Thank a New Hampshire Landowner Today
OutdoorHub 12.05.12
If you’re a hunter, angler or wildlife watcher, the holiday season is an important time to extend thanks to landowners who share access to their land, says Lindsay Webb, who heads up the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Landowner Relations Program.
“Access to private land is a privilege provided to us through the generosity of the landowner,” says Webb. “And with more than 70% of New Hampshire in private ownership, we need to make sure that these landowners really know how much you appreciate them allowing you access to hunt, fish or watch wildlife on their property.”
A few ways to say thanks to landowners:
- Visit the landowner to express your appreciation, and, if possible, share some of your harvest or a favorite wildlife photograph from your time on their property.
- Send a personal note or holiday card to the landowner, thanking them for sharing their land.
- Send a gift basket, N.H. Fish & Wildlife Calendar, or gift certificate to a local restaurant.
- Help them protect their property by documenting and reporting suspicious activities.
- Offer to help with outdoor tasks, or to clean up and properly dispose of illegally dumped materials left on their property.
If you are mentoring a young hunter or angler or mentoring someone through the new apprenticeship license, be sure to include them in thanking the landowner – it’s a great lesson for them to learn!
Remember – the tradition of hunting in New Hampshire will only continue if we all follow the basic principle of landowner relations: Treat the landowner as you would like to be treated and treat their land as you would like yours to be treated.
Fish and Game’s Landowner Relations Program works in partnership with landowners, hunters and anglers to identify problems landowners experience in providing access, and work proactively to address them. As the foundation of the Landowner Relations Program’s efforts to work with landowners who provide access for hunting, Operation Land Share provides direct assistance to landowners to resolve issues resulting from sharing their land. Landowner Relations Program efforts are funded through generous donations, sponsorships and grants. If you’d like to help, or to learn more about the program, visit http://www.wildnh.com/landshare. Your support will help to provide access for present and future generations of hunters and anglers.
