Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership Wins EPA's Environmental Merit Award

Partnership cited for success in protecting ecological gems around Great Bay

Boston, Mass. — April 19, 2007 — For its success in protecting ecologically important lands in one of New Hampshire’s fastest-growing areas, the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership has earned a prestigious award from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Partnership received the EPA’s Environmental Merit Award during a ceremony Wednesday at Faneuil Hall in Boston.

Given out by EPA since 1970, the merit awards honor individuals and groups who have shown particular ingenuity and commitment in their efforts to preserve the region's environment. This year's competition drew 54 nominations from across New England. The Great Bay Partnership was among three groups from New Hampshire to receive this year’s award.

“Our Environmental Merit Awards are among the highest honors EPA can bestow to recognize environmental accomplishments,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator for EPA’s New England Office. “I offer my gratitude to these citizens for their extraordinary contributions in protecting our shared environment. Their work reflects the best attributes of New Englanders, working to find solutions to tough environmental issues.”

This is the second time that the Great Bay partnership has earned EPA’s merit award. The first time was in 1997, only three years since the formation of this unique partnership of nine non-profit organizations and state and federal agencies.

The Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership is a comprehensive approach to identify Great Bay’s most critical habitats and to protect them. With The Nature Conservancy as lead acquisition agent, the partners also include Ducks Unlimited, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Natural Resources Conservation Service, New Hampshire Audubon, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Since 1994 the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership has protected 4,710 acres of critical habitat around Great Bay. Local communities and other organizations have protected an additional 3,020 acres that the partnership has been able to use as match to leverage federal funding. The leading sources of funds include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, North American Wetland Conservation Act and private donations.

Lands protected by the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership - Click for detail.

“The Great Bay Estuary is one of New Hampshire's environmental jewels, but it is also one of the most threatened ecosystems in our country,” said U.S. Senator Judd Gregg. “Its close proximity to major population centers has heightened the need for extraordinary measures to protect this special place. Fortunately, the organizations that make up the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership have done a remarkable job in meeting this responsibility. Given the many challenges the Partnership has faced over the last 13 years, the protection of Great Bay is one of the most innovative and successful conservation projects anywhere in the country. The Partnership’s work will have a lasting impact and I want to thank them for the impressive commitment they have made to this initiative.”

“It’s remarkable what the partnership has been able to accomplish just in the past 13 years,” said Daryl Burtnett, state director of The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire. “That success is possible because of the collective strength of the partners. And it’s possible because conservation leaders at the local, state and national level – people like Senator Gregg who understand the urgency of conserving Great Bay’s remarkable places while we still can.”

“The most important product of the Great Bay Partnership is visible for all to see: acres and acres of protected land and miles of recreation trails around Great Bay,” said Rick Minard, president of New Hampshire Audubon. “But the most astonishing aspect of this enterprise is essentially invisible: the collaborative partnership of numerous organizations working together to set priorities, raise money, and even manage staff, all for the benefit of New Hampshire's future. New Hampshire Audubon is enormously proud to be one of the contributors to this success.”

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The Nature Conservancy is the lead acquisition agent for the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership. The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Since 1961 The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire has helped protect more than 265,000 acres of ecologically significant land and currently owns and manages 28 preserves across the state. For more information, visit The Nature Conservancy online at www.nature.org/newhampshire.