On Dec. 5, Hopkinton voters will have the opportunity to permanently protect an important piece of open space through the purchase of conservation easements on the Bohanan Farm. This unique property includes 413 acres of land with more than four miles of frontage on the Contoocook, Warner and Blackwater rivers, managed forest land, scenic vistas and prime agricultural soils. It has been farmed by the same family for more than a century. The landowners have agreed to sell easements that will permanently preclude development, ensure that the land remains open to the public for recreation, and provide for sustainable farming and forestry. This is a good investment for Hopkinton.

The total project budget is $900,000. The $835,000 purchase price is the appraised value of the easements and would be paid directly to the landowners. The balance is for customary project expenses such as appraisal, title research, legal fees and stewardship costs. Half of the purchase price has already been raised through a federal farmland protection grant secured by Five Rivers Conservation Trust. The remaining money will come from a $50,000 investment by the Hopkinton Conservation Commission, private fundraising donations, and up to $385,000 drawn from the Open Space Bond approved by the town in March 2003. At $385,000, the bond will cost approximately $10-11 per year for a $250,000 property.

Protecting Bohanan Farm through conservation easements allows the town to accomplish its open space goals at a much lower cost than buying the property outright. The property remains on the town's tax rolls, continuing to generate property tax revenue for the town. Future timber harvests will result in timber taxes paid to the town. Because the easements last forever, future landowners will be bound by their terms. This approach has been used with great success across the country and locally. Beech Hill Farm, Dimond Hill Farm, and Carter Hill Orchard are all thriving community resources, privately owned, paying property taxes to the town, and protected forever under conservation easements.

As it has done in the past, the Open Space Committee invited Five Rivers Conservation Trust, a locally-based non-profit land trust, to be the town's partner in this project. Five Rivers secured the federal grant that will pay for half the easement price, wrote additional funding proposals and is coordinating the private fundraising effort. The conservation commission prefers that Five Rivers be the primary holder and the town be the executory interest holder in each conservation easement. This provides the town with a legitimate legal interest in the property and the ability to enforce the easement in the unlikely event that Five Rivers is unable to do so, but without incurring the burden and expense of monitoring the easements on an ongoing basis. By inviting Five Rivers be the primary easement holder, the town ensures that a group with the experience and focus to effectively monitor and enforce the easements over time will undertake that important responsibility.

Today's economic climate is difficult. But now is the time to acquire conservation easements on Bohanan Farm. Because of the depressed real estate market, the development rights on this remarkable property can be acquired at a fraction of what it would have cost just a few years ago. Historically low interest rates have lowered the cost of bonding. And more than $450,000 in federal funds and private donations provides tremendous leverage for town funds.

There is only one Bohanan Farm. By investing to protect the land today, Hopkinton taxpayers will save money long term by avoiding future school and community services costs that would be incurred if the property were developed. Even more important, we can protect an historically significant local farm and maintain the opportunity to access it for walking, paddling, snowshoeing, hunting and fishing.

(Dijit Taylor chairs the Hopkinton Open Space Committee. Derek Owen is chairman of the Hopkinton Conservation Commission. Mark Zankel is the board chairman of Five Rivers Conservation Trust.)