Woodland Stewards, Inc. is a conservation land trust

Land trust

There are two distinct definitions of a land trust:* a private, nonprofit organization that, as all or part of its mission, actively works to conserve land by undertaking or assisting in land or conservation easement acquisition, or by its stewardship of such land or easements; or* an agreement...

 in the United States whose mission is to assist landowners with land protection efforts. When landowners in the Coos

Coos County, New Hampshire

-National protected areas:*Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge *Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge *White Mountain National Forest -Demographics:...

, Grafton

Grafton County, New Hampshire

Grafton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 89,118. Its county seat is North Haverhill, which is a village within the town of Haverhill. Until 1972, the county courthouse and other offices were located in downtown Woodsville, a...

 or Carroll

Carroll County, New Hampshire

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,666 people, 18,351 households, and 12,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 18/km² . There were 34,750 housing units at an average density of 14/km²...

 counties of New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

 wish to protect their land, Woodland Stewards can accept the land or conservation easement

Conservation easement

In the United States, a conservation easement is an encumbrance — sometimes including a transfer of usage rights — which creates a legally enforceable land preservation agreement between a landowner and a government agency or a qualified land...

 donation. These methods guarantee that any protective measures remain in effect forever.

In addition to offering avenues for land protection, Woodland Stewards is an educational resource for local communities. They offer programs designed to demonstrate the natural resource values of open, undeveloped forests, upland and wetlands.

Woodland Stewards is headquartered in Landaff, New Hampshire

Landaff, New Hampshire

Landaff is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 415.- History :The name on the town charter is Llandaff, after the Bishop of Llandaff, chaplain to England's King George III. Originally, however, the land was granted as Whitcherville...

, and is a non-profit corporation registered with the State of New Hampshire as a Charitable Trust

Charitable trust

A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...

  and is a tax-exempt Public Charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code

Internal Revenue Code

The Internal Revenue Code is the domestic portion of Federal statutory tax law in the United States, published in various volumes of the United States Statutes at Large, and separately as Title 26 of the United States Code...

.

Mission statement

Woodland Stewards is dedicated to the conservation of open land in the Grafton, Coos and Carroll county areas of New Hampshire. Through the acquisition of land areas and conservation easements, we maintain valuable landscapes for wildlife, hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, showshoeing, nature observation and responsible forestry.

There is a profound difference between caring about nature and caring for nature.

Outreach and education

One of the land trust's public education programs is titled "Explore Your Town." It is designed to give people a first-hand appreciation of land protection efforts presented as a series of hikes in various locations under protection by easements, such as the White Mountain National Forest

White Mountain National Forest

The White Mountain National Forest is a federally-managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had already begun in 1914. It has a total area of...

 and the Audubon Society of New Hampshire.

During these outings, members of the public are guided through an area, shown items of interest and can ask questions about the history and future of natural resources that receive permanent protection.

Public service

Woodland Stewards has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service

United States Forest Service

The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...

 to adopt the Tunnel Brook Trail in order to apply land stewardship and management practices in the White Mountains

White Mountains (New Hampshire)

The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...

. The trail runs north-south between Mount Moosilauke and Mount Clough

Mount Clough

Mount Clough is an ice-free mountain, high, standing east of Mount Dort, at the south side of Cappellari Glacier, in the Queen Maud Mountains. It was discovered and first mapped by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition, 1928–30, and named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for John W...

 in the town of Benton

Benton, New Hampshire

Benton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 364 at the 2010 census. Located in the White Mountains, Benton is largely surrounded by the White Mountain National Forest. The town is crossed by the Appalachian Trail....

. Service projects along the trail include clearing drainage bars, removing blow-downs, marking the trail with blazes, cutting back brush and low-hanging tree branches and cutting in new sections of trail.

These efforts are performed solely by volunteers who are community members and students from local schools.

See also

• Land Trust Alliance
  Land Trust Alliance
  The Land Trust Alliance, originally formed in 1982 as the Land Trust Exchange, is a national conservation organization representing more than 1,700 land trusts across the United States...
  
  
• Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
  Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
  The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is a private, non-profit land-conservation organization based in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It purchases or is given easements or outright ownership of undeveloped land, as a way to keep it open, and also performs advocacy and education...
  
  
• White Mountain National Forest