A Conservation Easements is a legally binding agreement between a landowner and a conservation organization, federal agency or town that restricts use of the land to protect its significant natural features.
You can read more about the details of Conservation Easements in Conserving Your Land, a guide for landowners, conservation commissions, citizens, and others interested in learning about land conservation options and techniques.
Conservation Easement Training Series 2025
Conservation easements can be difficult to read, confusing and challenging for communities to effectively manage. Join UNH Extension and the NH Association of Conservation Commissions for a series of trainings designed to demystify conservation easements and improve volunteer field skills. These programs are designed for volunteer easements monitors and members of committees that steward conservation easements. Participants can attend any or all of the workshops below, click on each one for more information.
Conservation Easements are detailed legal documents that can be tricky to read and understand. Join Barbara (NHACC), Emma (UNH Extension) and Sara (UNH Extension) for an online training on the basics of conservation easements. Barbara, Emma and Sara will help decipher the structure and jargon of a conservation easement and walk through the essential sections for effective easement monitoring. This program is designed for conservation commissioners or land trust volunteers who would like to learn the basics of conservation easement deeds.
This event will take place online on zoom and will be recorded. The link will be sent to participants after registration.
Cost: FREE
Are you looking to improve your map and compass skills for conservation easement monitoring? Join Emma, Charlotte and Sara from UNH Extension for an introduction to the basics about maps, compasses and how to use them to navigate. We’ll spend a few hours indoors learning before heading outside to put our new skills to the test. Perfect for conservation commissioners or land trust volunteers.
This workshop will take place at the McLane Audubon Center. We will spend the first half of the workshop (~2.5 hours) inside and the later half outside. The outside time will include time in the foods, off trail, and on uneven terrain.
Cost: $25
A fee is charged for this Extension program to cover costs. A limited number of scholarships are available to individuals unable to pay, please contact Charlotte for more information.
Are you a volunteer responsible for monitoring conservation easements for your town? Come learn the who, what, when and hows of easement monitoring from Charlotte, Emma and Sara from UNH Extension. This online training builds from the Conservation Easement 101 workshop and covers the basics of monitoring conservation easements. There are options field sessions for attendees to practice the skills learned, see the details below.
This event will take place online on zoom and will be recorded. The link will be sent to participants after registration.
Cost: $20, includes optional field sessions (see below)
A fee is charged for this Extension program to cover costs. A limited number of scholarships are available to individuals unable to pay, please contact Charlotte for more information.
Optional Field Sessions: must attend/watch Easement Monitoring online session
(click on each one for full event details)
- Friday, June 6 | 12:30 - 4:00 pm | Rumney, NH
- Saturday, June 14 | 10:30 am - 2:00 pm | Marlborough, NH
- Friday, June 20 | 12:30 - 4:00 pm | Deerfield, NH
Conservation Easement Resources for Communities
Many towns in NH hold Conservation Easements on land in their community, or partner with conservation organizations to manage easements. Below are resources for community volunteers related to managing, monitoring and understanding Conservation Easements:
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How to Monitor Conservation Easements: Training Guide - A publication from Nature Groupie that details how to read a conservation easement deed, best practices for monitoring conservation easements, and includes a sample monitoring form
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Puzzled by Survey Maps VIDEO - a short (1 minute) overview of the different major parts of a survey map
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Outdoor Skills for Conservation Volunteers: Training Guide - A publication from Nature Groupie that includes details on reading survey maps, using a compass and topographic map and safety considerations for outdoor volunteers
