The Statewide Program of Action to Conserve our Environment (SPACE) is a not-for-profit (501(c)4) coalition of natural resource conservation organizations, agricultural groups, recreational user groups, and concerned landowners and individuals supporting current use. SPACE is New Hampshire's Current Use Coalition.

...for more about SPACE, click here.

RSA 79-A: statute (see here):

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES FOR 2012:

SPACE will be monitoring the following House and Senate bills submitted for the 2012 session:

HB 1342: AN ACT prohibiting state and local governments from using funds to employ a lobbyist.

SPONSORS: Rep. Vaillancourt, Hills 15; Rep. Hoell, Merr 13

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

Analysis: This bill prohibits state departments, towns, and cities from expending funds for the purpose of employing a person as a lobbyist

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HB 1453: AN ACT relative to requiring planning boards to require a deeded right-of-way to a public road as a condition for approval of plans for certain developments.

SPONSORS: Rep. James Belanger, Hills 5

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

Analysis: Same as above

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HB 1512-FN: AN ACT relative to the authority of conservation commissions.

THIS BILL HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN

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HB1515: AN ACT relative to the assessment of the land use change tax and the use of the land use change tax revenues.

SPONSORS: Rep. Hansen, Hills 6; Rep. Cohn, Merr 6; Rep. LeBrun, Hills 26; Rep. Antosz, Rock 9; Rep. W. Hutchinson, Hills 9

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

HEARING DATE: January 17, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in LOB Room 301

Analysis: This bill changes the tax collection procedures for the current use land use change tax, adds failure to pay property taxes and failure to notify of a qualifying use change to the actions which trigger the land use change tax, and requires all municipal land use change tax revenues to be recognized as general fund revenue.

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HB 1540: AN ACT relative to conservation easements on public land.

SPONSORS: Rep. Cartwright, Ches 2; Rep. D. McGuire, Merr 8

COMMITTEE: Resources, Recreation and Development

Analysis: This bill prohibits the state or any of its subdivisions from granting a conservation easement on public land to a non-profit organization.

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HB 1545: AN ACT relative to control of land received or acquired by a conservation commission.

SPONSOR(S): Rep. Mirski, Graf 10

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

Analysis: This bill specifies that conservation commissions do not have the power to convey interests in real property that they receive or acquire. This bill also limits conservation commission contracts to manage interests in real property to a term of 5 years.

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HB 1586: AN ACT relative to the acquisition of land for conservation purposes.

SPONSOR: Rep. Mirski, Graf 10

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

Analysis: This bill requires the selectmen of a town to hold public meetings before the acquisition of land or a lesser interest in land for conservation purposes.

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HB 1626: AN ACT establishing a committee to study the current use taxation of farm land and farm structures in which utility lines or services are installed.

SPONSORS: Rep. Owen, Merr 4; Rep. Haefner, Hills 27

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

Analysis: Same as title.

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SB 255: AN ACT relative to liens for land use change tax assessments.

SPONSORS: Sen. Barnes, Jr., Dist 17; Sen. Stiles, Dist 24, Sen Boutin, Dist 16

COMMITTEE: Public and Municipal Affairs

HEARING: January 17, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in LOB 101

Analysis: This bill increases the time before the expiration of the lien created by the assessment of a land use change tax under RSA 79-A.

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SB 337-FN-LOCAL: AN ACT relative to property held for water supply or flood control.

SPONSORS: Sen De Blois, Dist 19; Sen. D'Allesandro, Dist 20; Sen. Forsythe, Dist 4; Sen. Gallus, Dist 1; Sen Groen, Dist. 6; Sen. Lambert, DIs 13; Sen. Sanborn, Dist. 7; Sen. White, Dist. 9; Rep. Infantine, Hills 13; Rep. Warden, Hills 7

COMMITTEE: Ways and Means

Hearing Date: January 10, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in SH 100

Analysis: This bill allows property held by a municipality in another municipality for water supply or flood control to be classified as open space land.

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SPACE will be updating the ongoing status of all the house and senate bills listed above as more becomes known.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

DATE: JANUARY 30, 2012: CURRENT USE BOARD PUBLIC HEARING

TIME: 9:30 a.m.

PLACE: Department of Revenue Administration Office-at the State Office Complex at Pleasant Street, Concord, NH

If you cannot attend, you may write to the Current Use Board within 10 days of this public hearing with any concerns you may have.

Charles A. Bridges: charles.a.bridges@wildlife.nh.gov is the current Chair of CUB.

CURRENT USE BOARD is looking for volunteers to participate in the following:

In an effort to better understand the costs associated with owning and managing forest land the Current Use Board, through the New Hampshire Division of Forests and UNH Cooperative Extension, will be conducting a targeted survey of willing landowners who have taken the time to document management costs. The expectation is to gather this information from a couple of landowners from each county. Consulting Foresters will also be interviewed to further enhance expense data.

Forest landowners who have multiple years of data and are interested in participating in the survey should contact Susan Francher, Division of Forests and Lands at 603-271-2214.

UPCOMING CURRENT USE WORKSHOPS

SAVE THE DATE:

Informational Workshop on New Hamphsire Current Use Tax Rules

Monday, MARCH 5, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at UNH Cooperative Extension Office

Hillsborough County Complex-- 329 Mast Rd-- Goffstown, NH

For more information contact:

Jon Nute, Extension Educator Forestry & Wildlife

George Hamilton, Extension Educator Agricultural Resources

603-641-6050

SPECIAL APPEAL TO LARGE TRACT CU LANDOWNERS:

SPACE sent out a special appeal to all current use landowners who have 500 acres and above in July 2011. A board of director will follow up this appeal with a personal phone call sometime in October 2011l at which time you can express any concerns or questions you may have pertaining to SPACE and current use in general. We appreciate your continued support!

FISCAL NEWS

SPACE's fiscal year for 2011 will end September 30, 2011. As our new fiscal year begins on October 1, 2011; we will be looking to raise our revenue in order to protect and continuously advocate for Current Use. Our first appeal will be sent out to those of who who have contributed in the past twenty-years sometime in early December. Any contribution received from this appeal will be recorded as your 2012 donation. As always, we appreciate your support and hope we can encourage more of our 35,000 current use landowners to make at least a $25.00 annual contribution.

INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE:

It's simple and easy and helps support and protect your current use land!

Go to section ABOUT SPACE (on top left column of this page) and CLICK. From the selections which appear, select ONLINE DONATION. The next screen that appears will only ask you for an amount you would like to contribute. Once you have entered that amount, you will then be transferred over to the SSL-protected eProcessing site to enter your personal credit card information. SPACE does not store any credit card information and SPACE only receives a confirmation sheet from eProcessing when a donation has been cleared.

CURRENT AND LAST YEAR'S RAFFLE WINNERS

CONGRATULATIONS TO Robert C. Potter of Randolph, NH -he is the winner of the Spring Kayak raffle. Seth Potter is shown below picking up his family's new kayak. Have fun!

  
2010 SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SNOWSHOE PACKET

Congratulations to our winner(s): Norman & Marguerite Blouin of Claremont, NH. *The winner(s) are responsible to claim and pick up their prize within (30 days or no later than March 1, 2010) at the SPACE Office at 54 Portsmouth Street in Concord, NH.

SPACE is pleased to announce the SPRING 2010 Kayak package winner:

Clark & Patricia Page from Loudon, NH

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

        
The 2007 Space survey of current use owners performed by the SMS Group/Pan Atlantic Group is now available for your viewing as a PDF file by clicking on this link. [327 kb]

Please follow this link for download of RSA-79-A here

How do I apply for the 20% Recreation Adjustment?
Simply fill out application Form A-10 and submit the form to the Town Office by the April 15th deadline.

What are the requirements for enrollment in Current Use?
A parcel of land that is 10 or more acres in size and is farm, forest or unproductive land. There are a few exceptions to this requirement.

Isn't it true that all Current Use land is open to the public?
No. There is no requirement for Current Use landowners to allow public use of their land. Current Use land is private property and the landowner has the right to decide how their property is used.

...for answers to more Frequently Asked Questions, click here.

The most recent State of New Hampshire Current Use Criteria Booklet (2010-2011) here

For you convenience, please download individual NH Town tax rates 2000-2009, download here.