The Bohanan Farm is known for its more than 4 miles of frontage on three rivers and good agricultural soils, farmed by the same family for four generations. Courser Hill, a high point on the property, is different. There, the trees open not into cornfields but a sprawling hillside meadow, topped with ancient maples and a stone foundation and dotted with bushes, apples trees and a string of rock wall.

The 413 acres for which the town of Hopkinton is considering buying a conservation easement are diverse.

"This is our Grand Canyon, our national park," said Beth Moore, a resident who led tours of Courser Hill during yesterday's farm day, aimed at showing voters what's on the table. "We would be foolish to let this go."

Hopkinton's taxpayers will weigh in at a special town meeting tentatively scheduled for Dec. 5 on whether to spend up to $432,500 to buy the easement.

A bond would provide about half of the $900,000 cost of the project. The federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program has awarded a $417,500 grant, and the Conservation Commission has committed $50,000.

The bond would cost 0.045 cents per $1,000 in assessed value over 20 years, or about $13 a year for a $300,000 home. Partners on the project are raising money to try to reduce the tax impact. The easement plan has drawn some skepticism from people already concerned about paying their tax bills and other rising expenses in a bad economy.

Yesterday's open house included tours through woodlands with a naturalist, hayrides through the fields, river walks, a calf-petting area, and snacks from Cabot Cheese and Gould Hill Orchard.

With milk prices at historic lows, dairy farmers throughout the region are struggling. Income from the easement would give Bohanan Farm some stability. Owner Jamie Robertson, whose wife, Heather, is a Bohanan, said he wants the townspeople to make their decision based on the value of the land, not the dairy operation.

"The land goes on forever, no matter what happens to the farm business," he said, just before hopping on a tractor to pull a hayride.

He stopped to point out a stand of pines that his wife's great-grandfather planted 80-odd years ago. Later, parked in a field that looks out toward the confluence of the Warner and Contoocook rivers, he pointed to an area that was the site of World War I-era victory gardens.

Robertson said the land could support between 50 and 70 houses if it were developed. When Jean Robertson, a neighbor who is not related, asked where they would go, he told her some would be just behind her home.

"That's just what I needed to hear," she said.

Jamie Robertson started the tractor again then turned to the crowd on the wagon behind him.

"Cornstalks and cows don't go to school," he said. "So, it's much cheaper on the tax budget."

Jean Robertson has lived in the area for more than 30 years. She said her family uses the property often to hike and cross-country ski.

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