Preserving Habitat During the Development Boom

By late 1995, the partnership had developed the first comprehensive habitat protection plan for the estuary encompassing 272,000 acres (about 425 square miles) and 24 communities. A list of 25 significant land areas in need of protection emerged. Ten were deemed of highest priority; they totaled 14,200 acres. Each of the partners was charged with different responsibilities to help implement this, and subsequent, protection plans. To the N.H. Chapter of The Nature Conservancy fell two critical tasks: to be the lead land acquisition agent for the partnership and to manage federal grant funds on behalf of the partnership.

During the 1970s and 1980s, just as these conservation forces were set in motion, the difficulty of the conservation task was also growing. New Hampshire had become the fastest-growing state in New England, and its seacoast area-located within an hour of Boston, Manchester and Portland-led this growth. The Great Bay region straddles Rockingham County to the south and Strafford County to the north. Between 1970 and 1990, Rockingham's population grew from 99,000 to 246,000; Strafford's from 70,000 to 104,000. (Today, the combined population of both counties stands at close to 400,000.) The most sensitive land for conservation was within 300 feet of the water's edge; but this was also the most desirable, and valuable, for development. Time was critical as the complexity and cost of conservation were increasing rapidly.

In the midst of this intense development pressure, the Great Bay Partnership had two things working in its favor: the bay's designation as both a national estuarine reserve and as a "focus area" for waterfowl habitat protection, each of which made Great Bay eligible for federal funding. In 1995, the partnership won a federal matching grant for $511,000 through the federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), money it used to acquire land around Crommet Creek in Durham, which feeds directly into the bay. Matching funds came from The Nature Conservancy, the Forest Society and private donations.

A Committed Advocate in Congress

Another potential source of federal funding was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), but to obtain NOAA grants, the partnership needed a committed and knowledgeable advocate in Congress. Fortunately, U.S. Senator Judd Gregg, New Hampshire's junior senator and the ranking member of the senate appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for NOAA, took on that role. In 1997 the Great Bay Partnership received its first NOAA grant in the amount of $1 million. Senator Gregg's ongoing efforts have resulted in three additional grants, bringing the total NOAA funding to $18.8 million.

Gregg—a 1965 graduate of the Academy whose home is in Rye—says his deep roots in the area have made him "keenly aware of the importance of conserving the natural character of the Great Bay and its surrounding marshes. The mixture of salt and fresh water lends itself to an amazing array of fish and other wildlife." The fine balance of this ecosystem makes the Great Bay "incredibly sensitive to encroaching development and the introduction of pollutants," Gregg adds. "I've been pleased to help the Great Bay Partnership secure funding to protect the lands surrounding the bay to ensure that the people of New Hampshire will be able to enjoy the benefits of a clean and productive Great Bay for generations to come."

During this same period, the partnership won three additional NAWCA grants totaling $2.6 million—grants requiring matching funds of approximately $5 million. Private funds have come from numerous sources, but of particular note has been a $5 million fund-raising campaign undertaken by The Nature Conservancy of New Hampshire (whose trustees include several Exonians- Durham resident Pat Kendall, wife of Skip Kendall '57, and Patrick O'Donnell '46, '62 [Hon.], of Concord, husband of PEA Principal Emerita Kendra Stearns O'Donnell). To date approximately $3.7 million has been raised, for land acquisition and for stewardship endowment to manage lands in perpetuity.

Getting to the Great Bay The Sandy Point Discovery Center offers a good introduction to the Great Bay. Perhaps the best way to see the Great Bay is by boat: Put in at the Exeter town dock and travel five miles up the Squamscott River until you reach the bay. But lacking kayak, canoe or outboard, try a visit to the Sandy Point Discovery Center in Stratham (from Exeter, take Route 108N and then bear right onto Route 33E; continue for 1.5 miles and turn left on Depot Road). Maintained by the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, this handsome visitor's center (open May 1 through September 30; weekends only in October) offers a good introduction to the bay's history, the marine life it sustains, and conservation efforts to protect and restore it. During the summer, the center also offers guided kayak tours on the bay, a lecture series, and an environmental education program for children. Outside, you can wander along a universally accessible trail and boardwalk, which will lead you through a sampling of the habitats—from hardwood forest to salt marshes—which border the bay. There is also a small boat launch area where you can put in a kayak and also enjoy expansive views of the bay. For more information, call the center at (603) 778-0015 or visit the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve's website (www.greatbay.org). Two Portsmouth-based cruise lines—the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company (1-800-441-4620; www.islesofshoals.com) and Portsmouth Harbor Cruises (1-800-776-0915; www.portsmouthharbor.com)-run fall foliage tours of the Piscataqua River and the Great Bay. They also offer regulars tours of Portsmouth Harbor and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and a cruise out to the Isles of Shoals, located six miles offshore. Those interested in learning more about the area's colonial history would be well advised to visit the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, an historic waterfront area of 18th-century homes and gardens with guided tours and a museum shop (603-433-1100; www.strawberybanke.org).

page 1 | page 2 | page 3 | page 4