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About this e-newsletter Find out how you can support The Nature Conservancy's conservation work in New Hampshire. Support TNC. TNC Worldview:
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A Step Closer to Reality: A new state forest in Charlestown and Langdon moved a step closer to reality last week when the N.H. Executive Council voted to accept a land donation by The Nature Conservancy. The 950 acres on Fall Mountain harbor the best three of New Hampshire’s eight known populations of a federally endangered plant, northeastern bulrush. The land is between Route 12A and the Connecticut River. Its pristine ponds, streams and forests are also prime habitats for otter, deer, wild turkey, waterfowl and other wildlife. The property is expected to be transferred to the state next week. The Nature Conservancy will retain a conservation easement that will prevent development and ensure sound recreation and forest management practices to protect the globally rare northeastern bulrush and other sensitive and exemplary ecological features. LCHIP Receives 202 Funding More than 100 cities and towns across the state have requested $39 million in funding from the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) to protect and preserve the unique places that make New Hampshire unique and strengthen local economies. The requests, which would cover the next two years, were received during a two-week period in late January and early February, before Governor lynch proposed his budget. “It is critical that we protect our economic growth with investments in the places and resources that make our communities special, and that keep New Hampshire different from other states,” said Rachel Rouillard, LCHIP's executive director. “Towns and cities across the state have seen how recent LCHIP projects have strengthened their local economies and protected their high quality of life -- that’s why we are seeing so many requests this year.” Communities had only a short 2-week timeframe in which to submit the requests, yet despite that the results are in and are dramatic:
“We asked communities to make their requests now because we feel a duty to provide the most accurate information we can to help the Governor and Legislature during the challenging budget process ahead,” said Rouillard. Project information has been entered into an inventory database and all communities who submitted requests will be sent a grant application once a grant round has been scheduled. A grant round will be scheduled after the Program receives funding in the approved state budget in June 2005. The Land and Community Heritage Investment Program is an independent state authority that provides matching grants to NH communities and non profits in a effort to protect the state’s most important natural, cultural and historic resources for the purposes of ensuring the perpetual contribution of these resources to the state’s economy, the environment and the quality of life in NH. Since its inception, LCHIP has funded 112 projects in 89 communities. Communities and organizations that haven't received LCHIP's limited funds for worthwhile projects have had mixed success as they seek money elsewhere. Among them:
Additional Protection for A generous donation of land in Rye has resulted in additional protection for a globally rare Atlantic white cedar swamp. Carroll and Elizabeth Brown have donated to The Nature Conservancy 21 acres near Love Lane. The land is across the road from 32.8 acres that the Browns donated to the Conservancy in 1999, called the Brown Mill Pond and White Cedars Preserve. "This donation is especially generous because the property is very developable with a lot of upland and over 1,400 feet of frontage on a town road," said Duane Hyde, director of protection for the Conservancy in New Hampshire. "The Brown's donation of this 21 acres provides further protection to the abutting cedar swamp from changes to water levels and ground water withdrawals, provides additional buffer to the preserve, and protects a potential seed bed for Atlantic white cedar. There is a small stand of dispersed cedar on the tract."
Ashuelot River Features Prominently in Keene State College Building One of southwestern New Hampshire's most prominent natural features has long been little noticed as it runs through one end of the Keene State College campus. Now, the river's getting some prominent attention ... in the college's brand new science center. Now gracing a long corridor of the center's ground floor is a mural by Weston, Mass., artist Nancy Selvage depicting the Ashuelot River and its tributaries. Spanning nearly 60 feet and 6 feet high, the work shows off some of river's terrain and represents the college's science disciplines. Embedded in the work for viewers to discover are things like blood cells, fossils, satellites and prisms. The piece is fun and engaging. "The river that runs through the campus itself is the most evocative shape representative of all sorts of scientific processes," Selvage told The Keene Sentinel. Among Selvage's many murals are creations for the North Carolina State Zoo and the Grand Canyon visitor center. Protecting the Connecticut River: U.S. Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.), Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) and John Sununu (R-N.H.) have reintroduced legislation that could bring Vermont and New Hampshire $1 million annually to help protect and preserve the Upper Connecticut River. The Upper Connecticut River Partnership Act of 2005 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to give technical and financial help for the Upper Connecticut River through the Connecticut River Joint Commissions. The Joint Commissions consist of New Hampshire's Connecticut River Valley Resource Commission and Vermont's Connecticut River Watershed Advisory Commission. Since 1989 the two advisory panels have been working cooperatively to protect and preserve the Connecticut River. “Congressional recognition and support, through the Upper Connecticut River Partnership Act, will enable two states to safeguard their shared river and ensure public- private partnerships in the Connecticut River Valley, a place of legendry beauty and an authentic working landscape,” said Sharon Francis, executive director of the Vermont-New Hampshire Connecticut River Joint Commissions. Gregg said, “The Connecticut River watershed contains some of the most beautiful, environmentally sensitive and historic lands in New Hampshire and the northeast. For centuries the river and its surrounding areas have been critical to the growth of the region and protecting the land and its cultural treasures is certainly a worthwhile goal. This initiative empowers local organizations and individuals to identify critical environmental or historic areas within the watershed and work to make sure they are around for future generations to enjoy.”
Upcoming Field Trips:
Thursday, March 17 Join TNC staff and friends for one of three outings to places protected by The Nature Conservancy. See for yourself why and how TNC protected these special places for their biodiversity and natural character for current and future generations. After months of being inside, this'll be a fun, spirited outing to some of New Hampshire's great places. We'll celebrate St. Patrick's Day in style by getting lots of fresh air and sunshine and a little information about TNC's conservation activities throughout the state. Wear your favorite color, strap on your footwear and celebrate what "being green" is all about! Ossipee Pine Barrens Great Bay Otter Brook Preserve To sign up, please RSVP by contacting Megan Lepage by Tuesday, March 15:
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