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Open Space Priorities PlanOpen Space Priorities Plan won NH Planning/Development Project of the Year Award May 2001 Hanover's Marshall Brook Natural Area, near Goose Pond December 2000 The photographs* in this report demonstrate many kinds of open space in Hanover, and many of the ways in which open spaces are used. Some, but not all, sites are in public ownership. Some, but not all, will remain undeveloped forever without further public or private action. Photographs by Doug Bechtel, Ed Chamberlain, Molly Donovan, Anne Morris, Judith Reeve, Vicki Smith and Susan Young. *Photographs are in the print editions of this report. The report is available at the Hanover Town Hall and at the Howe and Etna Libraries. Photographs will be added to this online version as time permits. The public should make no assumptions, based solely on this report, that lands described or shown are open to public use without the explicit permission of the landowner. It is the intention of the Conservation Commission that acquisition of land for the purposes of implementing this plan be made only from willing sellers. CONSERVATION COMMISSION MEMBERS
Judith Reeve, Chair Michael Mayor Douglas Mcllroy David Minsk Anne Morris Kim Perez Sandy White Edwin Chamberlain OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Denis Keleman, Chair (Nov. 1999-May 2000)
Anne Morris, Chair (June-December 2000) Elaine Bent John Colligan Ed Chamberlain Shawn Donovan Jim Hornig Bob Linck Kitty Murray Judith Reeve Vicki Smith (staff)
II. CONSERVATION/RECREATION ACTION AREAS Open Space Priorities Plan [3] III. IN-TOWN OPEN SPACE ACTION AREAS SUMMARY In its history, opportunities, and quality of life, Hanover, New Hampshire is a very special place. It has been shaped in the historical New England development pattern of small towns surrounded by farms and great expanses of forest. Its landscape is varied and beautiful, and its natural resource base is plentiful. Hanover's traditional land uses are undergoing fundamental and permanent change. Most of the cleared farmland is now abandoned and overgrown. Single and multi-house developments are springing up throughout the rural fields and woods. For most people, income is derived from their land only when it changes hands in the real estate market. The accelerating onrush of land use conversion indicates that there will never again be as many planning options as there are today. Hanover's Planning Board is addressing evolving land use needs through revision of the town's Master Plan, of which open space is a part. Since 1974, a series of public surveys have shown increasing amounts of citizen support for greater municipal open space protection. In 1994, 90% identified "scenery" as a quality they most valued about Hanover, and 84% identified "access to outdoor recreation" and "uncrowded living spaces". In 1999, in a survey of rural residents, 90% agreed or strongly agreed that maintaining open space is important, and 81% felt that Hanover should do more to protect it. (See Appendix V.) In commenting on an early draft of this report, officials of Dartmouth College (the town's largest employer and landowner) affirmed their long-standing commitment to preserving Hanover as a community, and to the value of open space in the community. While many public entities and private landowners have established varying degrees of open space protection on individual pieces of land in Hanover, there has never been an integrated, town-wide open space plan for the future. In 1999 residents at Town Meeting voted to consolidate several municipal funds into a single Conservation Fund for the purpose of open space protection. A condition of municipal acquisition of lands or easements with Conservation Fund moneys is that it be done within the parameters of an open space plan. Another benefit of the plan may be the encouragement of donations or placement of conservation easements on additional private property as landowners see their action as contributing to a comprehensive multi-purpose municipal system rather than solely as isolated, albeit heart-felt efforts. A committee appointed by and working under the auspices of the Conservation Commission began deliberations in November 1999. It identified goals for the open space plan, criteria by which to evaluate important areas, actions by which to achieve the goals of the plan, and techniques by which those actions might be accomplished. Specific areas were designated for open space protection. It is the intention of the Conservation Commission that acquisition or protection of land for the purposes of implementing this plan be accomplished only in cooperation with willing landowners. The plan is ambitious in its multiple goals and impact on the landscape. Its implementation will require many years. It encourages use of all available techniques for land protection, including but by no means limited to expenditure of public funds. Establishment of conservation easements by individual landowners, and several other methods are available to accomplish the end result - a system of lands that permanently protects the natural resources, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, traditional landscapes and scenic treasures of Hanover. GOALS OF THE PLAN The general goals of Hanover's open space plan are: · To promote the conservation, protection and sound management of the natural resource base; · To protect and enhance the ecological integrity of the town's diverse natural communities and wildlife habitats; · To sustain the scenic quality and visual character of the town; · To maintain and expand landscape-based recreational and educational opportunities; · To protect the town's historic sites and cultural landscapes; and · To protect in-town open spaces. OPEN SPACE ACTION AREAS To fulfill these goals, two categories have been established, embracing a total of twelve significant areas. One category, consisting of rural lands, serves conservation and/or recreation needs. The second is focused on in-town uses. Between the two, and serving to link them, are the forested hillsides that form a tree-covered backdrop to the in-town portion of Hanover. Areas contain anywhere from one lot to many parcels with many landowners. Practicality dictates that protection of parcels be accomplished both strategically and opportunistically - when individual owners express interest - in the assumption that, over time, a whole, linked open space system will take shape. CONSERVATION/RECREATION AREAS
Appalachian Trail Buffers Connecticut River Shoreline King Hill Connections Lord's Hill Lyme Connection Mink Brook Corridor Monahan Valley Moose Mountain East Moose Mountain West Slade Brook Water Company Land IN-TOWN AREAS RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations leading to permanent open space protection are given in four sections: General, Use of the Conservation Fund, Conservation/Recreation Areas, and In-town Areas. The recommendations, which are not exhaustive, should be reviewed and augmented from time to time in the context of the stated goals of the plan and the protection purposes defined for each area. OPEN SPACE PROTECTION AND FINANCING OPTIONS Application of public and private easements, outright gifts or donations, and purchase may establish open space protection. Other options for implementing the recommendations, and methods of financing costs, are also detailed.Although there are significant exceptions, in-town areas are typically small, single lots. As there are very few, all that become available for open space action are considered to be important. PURPOSE, DEFINITIONS AND GOALS The Open Space Priorities Plan has been prepared to guide the protection of Hanover's significant open spaces, in the belief that a rational open space system is fundamental to maintaining and enhancing the character of the town as it grows. The purposes of this open space plan are: · To provide meaningful input for the town Master Plan; · To encourage and guide land-protection actions by individuals, and by nonprofit organizations such as the Upper Valley Land Trust and the Hanover Conservation Council; and · To ensure thoughtful expenditure of public moneys, particularly the town's Conservation Fund, and to leverage additional money from other sources for implementation of the plan. There are many techniques available for both public and private entities to implement the Open Space Priorities Plan, one parcel at a time, over the next several decades. Whether this is accomplished through donation, purchase, easement, transfer of development rights, or other methods, each donor or purchaser will be assured that his/her land fits into the whole open space plan, and thus contributes significantly to sustaining Hanover's high quality of life. During the past 25 years, Hanover residents have repeatedly expressed strong support of municipal open space protection (see Appendix III). Voters took a further step by approving establishment of a Conservation Fund, authorized by RSA 36A:5.1, at the 1999 Town Meeting. The Conservation Commission controls the use of the Conservation Fund, within parameters established by statute, including educational purposes; maintenance and management of town lands; and acquisition of property, interests in property, or options on property. Acquisitions require Select Board approval under the conditions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Select Board and the Conservation Commission. The MOU is reviewed and renewed annually. The MOU also requires the creation of an Open Space Priorities Plan to identify lands for potential full- or partial-interest acquisition using the Conservation Fund, and to define the criteria by which the lands' resource characteristics and uses should be evaluated. This document fulfills that requirement. The Conservation Fund is augmented each year through appropriations from the Land Use Change Tax, timber sales from town lands, and environmental fines and penalties. Additional funds may be sought from foundations, government agencies, donors, and other sources. The Conservation Fund might also be used to match dollars from state and federal conservation programs. The goals of the Open Space Priorities Plan, and the criteria to be applied to potential acquisitions, have been selected in the belief that they will serve the needs of Hanover far into the future. Nevertheless, the plan should be reviewed regularly as progress is made in building a cohesive system of open spaces, as development and open space needs evolve, and as new information becomes available. DEFINITIONS For the purposes of this report, there are two types of open space in Hanover - "conservation/recreation open spaces" and "in-town open spaces". Either type may be owned publicly or privately. Conservation/recreation open space lands typically have no buildings or other complex man-made structures in current service. The lands may be in their natural state to serve important environmental and/or aesthetic functions, or they may be used for agriculture, forestry and/or outdoor recreation. Either way, they ensure the continued functioning of the natural infrastructure and the recreation resources that are essential to sustaining Hanover's outstanding quality of life. In-town open spaces are immediately accessible to people in Hanover's densest population center, are generally smaller in size, and typically have more obviously focused uses. Nevertheless, they also serve to protect conservation, scenic, and other important features of the landscape. Open spaces of either type may have historic structures or have supported former uses that are important elements of Hanover's heritage. The existing pattern of open spaces between structures and between settlements, developed over time, is a key element in defining the small-town/rural character of Hanover. Size is not considered to be a limiting factor for open space, nor is public ownership a necessity. Protection in the public interest does not require public access to open space lands. Indeed, public access might be incompatible with other open space uses such as wildlife habitat, fragile plant and animal communities, flood control, or water supply. Also, public access might be incompatible with an individual property owner's right to privacy. GOALS The general goals of this open space plan for Hanover, serving both conservation/recreation and in-town needs, are: · To promote the conservation, protection and sound management of the natural resource base; · To protect and enhance the ecological integrity of the town's diverse natural communities and wildlife habitats; · To sustain the scenic quality and visual character of the town; · To maintain and expand landscape-based recreational and educational opportunities; · To protect the town's historic sites and cultural landscapes; and · To protect in-town open spaces.
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