Just as motivations for open space preservation vary from person to person, and circumstance to circumstance, protection techniques vary to meet differing needs. Landowners may give or sell part or all of their interest in property. By means of easements, they may restrict some uses of a piece of land for a stated time span or in perpetuity. In some situations, development rights may be transferred from one site to a distant site owned by another party. The town can often zone or regulate to meet public needs. State and local tax codes may also assist in meeting open space protection objectives. In Hanover, there is the additional option for purchase or assistance, provided by the establishment of the Conservation Fund.
The most effective way to meet the objectives of this open space plan will be utilization of a variety of protection techniques available to private landowners, non-profits, and the town. The techniques most commonly used in New Hampshire and elsewhere are described below, followed by a proposal for the first five years' use of the Conservation Fund.
At the 1999 Town Meeting, Hanover voters created the Conservation Fund. Money in the Conservation Fund may be expended by the Conservation Commission for any purpose authorized by the state of New Hampshire in by RSA 36-A (see Appendix I).