Walpole, NH (March 31, 2026) – The Cheshire County Conservation District (CCCD) is excited to announce the 2026 round of Conservation Opportunity Fund recipients: Gay Kimball Library, Jaffrey Public Library, the Hooper Institute, Laura Shim of Keene, Lenoir Law of Gilsum, Michael Scardina of Keene, Ken Kost at the Railroad Square Condominium in Keene, and Sarah Greene-Sims of Rindge.

The Conservation Opportunity Fund's mission is to provide funding for owners and stewards of small tracts of land who are interested in improving the wildlife habitat on their property. The fund prioritizes projects which have a community education and engagement component.

The Gay Kimball Library will be installing a community garden and a pollinator habitat, the Jaffrey Library and the Hooper Institute will be installing a native plant garden, Ken Kost will be working with the Railroad Square Condominium to install a pollinator habitat, Laura Shim ill be installing a pollinator garden and early successional habitat, and Lenoir Law, Michael Scardina, and Sarah Greene-Sims will be installing pollinator gardens.

Interested community organizations, schools, municipalities, or private landowners who can demonstrate a connection to broader community education and engagement are encouraged to apply in future grant rounds. If you are interested in applying for funding in 2027, visit the Conservation Opportunity Fund website for examples of past projects, resources, and check back for applications to be posted in Fall 2026: http://www.cheshireconservation.org/cof

The Conservation Opportunity Fund is a grant program that is made possible by the generous contributions of private donors, and administered by the Cheshire County Conservation District. If you would like to make a donation to support future funding of Conservation Opportunity Fund, please do so on our website: www.cheshireconservation.org/donate. 

Donations to the fund may also be made by mail, checks can be made payable to "CCCD" and addressed to 11 Industrial Park Dr., Walpole, NH 03608. Please include "COF" in the memo line. Contributions of any amount are greatly appreciated and make a difference!

Interested future applicants are encouraged to subscribe to CCCD's newsletter for application updates, and to stay connected on CCCD's Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn as well!

For further information, or to be added to a conservation opportunity fund email list contact: 603-904-3011 or email info@cheshireconservation.org

2026 Conservation Opportunity Fund project's progress will be shared on CCCD's social media and newsletter as well! Subscribe for CCCD's newsletter here!

About Cheshire County Conservation District

The Cheshire County Conservation District promotes the conservation and responsible use of our natural and agricultural resources for the people of Cheshire County by providing technical, financial, and educational assistance. Our goal is to encourage the stewardship of healthy soils, productive ecologically sound farms, diverse wildlife, productive sustainable forests, healthy watersheds, and clean water to ensure those resources are available for future generations. Established in 1945, the Conservation District operates out of Walpole, NH where we work alongside the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and other conservation partners For more information contact info@cheshireconservation.org or 603-904-3011.

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