Conservation Easements

A conservation easement is a legally binding agreement between a landowner (the Grantor) and an eligible conservation organization or agency (the Grantee) that permanently restricts future development of a property. Municipalities, land trusts, state agencies, and similar entities can hold conservation easements. See a fact sheet on conservation easements under Supporting Documents.

The holder (Grantee) of a conservation easement is responsible for the annual monitoring, to ensure that the provisions of the conservation easement are being upheld.

The Town of Durham holds several conservation easements:

A few town-owned conservation areas have a conservation easement held by another entity:

  • Oyster River Forest -- easement held by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
  • Thompson Forest -- easement held by the Southeast Land Trust of NH (SELT)
  • Weeks Lot - easement held by the Society for the Protection of NH Forests (SPNHF)

Other conservation organizations and agencies hold conservation easements on private lands throughout Durham. Easement holders include NH Fish and Game, The Nature Conservancy, and the Society for the Protection of NH Forests.