At Town Meeting on Wednesday, Bow voters will be asked to decide whether the town should invest money to protect undeveloped private land.

Tom O’Donovan, vice president of Bow Open Spaces, said the local land trust is backing the Conservation Commission’s push to adopt this provision, which is already in place in many towns across New Hampshire.

“We’re deeply committed to this balanced approach of protecting natural resources and conserving land across town, and so that’s why we’re supporting this optional power,” said O’Donovan.

O’Donovan is also a member of the town’s drinking water protection commission.

This law would benefit longtime residents of the town who wish to donate land for conservation, allowing them to preserve it in memory of their family for generations to come.

O’Donovan said that if the town owns the land, there is no guarantee it will keep the property owner’s name associated with it permanently.

More than 40 towns, including Hopkinton, Webster and Bradford, have already adopted RSA 36-A:4-a I(b), offering this option for land conservation.

Apart from receiving tax benefits for conserving land, the option would also allow Bow landowners to secure additional funding.

“If we’re going to develop land, let’s also put money into conserving land so that we maintain the balance in Bow,” said O’Donovan.

Sruthi Gopalakrishnan can be reached at sgopalakrishnan@cmonitor.com.