Description
The Lamprey River is one of only two New Hampshire rivers designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. Its alternating stretches of whitewater and quiet water have been loved by Seacoast paddlers and fishing enthusiasts for generations. The Lamprey is a major tributary of the Great Bay Estuary and its river corridor and uplands provide important habitat for plants and animals.
The 232-acre tract comprising the Lamprey River Preserve in Durham is one of the largest undeveloped tracts of land along the river and includes more than two miles of meandering frontage on the main stem. The preserve contains floodplain forests, vernal pools, forested wetlands, and open fields, which support a diversity of wildlife including waterfowl, turtles, amphibians, and foxes. Forty acres of grassland and former agricultural fields are actively managed to provide breeding habitat for bobolinks, Eastern meadowlarks, savannah and other field sparrows.
History
Nearly all of what is now under The Nature Conservancy’s ownership had been purchased for sand and gravel extraction and was later approved to be developed as an 18-hole golf course by the town planning board. Remarkably, neither of these plans was executed and The Nature Conservancy was able to acquire 224 acres as part of the conservation efforts of the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership. In 2005, the preserve was expanded through the purchase of an adjacent eight acres.