Landscape and Memory:
The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

The Nature Conservancy has embarked on a unique public-private partnership with the National Park Service and the Kansas Park Trust to help protect and manage the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Established in 1996, the preserve encompasses nearly 11,000 acres in the Flint Hills region of Kansas and was the first national park dedicated solely to the protection of America's prairie heritage.

Digital photo essay: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

The Nature Conservancy rates as the most trusted organization in a recent poll by Harris Interactive^®, as reported by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Nature Stories podcasts!
Each week, Nature Stories brings you interesting and unexpected tales of people's connections with the natural world in a high-quality audio download.

This week's Nature Stories podcast: Jeri Jennings is a Rose Rustler, a special breed of enthusiasts who sometimes risk limbs to save rare roses and preserve a piece of history.

Community Partners:
Voters in Kingston and Windham
Support Conservation Initiatives

Two conservation projects of The Nature Conservancy moved ahead Tuesday, thanks to voters in Kingston and Windham.

In Kingston, annual meeting voters approved $163,000 to help purchase a critical part of a globally rare cedar swamp along the Powwow River. The vote will enable the Conservancy to purchase a 22.3-acre tract that includes 470 feet of frontage along the river and part of New Hampshire's largest Atlantic white cedar swamp complex.

Conserving this Atlantic white cedar swamp along the Powwow River in Kingston is the aim of a partnership involving The Nature Conservancy, the town of Kingston, N.H. Fish and Game Department, and the Friends of Kingston Open Space. Eric Aldrich photo.

Funding for the $346,000 project (including parcel, transaction and stewardship costs) will come from a combination of sources, including the town of Kingston. The N.H. Department of Transportation has agreed to provide about $70,000 as part of mitigation of a highway project in Plaistow and Kingston. And the N.H. Fish and Game Department will contribute about $60,000. The Nature Conservancy is seeking to raise the balance from private donors. The parcel will be transferred to Fish and Game, and will provide river access for hunting, fishing and small boats.

Since 2003, the Conservancy has been working in partnership with Fish and Game, the town of Kingston, and the Friends of Kingston Open Space to protect the Powwow River's cedar swamps and freshwater marshes. In 2003, the Conservancy, with help from its partners, purchased 123 acres, including wetlands and upland forest that provides critical buffer. That tract was transferred to the town of Kingston, subject to a conservation easement held by The Nature Conservancy. More recently the Conservancy acquired four tracts on the Powwow -- 41.8 acres in all -- containing cedar swamp, upland forest, and more than 1,300 feet of river frontage.

In Windham, voters moved a step closer towards conveying a conservation easement on 196 acres of town-owned land in the southeast corner of town. The Conservancy will now enter into more formal negotiations on a conservation easement with the town.

The Conservancy has identified Windham Swamp as an important area to conserve because it is considered one of New Hampshire's best examples of a red maple-sphagnum basin swamp; also, within the swamp is the uncommon plant, clammy azalea. The town of Windham has also identified the area as an important natural resource because it is the largest block of undeveloped land and because of its value for wildlife and hiking and hunting.

The land abuts 275 acres to be purchased by the N.H. Department of Transportation as mitigation for the widening of Interstate 93. About one-fourth of the swamp extends into Pelham and Salem, with the Salem part already owned by the town.

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April 24:
Forests on the Edge:
Innovation in Global Forest Conservation

Can we afford to conserve the forests of the world? Can we afford not to? Join a panel of distinguished experts for a thought-provoking discussion on the future of global forest conservation.

This intriguing discussion will be on Monday, April 24, 4 to 6 p.m., at Moore Hall at Dartmouth College in Hanover. The event is presented by The Nature Conservancy in collaboration with The Rockefeller Center. It's free and open to the public.

Whether you are an investor or a naturalist, a forester or simply an inhabitant of Earth, the success or failure of innovative approaches to forest conservation will affect you. Led by George Woodwell, founder of the Woods Hole Research Center for the global environment, the panel members will share their global perspectives and unique insights on forest conservation. Audience members will have an opportunity to pose questions and participate in this engaging discussion.

Panelists include:

• Moderator: George Woodwell. Founder, director emeritus and senior scientist, The Woods Hole Research Center.
• Bill Ginn. Director of the Global Forest Initiative, The Nature Conservancy.
• Mark Zimsky, Senior Biodiversity Specialist, Global Environment Facility.
• Eva Greger. Managing Partner for the Renewable Resources Group, GMO.

For more information, click here. To reserve seating for the panel discussion or to attend an evening reception with the experts, call 802-229-4425.

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Thomas Crosslin, an Antioch New England College graduate and volunteer, measures a culvert on a tributary to the Ashuelot River in Keene. Crosslin, TNC and the Ashuelot Valley Environmental Observatory tested procedures recently for a study on the watershed's road-stream crossings to begin this summer.                              Eric Aldrich photo.

Culvert Operations:
Volunteers to be Trained this Summer on Ashuelot Watershed Connectivity Project

Volunteers this summer will head out throughout the Ashuelot River watershed of southwestern New Hampshire, measuring bridges, culverts and all sorts of road/stream crossings.

With their waders, cameras and measuring tapes, volunteers will help The Nature Conservancy better understand the fragmenting features in the Ashuelot watershed's aquatic landscape.

By preliminary count, there are more than 150 dams and 1,400 road-stream crossings in the entire 420-square-mile watershed.

The Conservancy chose the Ashuelot watershed for this study for several reasons. The river is a refuge for the globally rare and federally endangered dwarf wedge mussel. It has also been designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an aquatic priority area of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. After a vigorous scientific review, TNC and its partners recently identified 13 terrestrial and 20 aquatic areas as having exceptional habitat significance. And meanwhile, TNC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are examining how flow regimes influence aquatic biodiversity downstream of Surry Mountain Dam.

So there’s great potential to restore aquatic habitat in the Ashuelot watershed. But before restoration can even be considered, we have to understand what’s going on. This summer, a crew of trained staff and volunteers will document and evaluate the extent and impacts of aquatic fragmentation in the watershed. Coordinated by TNC and Ashuelot Valley Environmental Observatory, volunteers will assess all road crossings, culverts and other structures that fragment the watershed’s waters.

Ultimately, the information will help guide future restoration projects with partners, including the N.H. Department of Transportation and local communities, as they plan bridge and culvert maintenance and replacement projects. This project is supported by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency via the N.H. Department of Environmental Services, the N.H. Conservation Plate (the moose plate), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

• Training sessions will be held in late May and early June in the Keene area.
  If you're interested in volunteering, contact David Moon at the Ashuelot Valley Environmental Observatory: moon@aveo.org or 603-358-2069.

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Practical workshops on a wide array of land conservation topics are the order of the day on April 1, the 5th annual New Hampshire Land Conservation Conference.

This year's conference will be held at Kingswood Regional High School in Wolfeboro.

"Over half of the conference topics and/or presenters are new this year," said Dijit Taylor, director of the Center for Land Conservation Assistance, a project of the Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests. "We have a bit of a theme going with the nexus between arts and conservation, with artwork from David Carroll in the brochure and being exhibited at the conference, an all new workshop taught by artist Rosemary Conroy on `Combing Art and Conservation - Possibilities and Pitfalls,' and a play for our closing plenary session."

Workshops cover such topics as basic conservation options, an overview of surveying, and developing model conservation easements. One workshop, to be led by Dave Anderson and Tom How of the Forest Society, is entitled: "Let Your Lands Tell the Story: Planning a Powerful Field Trip." As in past years' conferences, there are topics for novice to conservation professionals on many aspects of land protection.

Workshops are already filling up, so register soon.

The conference is presented by the Forest Society's Center for Land Conservation Assistance, the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, and the N.H. Office of Energy and Planning. Corporate sponsors include Dwight Keeler & Co. and Ransmeier & Spellman Professional Association. Local hosts include Green Mountain Conservation Group, Moose Mountains Regional Greenways and the Dan Hole Pond Watershed Trust.

For a conference brochure and more information, visit www.clca.forestsociety.org.

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Partner Profile:
The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program

Since 2002, nearly 11 million CELCP dollars have helped protect over 2,800 acres of New Hampshire land critical to water quality protection, public recreational access, and wildlife habitat preservation in the 42 towns in the coastal watershed, or land that ultimately drains into our ocean.

CELCP is a federal program administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and was established in 2002 with support from U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg in coordination with land conservation experts. CELCP gives priority to coastal lands that can be effectively managed and protected and that have significant ecological and public value.

The NHCP, New Hampshire Estuaries Project, The Nature Conservancy and other project partners are currently working on a plan to identify areas and strategies that are most important for conserving the resources in New Hampshire’s coastal watershed. All states will be required to have such a plan to be eligible for CELCP funding in the future.

"New Hampshire’s coastal watersheds harbor irreplaceable and increasingly at-risk wildlife habitat and water resources. We’re very excited to be working on a regional plan that will help towns, public agencies, and local land trusts identify and conserve these vital natural features before it is too late," said Mark Zankel, deputy director for The Nature Conservancy-New Hampshire.

Learn more about the
Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program
in an article from the Portsmouth Herald

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Join Us in the Field:

Saturday, April 8:
Hike TNC's Otter Brook Preserve in Sullivan
Join the Conservancy's Eric Aldrich and Ann and Roger Sweet on a hike into one of the Monadnock Region's gems. We'll look for the sweet signs of spring (as well as black bear) and enjoy this remarkable preserve before black flies. Co-sponsored by the Harris Center for Conservation Education. For information, contact Eric Aldrich at 603-224-5853, ext. 26.

With your support ...

Working together, we can ensure the diversity of life on Earth and enrich the quality of life in New Hampshire now and for future generations.

You can make a significant impact by helping us preserve and steward land now, which will improve the quality of life for you, your children, your grandchildren and for the future of life on Earth. Please consider:

•  
A life-income gift (charitable gift annuity)
•  
Including us in your will
•  
A gift of stock or mutual funds
•  
A gift of land
•  
Becoming a volunteer
•  
Introducing us to others
•  
A gift of cash

For more information, contact Tiffany McKenna, director of philanthropy, at 603-224-5853, ext. 15.
Click here to find out how you can help The Nature Conservancy's conservation efforts in New Hampshire and beyond.

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About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy's mission is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. The Conservancy has protected more than 98 million acres of valuable lands and waters worldwide. The organization accomplishes its mission through the efforts of state and country chapters, which are responsible for protecting and managing conservation land, and for raising operating and capital funds to support their programs.

Since establishing its first preserve here in 1964, The Nature Conservancy of New Hampshire has helped protect more than 121,000 acres of ecologically significant land and currently owns and manages 30 preserves across the state.

The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire:

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22 Bridge St., Fourth Floor, Concord, N.H., 03301. 603-224-5853.
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Great Bay Office: 112 Bay Road, Newmarket, N.H., 03857. 603-659-2678.
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Northern New Hampshire Project Office: P.O. Box 310, 2760 White Mt. Hwy, North Conway, NH 03860. 603-356-8833

About this e-newsletter
Granite State Glances is the electronic newsletter of The Nature Conservancy's New Hampshire Chapter. It is distributed via email on or around the 15th of every month.

All subscribers (email addresses) on this list are kept confidential and are not shared by The Nature Conservancy.

For questions about this e-newsletter, contact Eric Aldrich, The Nature Conservancy, NH Chapter, 603-224-5853, ext. 26.

To subscribe: click here