NHEP Management Plan 2000

This 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 Bay and Hampton-Seabrook Estuaries. Due to the national significance of their natural resources, the New Hampshire estuaries were selected for assistance and support from the National Estuaries Program. Although these estuaries are by no means pristine, much progress has already been made in correcting problems. 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