A Promise for People and Nature

BIRCH RIDGE C OM M U N IT Y FOREST

Birch Ridge Community Forest in New Durham, a joint project with Merrymeeting Lake Association and Moose Mountains Regional Greenways, protects clean water and wildlife habitat while providing excellent opportunities for outdoor recreation throughout the year. Fundraising was completed in 2018 and the project is expected to close in 2019. Learn more on page 6. BIRCH RIDGE COMMUNITY FOREST PHOTO CREDITS: ABOVE, JERRY MONKMAN/ECOPHOTOGRAPHY, LLC; BELOW, DUANE HYDE

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Dear SELTies,

There’s nothing like the process of assembling our Annual Report each year. With every turn of the page, the depth of your support is made clear in the successes we share and the celebrations we enjoy. We thank you deeply and sincerely.

Looking back on the year 2018, if you walk away remembering three achievements made possible by your support, we hope they are these:

In 2014, SELT’s Board sought to double the amount of land we protect each year. Back then, we conserved about 700 acres per year. We’re delighted to report SELT has reached this goal every year since 2015, conserving an average of more than 1,800 acres annually.

To put it another way, by the end of 2019, we will have conserved 9,000 additional acres in just four years. As a result, SELT has reached a new threshold of impact: 20,000 acres conserved land across the 52 communities we serve.

Second, with your help, SELT is managing even more land for your enjoyment, while improving habitat for wildlife and preserving precious resources like drinking water. Over the past year, our Stewardship Department has been preparing to fully open Barrington’s Stonehouse Forest. Currently our largest reservation at 1,500 acres, the property requires careful planning to protect vulnerable habitat while allowing compatible uses – from hunting and fishing to mountain biking, horseback riding, and nature observation.

Third, your continued support ensures the promise of conservation is kept. For the eleventh year in a row, we fully monitored our more than 200 easements. It is only by visiting every year, developing relationships with landowners, and becoming a partner in each property’s stewardship that SELT can be certain their conservation purposes remain healthy and protected – just as we promised when we initially protected the land.

None of this would be possible without your enduring support and our successes belong to you. We greatly look forward to another year of protecting and sustaining our region’s significant lands for clean water, outdoor recreation, fresh food, wildlife, and healthy forests.

Our deepest gratitude,

Cover: SELT volunteer, Laurel Lent, and her granddaughter explore Burley Farms in Epping during TrailFest 2018. PHOTO CREDIT: JOSH LENT

Sam Reid Brian Hart PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OUR SUCCESS

Belongs to You

CHESLEY MOUNTAIN FARM (ABOVE AND RIGHT), PHOTO CREDIT: JEN PRIBBLE. BODWELL FARM (LEFT), PHOTO CREDIT: JEREMY LOUGEE

CHESLEY MOU N TAIN FAR M

Bob Hills is getting back into the dairy business, raising five Jersey heifers on his small start-up dairy fittingly named Chesley Mountain Farm. Decades after his career took him away from his family’s dairy farm, he began to look for suitable farmland across the Seacoast and beyond. His goal was to focus on producing quality milk, high in butterfat, for local cheesemakers.

According to Bob, “Forty to 50 acres of good fields just doesn’t exist anymore. In the 1970s there was a lot of land, especially in Dover. Today, there’s nothing at all.”

It took five years to find a property that met his needs and price. Bob hopes the decision to conserve his land offers farmers of the future a better chance of finding quality agricultural land in southern New Hampshire.

Farmland for the Future

20 1 8 ACH IEVEMENTS

212 acres Bodwell Farm, Phase 2, Kensington

52 acres Chesley Mountain Farm, Farmington

70 acres Kaczmarek Easements, Kensington

I want to see this land stay as a farm for future generations and not be developed.

—BOB HILLS

Above: Duane Hyde, Land Conservation Director, gives a tour of Birch Ridge Community Forest from the waters of Merrymeeting Lake. Left: Moose in the beaver pond.BIRCH RIDGE COMMUNITY FOREST PHOTO CREDITS: JERRY MONKMAN/ECOPHOTOGRAPHY, LLC

Living Landscapes

BIRCH RIDGE C OM M U N IT Y FOREST

Fresh water filters through the forest of Birch Ridge to streams and ponds, then draining into the pristine Merrymeeting Lake in New Durham. Wildlife from moose to ruffed grouse and salamanders thrive in this undeveloped land. A view of Birch Ridge from the lake shows an aggressive timber harvest that has scarred the 2,000-acre landscape. But, even by the end of summer, new growth promises a forest will return once again.

Birch Ridge has long been a local and regional priority to protect for clean water, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Traversing the land, 13 miles of trails and corridor 22 offer access for hikers, cross country skiers, snowmobilers, birders, and hunters to experience and care for the land. This community of year-round and seasonal residents came together with the Partnership for Birch Ridge (SELT, Moose Mountains Regional Greenways and the Merrymeeting Lake Association) to secure funds to protect the land and create a community forest.1

1 Fundraising (private and public) was complete by the end of 2018. The sale of Birch Ridge to SELT is anticipated in the summer of 2019. The easement will be held by Moose Mountains Regional Greenways.

It’s wildly uncommon to find thousand-acre properties with a single private owner in New Hampshire. In fact, it’s so rare, that it’s been called an opportunity of a lifetime.

—MARK SULLIVAN, NEW DURHAM

20 1 8 ACH IEVEMENTS

105.3 acres Primack Life Estate Addition to Pawtuckaway River Reservation, Epping

12 acres Addition to Two Rivers Wildlife Preserve, Epping

66 acres Emerson Conservation Easement Transfer, Candia

121.22 acres LER Wetlands Reserve Program Easement Assist, Danville

124.04 acres Lewis Conservation Easement, Candia

347.33 acres Salem Town Forest Conservation Easement, Salem

48.9 acres Waste Management of NH #2 Conservation Easement, Rochester

OLSON EASEM EN T

Clean water starts here, tucked away in a quiet corner of Madbury, nestled along the banks of the Bellamy Reservoir. This land is owned by Dave Olson, a scientist by training and a steward of this place since 1974. Dave delights in sharing his land with people who want to access and experience the Bellamy.

Through his conservation easement, Olson is doing more than protecting his land and

20 1 8 ACH IEVEMENTS

157.57 acres Berry Brook Forest, Farmington City of Rochester public water supply

40.2 acres Langley & Kennard Forest, Lee University of New Hampshire and Town of Durham public water supply

70.76 acres Olson Easement, Madbury City of Portsmouth public water supply

guaranteeing public access. He’s protecting water quality for Portsmouth residents, for whom the reservoir is a primary water source.

And by partnering with the City of Portsmouth, SELT lends its expertise for a critical community need – clean water at the tap – at a time of growing concern about drinking water contamination.

Clean Drinking Water

OLSON EASEMENT PHOTO CREDITS: JERRY MONKMAN/ECOPHOTOGRAPHY, LLC

The reservoir isn’t a shoreline dotted with houses and docks. It’s wild. People get a chance to see beautiful wild landscapes, to catch fish, to hunt, to see a lot of different wildlife.

— DAVE OLSON

Above: Archaeology field trip at Stonehouse Forest in Barrington. PHOTO CREDIT: KATE WILCOX

Right: NEMO Equipment staff pictured on the trail bridge they built during a volunteer workday. PHOTO CREDIT: WILLIAM KRAMER, NEMO ART DIRECTOR

ENGAGING PEOP LE ON THE LA ND

We continue to get people outside and onto our properties in ways that are meaningful and engaging. In 2018, staff and volunteers hosted 39 outreach events, including 22 field trips, 6 volunteer work days, and four major events: a volunteer appreciation party, the Conservation Celebration, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, and TrailFest.

Held on the first day of fall, TrailFest included a 5K trail run through meadows and forests at Burley Farms, guided nature walks, hands-on activities for kids of all ages, local food, and a beer garden.

That event, and the field trips to

our properties, would not have been possible without help from our stewardship volunteers and volunteer workdays with local businesses.

From trail maintenance at Stonehouse Pond to bridge building at the Piscassic

Greenway, these volunteers provide much needed (and appreciated) sweat equity that makes it possible for these lands to be open to the public.

For 2019, we’re excited to expand our volunteer opportunities to help

meet the desire of our community to help steward our reservations

and easements – and share our special places with others.

Connecting People to Place

It was a great opportunity for our team to bond in an outdoor activity, connect with the organization, and make a meaningful difference through volunteer land stewardship.

—BRENT MERRIAM, COO OF NEMO EQUIPMENT, INC.

20 1 8 ACH IEVEMENTS

1,721 outreach participants130 volunteers6 workdays Liberty Mutual, NEMO, Tri-City Subaru [2], Vapotherm, Westinghouse

Keeping the Promise

2018 ACHIEVEM EN TS

10 years of 100% easement monitoring

1,679.5 hours on easement stewardship

8 properties managed for wildlife habitat, creation of young forests, and invasive species removal

6 properties improved for trail and access

4 properties received new kiosks or trail maps

STEWARDSHIP & LAND MANAGEMENT

As a land trust, when we promise to care for a place, it’s forever.

In 2018, as SELT’s land conservation successes approached 20,000 acres, SELT created a new strategic stewardship plan to unify easement stewardship and land management work. This plan was created to guide our stewardship beginning in 2019, with an emphasis on increased volunteer engagement.

A big focus in 2018 was the Stonehouse Forest in Barrington. SELT collaborated with archaeologists, wildlife biologists, and the NH Fish and Game Department to create and finalize the property’s trail plan.

To balance the needs of wildlife that rely on the land for their survival and the desire to provide the community with access to reenergize and reconnect with nature, SELT used expert

evaluations and a new mapping tool from the Fish and Game Department called Trails for

People and Wildlife. This tool helped analyze how existing and new trails affect wildlife.

According to Deborah Goard, Stewardship Director, “This tool provided essential

information to guide our decisions about closing, maintaining, and creating trails to reduce

impacts for wildlife.”Now that the plan is finalized, trail work is

scheduled to begin in 2019. In addition to managing our reservations, like

Stonehouse Forest, SELT staff (and 25 trained volunteers) monitored 190 conservation easements. Beyond monitoring, SELT strives to be a partner with landowners as they enjoy and utilize their conserved lands. In 2018, SELT celebrated a milestone: 10 years of monitoring every easement – every year!

PHOTO CREDIT: JERRY MONKMAN/ECOPHOTOGRAPHY, LLC

Of all the paths in life you take, make sure a few of them are dirt.

—JOHN MUIR

Volunteers Steve Farrington and Walt Roy overseeing post installation at the Piscassic Greenway this past fall. PHOTO CREDIT: JEN PRIBBLE

Volunteer RecognitionWe are deeply grateful to the 100+ volunteers who supported SELT with their time and talent in 2018. The work we do is only possible because of their generous contributions! Do you want to get involved? Learn more at seltnh.org/volunteer-opportunities.

Campaign CabinetKATHY BARTONTOM CHAMBERLINKATHERINE COOPERJAMESON FRENCHTODD HATHAWAY‘ETOILE HOLZAEPFELLINDA MCGIVERNJOAN PRATTSAM REIDROGER STEPHENSONANN WELSH

Conservation Center Building CommitteeDON BRISELDENBILL CAMPBELLDAN CLAPPJOAN PRATTPETER REILLYRICK RUSSMAN

Easement MonitorsPHIL ALBRIGHTBILL CAMPBELLSHAWN CARIGNANTOM CHAMBERLINELLIE COFFINPETER COFFINMARILYN DEL DONNOJIM EGGERSAMY FARNHAMDEBBY GRUBBSJOHN HASLAMLESLIE HASLAM‘ETOILE HOLZEAPFELERNIE LANDRYJOSH LENTJIM LINDSEYJUDI LINDSEYSPENCER MARTINCAREN MCASKILLBRENT MERRIAMKAREN MERRIAMRICHARD MEYERFRANK NORTHRUPPRESTON SAMUELDUDLEY SHEPARDANN SMITH

Executive CommitteeSAM REIDANN WELSHANN SMITHJOAN PRATT

Field Trip Leaders & Seminar SpeakersEDIE BARKERWALLY BOTHNER JESSE COFELICEBILL DOWNEY, PORTSMOUTH

KAYAK ADVENTURESANDREW FASTRONALD KENNARDLAURIE LOOSIGIANPETE MCVAYTIMOTHY MOORECATHY NEAL JOAN PRATTJILL SENTERROGER STEPHENSON JACOB TUMELAIREEMMA TUTEINMARK WEST

Finance CommitteeHUNTER BROWNLIETOM CHAMBERLINDAVID KIRKPATRICKSAM REIDVJ STREHLDAN WYAND

Get Outside Adventure Team (GOATs)KIM COTEJULIA HOBBIESUE MAYOTTENANCY VATISTAS

Land StewardsFRED BORMANSTEVE FARRINGTONSHARON FARRINGTONERNIE LANDRYJERRY LANGDONJOSH LENTWALT ROYPRESTON SAMUELSRINI SRINIVASANCHARLES TATHAMJOHN WALLACE

Leadership Gift CommitteeDAVID BORDENTOM CHAMBERLINDAN CLAPPJAMESON FRENCHDAVID HILLS

‘ETOILE HOLZAEPFELSCOTT MARIONLINDA MCGIVERNJOAN PRATTSAM REIDANN WELSHCARDEN WELSHDAN WYAND

Land Conservation CommitteeDON BRISELDENDAN COONSBOB EATONBRUCE GOODWINMARC JACOBSJULIE LABRANCHEWESTY LOVEJOYSAM REIDRICK RUSSMANDAVID SANDERSONANN SMITHJOHN WALLACEROB WOFCHUCK

Land Stewardship CommitteeBILL CAMPBELLTOM CHAMBERLINPETER COFFINMARC JACOBSERNIE LANDRYLINDA MCGIVERNBRENT MERRIAMKYLE PIMENTALJENNIFER ROWDENELLEN SNYDEREMMA TUTEINANN WELSH

Office SupportBILL CAMPBELLSHERRY CARSONKIM COTEANDRA CRAWFORDSANDY GOODSPEEDDEBBY GRUBBSWESTY LOVEJOYKATE MACKENZIESUE MAYOTTEBILL MCCLUREJOAN PRATTJANE RASMUSSENPRESTON SAMUELDAVE TREATGAYE VORKINK

OutreachGILLIAN CARTERANDRA CRAWFORDCHELSEA DEROCHEMONTJOSEPH FETTERSSUE MAYOTTESHERRI NIXONKELSEY POLLARDJOAN PRATTSAM REIDPRESTON SAMUELANN SMITHNANCY VATISTASROB WOFCHUCK

PhotographyKIM COTE BRIAN CROWLEY, CROWLEY

DIGITALSARAH FERGUSONBILL KRAMERJOSHUA LENT EMILY LORDSUE MAYOTTEDAVID MURRAY, CLEAR EYE PHOTOWALTER ROY PAULA SINGERKATE WILCOX

SELT TrailFestCAROLYN AUGERJILL BACKMANFRED BORMANWILLIAM CAMPBELLTHOMAS CHAMBERLINDAN CLAPPPETER COFFINMEGAN COOKKATHERYN COSTELLOKIM COTETERRENCE COYLEKELLY CUDAKAMY FARNHAMSHARON FARRINGTONSTEVE FARRINGTONHEATHER FLEWELLINGDENNIS GARNHAMCHARLES GOODSPEEDSANDY GOODSPEEDRYAN GRAVESMADDIE HUBBELLJANE KELLYBETH LAMONTAGNE HALLERNEST LANDRYNICK LANZERLAUREL LENTJOSHUA LENT

LEIGH MARIONKAREN MERRIAMROBIN NAJARVINCE NOGAREBECCA O’BRIENTIM O’BRIENPOPPY O’BRIENMAGGIE O’BRIENGWYNETH O’BRIENMAC O’BRIENJOHN PASTOREJOAN PRATTSAM REIDA.J. ROBIDASRACHEL ROBILLARDWALTER ROYALLIE SANTINCARINA SELFSOFIE SELFLAURIE SMITHELLEN SNYDERSRINI SRINIVASANMATT TARRNANCY VATISTAS

TrailFest Planning CommitteeVICKI BROWNMARY ERVIN DEMPSEYREBECCA O’BRIENKAREN OLIVERLAURIE SMITH

Wild & Scenic Film FestivalSHAWNA CHROSTOWSKITERRY COYLEBOB EATONSARAH FERGUSONKAYLA KEELEYKATE MACKENZIEKAITLIN MALLOYLINDA MCGIVERNSARAH MINELLAKATE MITCHELLCHARLEE O’NEILJOANIE PRATTLAURIE SMITHFIONA THAYERANN WELSHJOEY ZARICK

Wild & Scenic Film Selection CommitteeDEB CHAGBRIAN CROWLEYEVE FRALICKBILL MCCLURESUSAN MCCLUREDAVID MURRAYCHRIS PYOTTALISON PYOTT

Workday OrganizationsNEMO LIBERTY MUTUALTRI-CITY SUBARUVAPOTHERM WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC

COMPANY

Board Members Samuel Reid President, DoverAnn Welsh Vice President, DurhamAnn Smith Treasurer, KensingtonRob Wofchuck Treasurer, Brentwood

(elected 2019)Joan Pratt Secretary, ExeterRoger Stephenson Immediate

Past President, Stratham

Terry Coyle PortsmouthBill Campbell ExeterThomas Chamberlin New Castle

2018 Staff Zoe Aldag Outreach and Volunteer

ManagerDani Almeida Conservation Easement

StewardPhil Auger Land ManagerAllison Bolia Development SpecialistShaun Dillon Conservation CoordinatorDeborah Goard Stewardship DirectorBrian Hart Executive DirectorDuane Hyde Land Conservation

Director

FOR YOUR TIME & TALENTThank You

Dan Clapp MadburyPam Hall PortsmouthDavid Kirkpatrick PortsmouthScott Marion RyeLinda McGivern RollinsfordBrent Merriam Epping (joined 2019)Robin Najar PortsmouthLaurie Smith DoverDan Wyand Portsmouth

Jeremy Lougee Conservation Project Manager & Farmland Coordinator

Kylee Noga Executive & Operations Assistant

Jennifer Pribble Communications Manager

Bev Shadley Deputy Director

2018 Financial ReportThis summary financial report is based on the complete Financial Statements prepared by the certified public accounting firm of Rowley & Associates, Inc., which has completed an audit of the books of SELT for the years 2010 through 2018. A copy of the complete Financial Statements for 2018 or prior periods is available upon request. Please contact Brian Hart, Executive Director, at 603-778-6088 or via email bhart@seltnh.org.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

REVENUES 2018 2017Operating Contributions 583,842 286,031 Membership Dues 145,557 154,092 Special events 29,364 73,551 Interests and dividend income 29,655 16,505 Contracted services 4,724 5,963 Other 14,460 1,580Unrealized Gain on Investments (58,952) 171,598Special Projects1

Contributions2 5,789,731 5,563,948 In-kind services 0 612 Real estate subject to life estate 267,176 320,000 Land and easement value 277,652 1,443,938Total Revenues 7,083,209 8,037,818

EXPENSES 2018 2017OperatingProgram Easement Stewardship 133,292 176,593 Land Management 123,768 56,302 Land Conservation 243,872 204,478 Outreach 166,467 148,399General and Administrative 281,560 296,789Fundraising 209,844 225,766Special Projects 1,466,320 5,541,388Total Expenses 2,625,123 6,649,715

2018 EXPENSES – ALL ACTIVITIES

2018 PROGRAM EXPENSES

Fund Purpose 12/31/2018 12/31/2017

Conservation Easement Stewardship Fund3,5

to cover the annual costs for stewardship and defense of all conservation easements held by SELT 1,431,398 1,334,104

Land Management Fund4 to support the long-term ownership, management, and stewardship costs of fee-owned properties of SELT 740,520 672,068

Lamprey River Land Protection Fund to support land conservation efforts on the Wild and Scenic Lamprey River 222,474 193,686

Legal Defense Fund to support the legal defense of all conservation easements, executory interests, and fee ownerships of SELT 211,909 198,309

Piscassic Greenway Fund5 to support the long-term management, stewardship, and protection of SELT’s Piscassic Greenway 102,413 111,044

SELT Fund5 to support the mission and operation of SELT 98,197 106,473Sweet Land Protection Fund to provide short-term financing to purchase land or conservation easements 147,329 208,394

Strategic Land Conservation to support land conservation projects that protect drinking water, farmland, and living landscapes 894,049 771,057

1 Special projects include the purchases of land or easements and the completion of significant land management projects such as trail construction.2 In 2015, SELT revised its accounting practice to record grants for the purchases of land or easements at the time of commitment by the funding agency rather than at the time of expenditure.

Therefore, significant revenues were recorded for projects that will close in future years. 3 The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation holds and manages $590,816 of the 12/31/18 balance.4 For reporting purposes, the reported balances include property specific funds as well as funds for general land management. 5 Held and managed by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. SELT receives an annual distribution, based on the performance of the investments for a 20 quarter rolling average.

RESTRICTED AND DESIGNATED FUNDSSELT holds numerous funds that are donor restricted or board designated for specific purposes.

General Management10.73%

Programs79.79%

Fundraising9.49%

LandManagement

18.54%

LandConservation36.54%

Easement Stewardship19.97%

Outreach24.94%

General Management10.73%

Programs79.79%

Fundraising9.49%

LandManagement

18.54%

LandConservation36.54%

Easement Stewardship19.97%

Outreach24.94%

STONEHOUSE FOREST PHOTO CREDIT: JERRY MONKMAN, ECOPHOTOGRAPHY, LLC

Our 2018 Annual Report – to You with GratitudeOpen to discover the impact of your giving!

NON PROFITORGANIZATION

US POSTAGE PAIDPERMIT #783

MANCHESTER, NH

PO Box 675 Exeter, NH 03833ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

In nature nothing exists alone.

—RACHEL CARSON

Without you, our work to conserve land and connect people to nature would not be possible. Thank you.