The Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust received approval for two conservation restrictions from the Select Board at its June 12 meeting.

One piece of land is between Woodcock Road and Fisher Road, and the other is just off Plains Field Drive.

A conservation restriction is an agreement between an organization, in this case DNRT, and a landowner to protect the natural resources of the property by restricting development in perpetuity. The landowner may also write off the donation on their taxes. 

DNRT works to acquire land and assist landowners to preserve, protect and steward the acreage, protected land is forever safe from harmful development.

Both parcels protected on Monday night connect to regions that already have conservation restrictions.

In the case of the Plains Field Drive parcel, it connects Plains Field Drive to a series of DNRT lots that stretch all the way to Little River Road. 

The Woodcock Road land connects miles of existing trails to DNRT land, which then connect to trails at the Destruction Brook Woods, DNRT’s largest natural reserve. 

Select Board Member Heidi Silva Brooks said some community members had raised concerns that the land was near Woodcock Firing Range, but DNRT Executive Director Nick Wildman confirmed that Woodcock Road separates the land from the range, so no issues should arise. 

The Woodcock Road land was donated by the Booth Family Real Estate Trust, while the Plains Field Drive land was donated by David Marks and Lillian Kemp.

The requests were approved unanimously by the Select Board.