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Writer's pictureDiana Chaplin

Connecticut River Conservancy Receives 11.5M Federal Award for River Restoration and Forest Health Projects in New Hampshire

Connecticut River in autumn, surrounded by vibrant New England foliage with clear light blue sky
The Connecticut River near Woodsville, New Hampshire, where the Ammonoosuc River flows into the Connecticut River in a region called The Narrows. Photo by Alix Kaplan/Connecticut River Conservancy.

Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC), a nonprofit dedicated to clean water, healthy habitats, and resilient communities throughout the entire 410-mile Connecticut River watershed, has received 11.5-million-dollars from the USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program, which is implemented through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This is the largest funding award in the organization’s 72-year history, with all funds dedicated to ecosystem restoration projects in the Connecticut River watershed portion of New Hampshire, as well as Coos County, over the next 5 years.


These funds will be used to help farmers and private landowners manage and enhance aquatic and forested ecosystems on their properties.


“We are excited to continue our important work with the Connecticut River Conservancy under the recently awarded RCPP project to address resource concerns in Coös County and the upper Connecticut River watershed,” said Becky Ross, New Hampshire State Conservationist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in the Granite State.
“As stewards of the headwaters of one of New England’s most important rivers, it is vital to have such a strong private-public partnership to leverage our collective strategies and capabilities to support our shared vision of conserving this natural resource. Through the power of partnerships under RCPP, we can achieve more positive impacts faster and help accelerate support for the conservation goals of our dedicated farm and non-industrial private forest landowners in the Granite State. Under this program we look forward to helping them help the land – together.”

The goal of this effort is to restore degraded stream and forest ecosystems in parts of New Hampshire, which will in turn improve water quality, ecosystem health, and climate resiliency. This will be accomplished by stabilizing streambanks, removing dams, replacing undersized culverts, planting riparian buffers, installing strategic wood additions, and carrying out forest management practices. The proposed projects are estimated to stabilize at least 2,000 feet of streambank; prevent 400 pounds of nitrogen and 200 tons of sediment from entering waterways annually; enhance 70 miles of stream habitat; reestablish 50 acres of riparian forest; complete 400 acres of forest stand improvement, and sequester or reduce 50-150 tons of CO2.


Since the early 1800s, the Connecticut River and its tributaries have been the lifeblood of local communities in western and northern NH. Over time, the conditions of our waterways and forests have worsened due to overuse and mismanagement. Additionally, these habitats are now being heavily impacted by climate change, including intense rainfall, off-season flooding, periods of high temperatures, and extended droughts. Degraded ecosystems provide fewer ecosystem services for humans and nature, and are less able to bounce back from extreme weather events. In the project area today, there are still 150 dams and 455 culverts with no or reduced fish passage and thousands of acres of forests that need proper management. These funds will enable CRC and our partners to remove stream barriers, enhance habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species, and improve the overall health of the upper watershed.


CRC has a long history of completing ecological restoration projects. Since 2011, CRC has removed 24 dams, replaced 6 culverts, opened 427 miles to aquatic organism passage, and planted over 90,000 native trees and shrubs on 26 acres across the watershed. This award will allow CRC to continue this great work in the upper watershed, including the headwaters of the Connecticut River located in northern NH.


"CRC’s award of 11.5M in the great state of New Hampshire will have a positive and long-lasting impact throughout the entire Connecticut River watershed, all the way down to Long Island Sound” said Rebecca Todd, Executive Director at Connecticut River Conservancy. “This funding empowers the kind of bold action we need to take now to support our habitats and communities in a rapidly changing climate.”

As part of this effort, CRC has teamed up with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) Fund to provide over 2 million additional dollars to go towards related stream restoration efforts in the watershed. Since 2009, the NHDES ARM Fund has invested over $1 billion in restoration and conservation funding in the project area, including protecting over 1,400 acres of wetlands and 39 miles of river, and removing barriers on 17 miles of river. CRC and the NHDES ARM Fund will collaborate regularly to identify potential projects and coordinate how to best spend funds to optimize ecosystem impact across the project area.


This funding will give private landowners the financial help they need to restore their land and become more resilient in a changing climate.


In more good news for the watershed, CRC is among the partners included in Mass Audubon’s 25-million-dollar NRCS award for conservation work along the Connecticut River in Massachusetts. CRC has also recently received a grant from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ (EEA) Dam and Seawall program for a dam removal exploration in that state. These combined projects highlight an impactful and partnership-based vision for watershed-wide climate resiliency in the years to come.

CRC looks forward to continuing our work with the USDA NRCS in New Hampshire, the ARM Fund, and our local restoration, engineering, and construction partners to improve water quality, forest health, and riparian habitats in our local rivers.


About Connecticut River Conservancy:

The Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) restores and advocates for clean water, healthy habitats, and resilient communities to support a diverse and thriving watershed. CRC has been a steward of the Connecticut River and tributary streams since 1952. Their programs include advocacy, aquatic invasive species management, dam removal, habitat restoration, migratory fish surveys, recreation, trash cleanups, and water quality monitoring. Together through community engagement and education, they’re dedicated to ensuring equitable access and healthy rivers for all. Learn more at ctriver.org.

 

About the Regional Conservation Partnership Program:

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation. In 2024 the USDA Announced $1.5 Billion for 92 Projects. You can learn more about the RCPP awards in NH here and see the full list of awarded projects across the country here.


For questions about this award:

Lauren Zielinski, Stream Restoration Specialist

(603) 325-7022 lzielinski@ctriver.org

 

Ron Rhodes, Director of Programs

(413)768-4994 rrhodes@ctriver.org


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