Programs:
The Lakes Region Conservation Trust is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the permanent protection, stewardship, and respectful use of lands that define the character of the Lakes Region and its quality of life. In pursuit of its mission, LRCT works to acquire title to, or conservation easements on, properties with significant conservation value and stewards these lands to ensure their protection in perpetuity. LRCT also works, where feasible, to assist other organizations in the region that are engaged in their own land conservation activities.
LRCT believes that its work helps to preserve the qualities that make the Lakes Region a desirable place in which to live, work, recreate, and own property, and that through the acquisition of land and conservation easements and the faithful stewardship of protected land, a land trust can have a profoundly beneficial effect on the landscape of its region, on the wildlife and clean water resources of a place, and on the well-being of the people who work, grow, and sojourn on the land they love. We believe that the work we do today has great value for the present and leaves an extraordinary legacy for future generations.
Land Conservation: Since its founding, the Lakes Region Conservation Trust has protected more than 20,000 acres of conservation land in the region, in a total of 107 properties. The protected lands owned in fee simple by LRCT total 15,901 acres; the remaining land is protected via conservation easement, executory conservation easement, or other means.
LRCT’s conserved lands protect mountain summits and ridgelines, critical habitat for plants and wildlife, including endangered species, productive farm and forest lands, more than 28 miles of undeveloped shorelines, places of historic and cultural significance, and some of the region’s most cherished scenic landscapes. In addition, LRCT-protected properties include more than 75 miles of hiking and cross-country ski trails as well as locations that are or will in the future be utilized as parts of paddle trails.
Among the most notable and popular properties protected by LRCT are the Castle in the Clouds Conservation Area in the Ossipee Mountains; the Burleigh Land LP Property in the Squam Range; Stonedam, Five Mile, Ragged, and Blanchard Islands in Lake Winnipesaukee; the Sewall Woods Conservation Area in Wolfeboro; the Knights Pond Conservation Area in Alton; the Copple Crown Conservation Area in Brookfield; the Red Hill Conservation Area overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake; the Piper Mountain Conservation Area in Gilford; Page and Glory Hills in Hill; the Pine Hill Conservation Area in Moultonborough; and the Dinsmore Mountain Conservation Area in Sandwich Notch.
In pursuing land conservation opportunities, LRCT works with landowners and community volunteers to explore and evaluate conservation options, and we attempt to respond to local conservation and recreation priorities by protecting properties with clear conservation value and demonstrated community support. Gifts of land and conservation easements are the preferred method of land protection; nonetheless, LRCT has had significant experience and success raising funds from sources in and beyond the Lakes Region to support purchases and bargain purchases of key conservation lands.
Land Stewardship: An essential component of LRCT’s land conservation work is the stewardship of the precious lands that the organization has already protected. LRCT’s stewardship responsibilities include monitoring and managing these lands to ensure a balance between public enjoyment and the preservation of these extraordinary natural resources. LRCT puts a high priority on ensuring public access for thoughtful recreation on its properties wherever appropriate and feasible. Our stewardship work in
