Section 227-M:9 Acquisition, Restoration, and Protection Criteria and Guidelines.
   I. The criteria and guidelines adopted pursuant to RSA 227-M:5, II for acquiring resource assets shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:
      (a) Imminence of threat to the land or property, such that the preservation of endangered structures and land conservation projects in densely developed or rapidly developing areas of the state shall receive a higher ranking;
      (b) Uniqueness or significance of the resource;
      (c) Proximity to other protected resources;
      (d) Extent to which project meets multiple objectives of the program (natural, historic, and cultural);
      (e) Strength of local support, such that project applications accompanied by an affirmative vote of the governing body of the municipality or governing bodies of the municipalities in which the project is located shall receive a higher ranking;
      (f) Strength of private support;
      (g) Cooperation between or among communities;
      (h) Extent of leverage (ability of state funds to attract other public and private funds in a cost-share arrangement);
      (i) Demonstrated ability and qualifying stewardship plan of eligible applicant to provide stewardship for the resource being protected; and
      (j) Extent to which benefits can be conserved only through fee acquisition of the resource asset, weighed against acquisition through easement interest.
   II. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require that each acquisition of a resource asset under this chapter must meet all the criteria listed in this section.
Source. 2000, 245:1, eff. June 8, 2000.