Median age

    36 years old

Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Focus on Climate Change in the Last Five Years

93%

Percent of Land Trusts Receiving Funding to Address Climate Change

21%

Land Protected

There has been a 71% increase in New Hampshire land protected by land trusts since 2010.

Acre by acre, land trusts are helping to conserve New Hampshire lands, waters and ways of life.

2010
2015
2020
Total acres protected
753,713
783,021
1,285,373
+71%
Under easement
235,042
263,095
340,578
+45%
Owned
139,938
159,836
183,146
+31%
Acquired and reconveyed
298,608
299,748
251,593
0%
Protected by other means
80,125
85,120
510,057
+537%

Disclaimer: Land trusts conserve land in many different ways and every project is unique. Category totals may change depending on how acres are reported by survey respondents to reflect the most current data and minimize double-counting. In some instances, the total may be greater than the sum of the separate categories due to organizations that provided total acres not broken down by category.

Percent of Land Owned and Under Easement Held by an Accredited Land Trust

87%

Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

$267 million

Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

10,200

Source: NRCS - Natural Resources Inventory

This information reflects data collected in the National Land Trust Census, the longest-running comprehensive survey of private land conservation in America. Learn more about the Census and see which land trusts participated in the 2020 National Land Trust Census.

Making a Difference

New Hampshire land trusts are gaining ground.

Land trusts across the state are helping find solutions to some of New Hampshire's most pressing issues.

  • Saving family farms: The accredited Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire worked with the Scruton family to protect Scruton’s Dairy, an iconic dairy farm in Farmington and one of the last vestiges of the booming dairy farm economy that had commanded so much of rural New Hampshire in the 20th century.

    Read more

  • Conserving wildlife habitat: The accredited Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests worked with a local family to protect more than 520 acres with conservation easements that allow the family to continue harvesting timber for its family owned and operated sawmill while guaranteeing that the land remains undeveloped and open to the public. These protected areas are home to diverse wildlife, such as songbirds, amphibians, deer, moose and bears. By ensuring that the lands remain intact, the easements help to safeguard the wildlife’s habitat.

    Read more

  • Providing access to land for all: The Monadnock Conservancy manages the Chamberlain Conservation Area in Fitzwilliam. Outdoor enthusiasts can easily walk, roll or ride to the heart of the conservation area. Improvements to the rail trail and the peninsula spur gives pedestrians, wheelchairs, strollers and bikes a place to go that is nearly 1.5 miles round-trip.

    Read more

Land Trusts Working in New Hampshire

Land Trust Alliance member land trusts, listed below, commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.