Amherst Land Trust
est. 1975
Volunteer, We Need You!
Turn Interest Into Action
The Amherst Land Trust is an entirely volunteer organization. As we grow and expand our preservation efforts, there are many opportunities for new members and interested friends to get involved. Whatever your skill or interest, there's a place you can make a difference.
​
We thank you for any interest in the areas below, and we'd love to give you a chance to demonstrate your skills!
Lindabury Orchard
Wah Lum Reserve
Outdoor Volunteering
Easement Monitoring
Accepting an easement obligates the Land Trust to ensure that the terms of the easement are met. In practice, this generally means walking around or through a property once or twice a year to observe and document conditions.
Public Outreach
Do you have expertise in wildflowers, bird-watching, or organic lawn maintenance? How about a slide show of your hike on the Continental Divide Trail or your week at El Eden? Sponsoring conservation and preservation-related presentations and workshops can help us raise awareness of issues as well as encouraging others to join us.
Photography
Photographs are useful for documenting existing conditions and maintaining and protecting easements. They are also wonderful tools for public education and publicity brochures, posters and handouts.
Trail Maintenance
As the Land Trust begins to accept and hold property, we are looking at several new places where hiking trails would be appropriate. Maintaining hiking trails is an ongoing and rewarding opportunity! The Land Trust can train you, if you’re interested.
Trip Leading
We would like to encourage members of the community to get out and see land conservation in the area. Short hikes could be arranged on lands protected by the Land Trust, the Amherst, Milford and Mont Vernon Conservation Commissions, Beaver Brook Association as well as the Audubon Society, Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and other organizations.
Indoor Volunteering
Research and Documentation
Land protection projects often involve extensive research in dusty records: deeds, maps and public documents. Once a piece has been identified and, perhaps, protected by easement or fee ownership, maps and descriptions of its boundaries and conditions are essential to maintenance and enforcement.
Fundraising
The bottom line is...the bottom line. Like any other nonprofit, the Land Trust needs money to accomplish its goals. Whether you have experience writing grants or running bake sales, the Land Trust can use your assistance. If you'd be willing to host a wine-and-cheese party or your group needs a guest speaker, someone from the Land Trust will be happy to be there.
Membership Committee
We're always trying to build our membership. If you have ideas for encouraging people to become members, we'd like to try them. If you know people who seem like Land Trust folks, send us their names and addresses and we'll invite them to join.
Librarian/Archivist
We'd also like to develop an on-going process of clipping and managing news articles related to land-preservation, especially in our area. Ideally these materials would become a resource for future projects.
Publicity
Press releases and letters, photo opportunities and public gatherings --- the more we can get the word out, the better our ability to protect and preserve land. If you like to write, take pictures, make phone calls and talk to people, you can help. Could you mind a table on the Fourth of July? Fly a sky-writing plane over Souhegan High School? Plant a geo-cache somewhere on conservation lands? We'd love to hear from you.
Social Media
We would love to have help posting to all the current social media outlets. If you can take pictures or create videos of people out on our lands, all the better. Please get in touch if you have talents in this area. Your help could make all the difference.
Baking Cookies (and more!)
Every gathering is more fun with food! Annual meetings, guest speakers and public outreach events all call for a table full of goodies. If you enjoy cooking or baking, we can assure you of an appreciative group of tasters.
Expertise
Over the years, the Amherst Land Trust has been very fortunate to benefit from the advice and donated services of scientists, attorneys, surveyors and even development professionals. Maybe you're a retired wetlands scientist, an amateur historian, or a mapping consultant. Please join us in making good things happen.