• Where We Work
  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois (Chicago Area)
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Northern Rockies
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee (Chattanooga)
  • Texas
  • The Caribbean
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin

 

Merrimack River Conservation Initiative

Photo by: Jerry & Marcy Monkman

Located in Concord and Canterbury, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, the Merrimack River Conservation Initiative is a partnership effort to conserve nearly 1,000 acres (close to 5 miles) of prime riverfront, wildlife habitat, and farm soils in a fast developing region of the state along the Interstate 93 corridor.

Photo: Jerry & Marcy Monkman

The Merrimack River winds from the whitewater of the Pemigewasset, through the urban centers of Concord, Manchester, Nashua, Lawrence and Haverhill, and on to the maritime towns of Amesbury and Newburyport before reaching the Atlantic shore of Massachusetts. Its geography tells the history of this region, 200 years of balancing wildness with the development of farming, logging, manufacturing, and transportation.

Despite its role as a centerpiece of human "progress," the Merrimack's outstanding natural values have endured and flourished. The soils of the Merrimack River Valley are among the richest in the state. Its waters support native fish, including an Atlantic salmon fishery, and it serves as an important flyway for migrating birds. Its proximity to population centers make it a favorite recreational destination for kayaking, canoeing, hiking, and fishing.

Preserving our Community

Canterbury and Concord

The City of Concord and the Town of Canterbury now have the opportunity to conserve nearly 1,000 acres of farm and forestland, close to 5 miles of frontage along the banks of the Merrimack River. The land is located in three parcels and has been managed for agriculture and passive recreation for decades (most of it recently by Gold Star Sod Farm). However, this largely flat, open land is vulnerable to development due to its accessibility to both I-93 and the business districts of Concord.

The Merrimack River Conservation Initiative is an effort to leave a legacy for future generations by expanding and linking together our community's existing protected open space. As Concord and Canterbury residents have seen in the past two decades, rapid growth brings many challenges, including negative effects on traffic, the environment, community character, and taxes. Offsetting this growth by creating corridors of conservation lands will increase opportunities for low-impact recreation, enhance the ability of wildlife to survive and reproduce, and help protect water quality. Without a strong network of greenspace, we risk losing our community's sense of place. Through the Merrimack River Conservation Initiative, we can take a critical step in the effort to manage growth and chart a sustainable future.

Protecting the Natural Resources

New Hampshire is New England's fastest growing state. Merrimack County, the third fastest growing county, experienced an 18% increase in population from 1990 to 2003. Concord and Canterbury are seeing rapid loss of their remaining forest and agricultural lands as growth pressures extend beyond the I-93 corridor, stark testimony to the urgency of this conservation effort. At the same time, the Merrimack provides important habitat to a number of threatened wildlife species, including the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), brook floater mussel (Alasmidonta varicosa), burr grass (Cenchrus longispinus), and Eastern/New England cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus/transitionalis).

As a major north/south corridor, the Merrimack is an important flyway for migratory birds. Such species as osprey, owls, hawks, woodpeckers, ducks, sparrows, thrushes, flycatchers and warblers migrate and feed along its floodplain. The project will assure that the important farm soils along the river (among the most productive in the state) are protected for continued agricultural uses. It will assure continued public recreational access for such activities as walking, fishing, hunting, canoeing and kayaking, bird watching, and cross-country skiing.

Project Structure

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF) are leading a joint effort to acquire three parcels of land shown on the map at the right as the Gold Star and West Portsmouth Street lands. They are working together with the City of Concord, Town of Canterbury, State of New Hampshire, the federal Congressional delegation, and local businesses and citizens, to facilitate the permanent protection and continued public use of these properties.

• Land will be acquired from private landowners. The Town of Canterbury will purchase 625+/- acres in Canterbury and the City of Concord will purchase 350+/- acres in Concord;
• SPNHF will hold conservation easements over lands in both towns;
• Conservation easements will assure the opportunity for continued agricultural use of those lands currently under cultivation, while also making special provisions to protect wildlife habitat and other ecologically sensitive areas; and
• Concord and Canterbury will lease the agricultural lands to a farmer to keep the land in production and help offset the cost of bonds.

Updated 3/2006