Protecting Great Bay Estuary
This past fall, Environment New Hampshire launched an effort to convince state officials to protect Great Bay Estuary and wetlands across New Hampshire by enacting legislation to limit development around wetland areas.
“The Great Bay Estuary is one of New Hampshire’s most important waterways, but the explosion of uncontrolled development is swallowing up our open space and threatening wetlands and waterways like Great Bay Estuary,” said Kathryn Fox, preservation associate for Environment New Hampshire.
Environment New Hampshire is working with a coalition of state conservation groups to win the support of Gov. John Lynch and key legislators for this important piece of legislation.
The legislation would amend existing laws to require the Department of Environmental Services to assess the full impact of proposed development near wetland areas. By tightening restrictions on development near wetlands, the bill would also protect water bodies that depend on clean water from wetlands.
Great Bay depends on clean wetlands
New Hampshire’s wetlands play a critical role in protecting the health of the state’s treasured lakes, waterways and estuaries, such as Great Bay.
Not only do wetlands act as a natural filter, trapping sediments and absorbing contaminants, but they also help to protect communities from flooding and sustain a wide diversity of plant and animal species. Close to 150 miles of Great Bay’s shoreline borders salt marshes and eelgrass meadows that provide habitat for several hundred species of fish and wildlife.
However, encroaching development is threatening the estuary and its wetlands, which are located in one of the fastest growing regions in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire’s existing laws do not go far enough to protect our wetlands from development. Inadequate permitting criteria leave New Hampshire’s wetlands vulnerable to a variety of threats including habitat fragmentation and increased stormwater runoff.
Great Bay Estuary supports hundreds species of wildlife, such as heron.
