Working Lands for Wildlife is a targeted conservation effort in the
Merrimack Valley (Derry, Londonderry, Litchfield, Pelham, Hudson, Merrimack,
Windham) and the Seacoast area (Lee, Barrington, Dover, Durham, Madbury, and
Rollinsford). The most applicable sites have fertile soils which were once
in agricultural production and have reverted into mid-aged forests with poor
quality timber. The typical prescription is to remove trees in order to
benefit understory shrubs at a scale of 10-50 acres. In addition to the New
England Cottontail, these areas are also important for several game species
such as ruffed grouse, deer, and woodcock as well as several species of
migratory song birds.

Applications are accepted anytime, but the application ranking cut-off for
current funds is April 30, 2012.

For Hillsboro County please call:  NRCS District Conservationist Chad
Cochrane at 603-673-2409 ext. 101.

For Strafford and Rockingham Counties, please call NRCS-District
Conservationist Dan Wright at 603-679-1587 ext. 110.

Durham, New Hampshire, May 8, 2012 — State Conservationist Richard Ellsmore announced the launch of a new National Water Quality Initiative committed to improving impaired waters in three small watersheds in New Hampshire. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will manage the initiative by making funds available to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners in the selected watersheds.

“The Water Quality Initiative will further NRCS’s partnership efforts to improve water quality using voluntary actions on private lands,” Ellsmore said. “This initiative is a focused approach in areas facing significant natural resource challenges. It bolsters the positive results of landscape conservation initiatives NRCS and its partners already have underway.”

Through this effort, eligible producers in the Oyster River (Great Bay Watershed), Lower Lamprey River (Lamprey River Watershed), and the Squamscott River (Exeter River Watershed) Watersheds will invest in voluntary conservation actions to help provide cleaner water for their neighbors and communities. The selected watersheds all empty into Great Bay and were identified with help from state agencies, partners, and the NRCS State Technical Committee.

Using funds from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), NRCS will provide technical and financial assistance to producers to install conservation practices such as cover crops and filter strips, and to make changes in management strategies to minimize nutrients and sediment entering surface waters.   This federal investment can make a difference to improve water quality in these small watersheds, as well as the Great Bay.  In addition to practice installation and management changes, there will be a water quality monitoring component to help measure success allowing NRCS to transfer this information to water quality projects in other areas.

“American farmers are good stewards of the environment, especially when they have the tools they need to protect or improve fish and wildlife habitat and water quality,” said NRCS Chief Dave White. “We look forward to collaborating with producers in key watersheds to help them have a positive impact on streams with impaired water quality.”

Located in southeast New Hampshire, the three selected watersheds encompass 46,360 acres.  The initiative targets nutrients and sediment impairments.  Watersheds, like these, with existing management plans and water quality monitoring programs are highly desirable as they will allow NRCS to demonstrate the impact of the initiative.  EQIP funding will be used to accelerate efforts to improve water quality in the targeted waters.

NRCS accepts applications for financial assistance on a continuous basis throughout the year; however, the ranking cut-off date for applications under this initiative is June 15, 2012. Remember to check with your local NRCS office to see if you are located in a selected watershed. This summer, NRCS will notify all applicants of the results and begin developing contracts with selected applicants.

Since 1935, NRCS’s nationwide conservation delivery system works with private landowners to put conservation on the ground based on specific, local conservation needs, while accommodating state and national interests. For more information about NRCS’s programs, initiatives, and services in New Hampshire, visit us online at www.nh.nrcs.usda.gov.

Kevin Lucey, the DES Coastal Program restoration coordinator, and Lenny Lord, district manager and ecologist with the Rockingham County Conservation District (RCCD) coordinated the work. The RCCD is currently leading the restoration effort with funding support from the DES Aquatic Resources Mitigation Fund (ARM).  This restoration effort builds upon work already being done to control invasive plants and restore native habitats in other areas of Odiorne. The DES ARM funds are also being put to work to restore a coastal salt pond adjacent to the one of the maritime shrubland sites. The salt pond habitat is the only one of its kind in the state.

Partner groups such as the DES Coastal Program, Rockingham County Conservation District, N.H. State Parks, Seacoast Science Center, additional members of Coastal Watershed Invasive Plant Partnership, NH Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, town of Rye and volunteers have been integrally involved in the restoration efforts at Odiorne.

Land Resources Management, a subsection of the Water Division, coordinates communication and resources across those bureaus and programs that regulate land development projects that may impact state aquatic resources. For more information, please visit the NH DES Land Resources Management web page at:  http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/lrm/index.htm.

The resolution originated from the Hillsborough County Conservation District, was approved at the NH Association of Conservation Districts Annual meeting in November, and presented to the NACD at its annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada by Linda Brownson of Wentworth, New Hampshire’s delegate to the NACD.

A specific Title in the Farm Bill to address small farms and local distribution of farm goods will enhance farm viability in the Northeast and across the country. Economically successful farms can be better stewards of our water and soil resources.

“A farm’s economic sustainability is a conservation principle unto itself in New Hampshire” said NH’s Delegate Linda Brownson.

The 2008 Farm Bill expires in September of 2012 and a new farm bill will be debated over the coming year.  A local foods title incorporated into the new bill will help farmers by addressing production, aggregation, processing, marketing, and distribution needs to access growing local and regional food markets.  The local foods legislation will also assist consumers by improving access to healthy food.  The measure will provide secure farm bill funding for critically important programs that support family farms, expand new farming opportunities, create rural jobs, and invest in the local food and agriculture economy.

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents America’s 3,000 conservation districts and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. Conservation districts are local units of government established under state law to carry out natural resource management programs at the local level. Districts work with millions of cooperating landowners and operators to help them manage and protect land and water resources on all private lands and many public lands in the United States.

Since 1946, the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts (NHACD) has provided statewide coordination, representation, and leadership for Conservation Districts to conserve, protect, and promote responsible use of New Hampshire’s natural resources.