Conservation Commission
All 3 commission positions are open for appointment
- Email: conservation@ashland.nh.gov (Emails are currently reviewed by the Town Manager)
- To view minutes from the Conservation Commission, please visit our Documents Page: Conservation Commission
Land Conservation
Attention landowners! Did you know there is an additional tax incentive available for protecting your small parcels of land? If you are the owner of a parcel less than 10 acres in size, which would be ineligible to be placed in Current Use, you may be able to take advantage of New Hampshire’s Conservation Restriction Assessment Program (RSA 79-B). If your small parcel has a high conservation value (such as undeveloped frontage on a lake or pond), protecting your land from development may be worth your consideration.
Enrollment of your land in the Conservation Restriction Assessment Program is a two-step process. First, you must put a conservation easement in place and convey the easement to land trust or government entity. Second, once the conservation easement has been conveyed, apply for enrollment of the restricted land through the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration.
The New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration’s Form PA-60 contains the application and instructions. The form may be downloaded from the department’s website at www.revenue.nh.gov/forms/all-forms.htm. Alternatively, the form may be picked up from the department’s office at 109 Pleasant Street, Concord. Applications are due by April 15th. The Conservation Commission is available to answer your questions pertaining to this important program.
Invasive Species Management
Non-native invasive plants such as Japanese Knotweed (also known as “bamboo”) and Oriental Bittersweet are not only a problem for homeowners and the community, but also for the environment. They grow in less than optimal conditions crowding out native plants, obscuring road sightlines, twining around utility poles and may even cause structural damage to homes and outbuildings. The timeline for best management is in late May or early June before the plant’s flowering time and again in the Fall to remove any of the new Summer growth.
Links on our Documents Page: Conservation Commission have been provided to help identify these plants, methods to manage and control their growth and important tips of proper disposal of the removed plants. Contact the Conservation Commission with any questions or concerns.
Environmental Permits
Are you planning a construction project as a homeowner or a contractor? If so, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) may require you to file permit(s) for the work. To help you determine what permits are required, please see their “Got Permits?” chart.
Please note, even if your project does not require a permit, there may be DES guidelines you must follow during construction. It is your responsibility to understand these requirements. Contact DES with specific questions.
Resources
- Grafton County Conservation District
- Lakes Region Planning Commission
- NH Association of Conservation Commissions
- NH Audubon
- NH Department of Environmental Services
- NH Division of Forests and Lands
- NH Fish and Game
- Pemigewasset River Local Advisory Committee
- Plymouth State University Center for the Environment
- Society for the Protection of NH Forests
- Squam Lakes Association
- Squam Lakes Conservation Society
- Squam Lakes Natural Science Center
- UNH Cooperative Extension — Grafton County
Heritage Commission
- Email: heritage@ashland.nh.gov (Emails are currently reviewed by the Town Manager)
- To view minutes from the Heritage Commission, please visit our Documents Page: Heritage Commission
Establishment of the Ashland Heritage Commission
On March 10, 2015, the voters of Ashland, New Hampshire, approved the following Warrant Article #16:
“To see if the Town will vote to establish a Heritage Commission in accordance with the provisions of RSA 673 and RSA 674 and a Heritage Fund in accordance with the provisions of RSA 674:44-a to 44-d and to authorize the Board of Selectmen to appoint five citizens as members of the Heritage Commission pursuant to the provisions of RSA 673:4-a and RSA 673:5; one member of the Heritage Commission shall be a selectman, and up to three additional citizens shall be appointed as alternate members.”
An advisory entity, a Heritage Commission is for the proper recognition, use, and protection of resources, tangible or intangible, primarily man made, that are valued for their historical, cultural, aesthetic, or community significance within their natural, built or cultural contexts. Powers and duties of a heritage commission include: To advise and assist other local boards and commissions on matters related to historic resources; To work in tandem with the Ashland Historical Society to survey and inventory historic resources; To assist the Planning Board in writing or updating the historic and cultural resources chapter in the Master Plan; To propose and implement other preservation planning; To assist in coordinating and fundraising for cultural events for the Town.
“Upon approval of this article the present Ashland Historic Commission, which was established in 1970 for the limited purpose of taking responsibility for the Whipple House, will be terminated and the duties and functions of that Commission will be assumed by the Heritage Commission.”
Historical Note: The Historic Commission The Ashland Historic Commission was established by the Ashland Town Meeting, on March 10, 1970, upon receiving the gift of “the land and building of the Whipple homestead to be used and maintained as an historical building for the preservation and perpetuation of historical articles and for activities related thereto.”
In March 2015, the Historic Commission was replaced by the Heritage Commission.
Projects & Awards
Town Hall Evaluation — In 2020, a Historic Structures Report was conducted to evaluate the existing conditions of the historic Ashland Town Hall. The final professionally-developed report “recommended a phased plan of work to repair, maintain and improve the building to serve the town in an ongoing manner into the future.” Read the complete report here.
Town Hall — PowerPoint presentation here (March 1, 2018) and abbreviated version here (March 5, 2018). Includes the history of the Town Hall building and a look at its current condition.
Barn Survey — collecting data including age, size, style, use and location of Ashland’s historic barns 75 years or older for inclusion in New Hampshire Preservation Alliance “52 Barns in 52 Weeks” and Ashland Historical Society’s records. Focus is first on the 13 free-standing agricultural barns.
Ashland 2018 — collecting photographs from property owners of their homes and outbuildings to establish an historic record of what Ashland looked like on its 150th anniversary.
Town-Owned Historic Buildings Inventory — detailing age, size, use, value, historic significance and future needs of Town Hall and Jail, Whipple House, Scribner Library and Booster Club.
2018 Preservation Achievement Award (The Preservation Alliance) presented to the Ashland Historical Society for the rescue of the c.1800 Reuben Whitten House.