Robert Clark: LRCT donors were ‘buying’ conservation land, not events

To The Daily Sun,

When I was chair of the Moultonborough Conservation Commission, I worked closely with Tom Curren, then head of the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, toward acquisition of the Castle in the Clouds property. This was a major campaign in 2001-02, and Tom went around the country soliciting donations for the LRCT to purchase the 5,000-acre property.

What Tom was “selling” and what prospective investors were “buying” was conservation land, to be enjoyed by the public in perpetuity. What these investors from all over the country were expecting was a “castle” surrounded by thousands of acres of woods and wildlife. Thousands of donors contributed to the cause, and the Castle property is now a major conservation asset.

I recently learned that the Castle is applying for permanent approval for high impact recreational uses on the property. This is the antithesis to what LRCT donors were promised. I was shocked to learn of multiple violations on the Castle property last October, including a failed “septic” system behind the bathroom building near Shannon Brook, overflowing with raw sewage. Were the Castle management and property stewards even aware of this?

The Castle event fields are surrounded by the LRCT Castle in the Clouds Conservation Area. High impact events have disastrous impacts on wildlife, waterways and other natural resources, and are counter to the low impact recreational uses allowed on LRCT conservation land. What we have today is a commercial enterprise (Castle in the Clouds) sitting in the middle of our coveted conservation land (Lakes Region Conservation Trust).

In my view, the Zoning Board should deny any permanent approvals for the Castle until its management can prove to the town, LRCT, and residents that it can manage the impacts of its current events on the property, before allowing any additional and more frequent high impact ones.

Robert Clark

Moultonborough