The Conservation Trust Fund

The CTF has helped to conserved hundreds of acres of valuable farm, forest and recreation land in Hartland. The Commission has worked with local land trusts to respond to requests from people in our town who want to conserve their lands, including projects such as the Lamb Farm, LeMax Farm, Jersey Farm and Green Acres Farm.

Typically these projects are funded through federal and state grants and a 20% local cash match is required. With land prices as they are and with most landowners needing a decent return on their conservation project, this local match can be significant – for example $40,000 on a $200,000 project.  It is up to the town to raise those local matches, and it is a role that is becoming more and more important for the Conservation Commission. Both our bylaws and the Town Plan direct us to serve this important function for our Town’s residents. 

Distributions from the Conservation Trust Fund are guided by our Land Conservation Policy:

Land Conservation Policy (created 1998)

The following criteria are used as a guide by members of the Hartland Conservation Commission (HCC) in determining the feasibility of acquiring properties from willing sellers/donors for the Town of Hartland.  These criteria are designed to address the Hartland Conservation Commissions’ bylaws that directly relate to acquisition or land preservation and to guide the expenditure of funds from the Conservation Trust Fund.

The Hartland Conservation Commission Bylaws that are supported by this Land Conservation Policy are:

Purpose 1a:  To assist in the planning and preservation of the Town’s natural and social resources for the continuing benefit of the Townspeople;

Purpose 1b:  To acquire property interest to protect and preserve the Town’s natural and social resources;

Purpose 1c:  To protect watersheds;

Also from our Bylaws, regarding the role of the Conservation Commission:

Acquires rights-of-way or other limited easements in land were the property remains in private ownership but where negotiation with the owner can provide selective public benefits such as a trail corridor, fishing access, or protection of critical habitat.

Acquires conservation easements on larger tracts where forest production, agricultural production, wildlife habitat, scenic views or other important public values may be threatened over the long run by significant development, fragmentation, or other pressures.

The above approach will result in a recommendation to the town Selectboard, and the Town of Hartland would become the property holder in any property title or interest; property titles will not be held by the HCC.

Section 7: Conservation Trust Fund:  The Fund was established to support the Commission’s purpose of “planning and preservation of the Town’s natural and cultural resources for the continuing benefit of the townspeople.” The Commission can receive grants and gifts into the fund from private, state, or federal resources.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

To qualify for selection, the project must protect one or more of the following:

•           Contains or protects endangered, threatened or rare species;

•           Contains or protects natural wildlife habitat, ecosystems or unique natural features;

•           Contains or protects natural features of educational or scientific value;

•           Contains or protects access for appropriate recreation, i.e. swimming, fishing, nature study, paddle-craft, or camping;

•           Protects scenic views;

•           Has historic or archaeological value:

•           Contains unique or outstanding physiographic characteristics such an unique geological features and land forms;

•           Protects wetlands;

•           Protects important forest lands;

•           Protects agricultural lands;

•           Protects riparian lands;

•           Is a category of lands that can generate additional revenue or serve as trade lands for conservation purposes.

 

CONSIDERATIONS FOR EVALUATING PROJECTS

A project may meet the selection criteria favoring protection and still may not be accepted if one or more of the following considerations apply:

•           Recreational goals conflict with endangered, threatened or rare species protection;

•           The property is of sufficient size that its conservation resources are likely to remain intact even if adjacent properties are developed;

•           The proposed land protection is part of a development proposal which, overall, is likely to have significant adverse impacts on conservation resources of the town;

•           Adjacent properties are being, or are likely to be, developed in a manner that would significantly diminish the conservation values of the property in question;

•           There is reason to believe that the land/easement would be unusually difficult to manage/enforce, for example, because of multiple or fractured ownership, frequent incidence of destruction trespassing, fencing restrictions, irregular configuration, etc.

•           The landowner insists on provisions in the conservation easement that the HCC believes would seriously diminish the property’s primary conservation values or the HCC or project partner’s ability to enforce the easement;

•           The property is contaminated and remediation would be prohibitively expensive;

•           Ethical or public image problems are associated with the acceptance of the project.

 

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

•           The property is threatened with imminent development.

•           The intensity of development around the project is great.

•           Consideration of potential impacts and benefits of conservation on local and regional economies.

•           Cost of the proposal is relative to the funds available from the Conservation Fund and other available funding resources and considers the necessity of including costs of future public land management in the assessment of overall costs of acquisition.

•           The extent of existing protection for the property.

•           Sets an important precedent for resources open space protection in a targeted area.