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NEW HAMPSHIRE ESTUARIES PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN, 2000
Citation:
New Hampshire Esturaries Project. NEW HAMPSHIRE ESTUARIES PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN, 2000. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
Description:
The Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan of the New Hampshire Estuaries Project presents a broad framework and specific list of actions to protect and enhance the environmental quality of the estuaries of the State of New Hampshire. It is intended to be a guide for all who use, enjoy, or care about the state's estuarine resources. The NHEP Management Plan addresses the environmental quality of the entire watershed draining to New Hampshire coastal waters, but focuses action efforts on the lands surrounding the Great Ray and Hampton-Seabrook Estuaries. Upgrades to sewage treatment plants, reopened shellfish beds, restoration of degraded salt marshes, increased acreage of permanently protected habitat, and improved planning for future development all indicate the power of partnerships forged at the local level. This Management Plan builds on these improvements and partnerships and focuses on this positive direction. From its start, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project has aimed for real improvements to the environment. The common theme of NHEP work was improvement and protection of estuarine water quality - the foundation of the estuaries' value as wildlife habitat, as a recreational resource, and as a key element to the Seacoast economy. Shellfish were chosen as a tangible, easily understood indicator to measure improvements to water quality. The Management Plan outlines actions formulated around five themes: Water Quality, Land Use, Development and Habitat Protection, Shellfish, Habitat Restoration, and Public Outreach and Education. Actions are largely intended to prevent problems, identify and correct problems, or educate and involve specific target audiences. The actions are not presented as activities to be implemented solely by the NHEP; rather, they are intended as a guide for government agencies, recreational users, businesses, educators, and members of the public who have worked, and will continue to work, toward the over-arching goal of a clean, healthy estuarine environment. The Plan includes suggested funding and provisions for monitoring progress over the long term.