Land Conservation Fund

By, Judy Ryerson - Lakes Region Conservation Trust

Representatives of the Lakes Region Conservation Trust (LRCT) presented an early Valentine's Day gift to the Town of Sanbornton at the regular meeting of its Conservation Commission on Feb. 11. The Trust, with more than 40 years of experience in land conservation and stewardship, and the Grappone Automotive Group of Bow, New Hampshire, which gives five percent of its annual profits to non-profit organizations, have established the Sanbornton Land Conservation Fund to facilitate and support land conservation in Sanbornton. Brad Crosby, Chairman of the Conservation Commission, thanked the Trust and Grappone for this generous gift and expressed the Conservation Commission's enthusiasm for working with the LRCT to identify worthy conservation projects. 

This all began with a run along a country road. Amanda Grappone Osmer, a fourth-generation owner/manager of the Grappone Automotive Group, had recently moved with her family to Sanbornton and knew little about the town; but she is a runner. In August she began running the roads of her new own and became intrigued. She decided to run all the roads in town. When she finished in November, she knew her new town well and agreed with the town's vision statement that it had extraordinary values of rural character and heritage. She imagined that 100 years ago the town looked much as it does today. She began to look for ways to help the town achieve its vision of retaining that character and of supporting farming and forestry. Her search led her to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust. 

LRCT, with 28,000 acres of conserved land in 23 communities in the Lakes Region, holds no properties in Sanbornton. The Trust was eager to work with Mrs. Osmer and ultimately with the Town of Sanbornton, to change that and to make the joint vision come true.

The Fund, to be managed by LRCT, can provide financial support for conservation of land entirely or partly within Sanbornton, undertaken by LRCT or by another land conservation organization. It can be used toward the purchase price or for necessary transaction costs, such as title search and legal services, environmental reviews, surveys and appraisals—costs that are typically difficult to cover. The Fund welcomes new contributions, tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, and can be from individuals, foundations, or grant programs. 

Asked if she would be involved personally with the management of the Fund, Mrs. Osmer said she didn't expect to be: "I trust the team at LRCT to manage the funds with the same commitment to excellence that they demonstrate in all their work. I'm excited to be working with them." 

To learn more about the Sanbornton Land Conservation Fund, or the work of the LRCT, visit the website at LRCT.org or call 253-3301. Checks for the Fund may be mailed to LRCT, PO Box 766, Center Harbor, NH 03226. Please include "Sanbornton" on the memo line.