Building a Conservation Inventory

New Hampshire is rapidly changing and so is the rural character of our towns. A major topic of concern facing NH is how to prevent sprawling development and preserve some of our “Open Space” and “Natural Resource”. In Sandown, this issue was discussed during the Community Profile Project held last September, as well as noted strongly in the Town of Sandown Master Plan , last updated in 1995.

In an effort to keep pace with development, the Sandown Conservation Commission has made “Open Space” preservation a top priority in 2004. This document should help inform the voters of Sandown and explain why the Conservation Commission has placed, Articles 32 – 43, on the 2004 Town Warrant to designate some “Town Owned” parcels of land into “ Town Owned Conservation Land ”. If passed by the voters, these Warrant Articles will have (0) Zero impact on our property taxes, in fact, some studies show that “Open Space” can actually hedge against future tax increases. Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions.

Q. If the town owns this land already, isn't that enough to keep them as “Open Space”?

A. No, not at all, these parcels are subject to development just as any other land. It depends on the discretion of the Board of Selectmen.

In fact, recently a developer brought a proposal to the Police Chief and to the Selectmen, to trade a “Town Owned” 82-Acre parcel of open land for one of his 2-acre parcels and a new Police Station building for the town. Thankfully, the Selectmen did not accept this offer but in the future what if another Board of Selectmen should think differently and choose to explore these offers from developers and others.

Q. What does “ Conservation Land ” mean?

A. The term “Conservation” simply means that the Conservation Commission would take jurisdiction and management of these town owned parcels pursuant to RSA 36-A:4 . Therefore, these parcels could not, be given up, traded or sold by any future Board of Selectmen, without a “Town Meeting Vote” of the people as pursuant to RSA 41:11-a .

Q. Is this all of the land that the town owns?

A. No, The town owns about 400 acres and these parcels represent about half.

Q. Does Sandown have any “ Conservation Land ” now?

A. Yes, Sandown has about 4% of its total land mass in “Conservation” while 70% of the town is still undeveloped. To put this number in prospective, New York City has about 26% of its land mass in “Conservation”.

Q. Why these parcels of land?

A. From October to December 2003, the Sandown Conservation Commission completed an inventory of land listed as “Town Owned” or land that had “Conservation Restrictions”. The results of the inventory showed that Sandown has very little “Conservation” land however we did have some “Town Owned” land that had the potential of being designated as “Conservation”.

The Conservation Commission reviewed between 20 and 30 parcels, narrowed down the list and at a meeting held on December 8, 2003 submitted 12 “Land Grant” Warrant Articles to the Sandown Board of Selectmen for their review and recommendations. The Selectmen voted unanimously to “Recommend” that the voters of Sandown pass these Articles now so numbered, Warrant Articles 32 – 43.

Q. Why aren't the two Town Forests on the Articles?

A. The two Town Forests, Seeley and Fremont Road, are already designated as “Conservation” by virtue of the designation of “Town Forest” and management and jurisdiction already fall under the Conservation Commission pursuant to RSA 31:112 II and cannot be sold pursuant to the same laws as above, RSA 41:11-a .

Q. Why do we need the Conservation Commission to “Manage and Control” these parcels?

A. By placing jurisdiction and management of these parcels under the Conservation Commission will allow the commission to oversee any activity on these parcel, conduct studies as to the “Best Uses” of these parcels and enhance our quality of life by preserving these parcels as “Open Space”.

Q. What does the term “Best Uses”? Can we still use this "Conservation" land?

A. “Conservation” does not mean that activity is prohibited on this land, quite the contrary. The Commission wants to provide appropriate access to some of the hidden gems in town as well as recommend best uses of these parcels, which may include recreation, trails, agriculture and or forestry. This method simply creates a “stop-gap” to any proposed “Municipal Development” such as in the Police Station example.

Q. Is the Conservation Commission trying to stop development?

A. No, you cannot and should not try to stop development. However, there are several ways to ensure that we preserve some of our “Natural Resources” and “Open Space” with proper planning and communication with the developers.

We should try to prevent sprawling developments or unnecessary consumption of “Open Space” but that will take efforts on several fronts. The Planning Board is actively updating the Town's Master Plan which is one tool used to prevent such unplanned sprawl.

Q. How much “Open Space” do we need?

A. The long-range goal of the Conservation Commission is to preserve about 25% of the “Open Space” in town but that number may not be realistic. It will depend largely on the wishes of the people of Sandown, the success of the Conservation Commission as well as the efforts of the Planning Board.

Through proper planning and communication with the Selectmen and the Planning Board, the Conservation Commission can build our inventory of “ Conservation Land ” through a variety of ways: purchasing conservation easements, asking builders for set-a-sides, outright purchasing land and soliciting land and easement donations.

Passage of these and other Warrant Articles submitted by The Sandown Conservation Commission is the first step to reaching our long-range goals but the Commission cannot do this alone. The Conservation Commission urges the voters to support Warrant Articles 32 – 43, submitted by the Commission at the Town Meeting Deliberative Session on February 7, 2004 and again at the Town Meeting Elections on March 9, 2004 .

If you would like more information on the efforts of the Conservation Commission, or if you'd like to volunteer on some of our currant and future projects, contact the commission at comments@sandowncc.org or call 887-3646.