Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership Organization

The Great Bay Partnership consists of state and regional private non-profit conservation organizations and land trusts, federal and state public agencies, and municipalities.  The Partnership is not an incorporated entity, but functions as a unique collaborative effort.  The Great Bay Partnership operates on a consensus-based, decision-making model which involves focusing on common goals and the results of problem solving, providing open discussion including all parties, and reaching an acceptable solution which is not unacceptable to anyone. 

Lead Aquisition Agency
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) serves as the lead acquisition agent and provide the administrative and financial services for the Great Bay Partnership, as well as land protection and stewardship staff.

Great Bay Coordinator
The Great Bay Partnership's Coordinator is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership's land conservation efforts and working with Principal, Associate and Community Partners.

Land Protection
TNC's Director of Land Protection is responsible for conservation property negotiations and transactions, and grants administration.

Stewardship Ecologist
TNC's Stewardship Ecologist provides stewardship and management services for protected lands in the Great Bay region.

Principal Partners are those organizations with a state-wide conservation presence that oversee the ongoing activities of the Great Bay Partnership and serve as the primary policy making entity.  The Principal Partners include:

Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
The mission of the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is to promote informed management of the Great Bay estuary and estuarine habitats through linked programs of stewardship, public education, and scientific understanding. Great Bay NERR is part of a national network of protected areas established for long-term research, education and stewardship. This partnership program between NOAA and the coastal states protects more than one million acres of estuarine land and water, which provides essential habitat for wildlife; offers educational opportunities for students, teachers and the public; and serves as living laboratories for scientists.

New Hampshire Audubon
New Hampshire Audubon is an independent statewide membership organization whose mission is to protect New Hampshire’s natural environment for wildlife and for people. It operates five nature centers throughout the state that provide educational programs for children and adults. It is also involved in statewide conservation research and wildlife monitoring projects, protects thousands of acres of wildlife habitat, and advocates for sound public policy on conservation issues. For information on New Hampshire Audubon, including membership, volunteering, programs, and publications (603-224-9909)

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
As the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife, and marine resources, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department works in partnership with the public to:

• Conserve, manage and protect these resources and their habitats;
• Inform and educate the public about these resources;
• Provide the public with opportunities to use and appreciate these resources. (603-271-3211)

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
As a non-profit membership organization, the Forest Society is dedicated to protecting the state's most important landscapes while promoting the wise use of its renewable natural resources.  The Forest Society has programs in land protection, land management, conservation advocacy, natural resource education, and conservation research.  As the state's oldest and largest land trust, the Society has directly protected (through easements and ownership) nearly 150,000 acres, and its assistance and advocacy has protected a total of more than 1 million acres.

United States Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA New Hampshire website)
The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s mission is to protect and restore the environment and protect the human health of the citizens.  This effort consists of five goals including:   Clean Air and Global Climate Change, Clean and Safe Water, Land Preservation and Restoration, Healthy Communities and Ecosystems, and Compliance and Environmental Stewardship.  The US EPA conducts much of its New England project work in New Hampshire in partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES).

United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge
The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

United State Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service - "Productive Lands - Healthy Environment"
(NRCS New Hampshire website)
The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service’s mission is helping people help the land. NRCS provides products and services that enable people to be good stewards of the Nation's soil, water, and related natural resources on non-Federal lands.

Associate Partners include the professionally staffed, non-profit conservation organizations with a service area that includes at least part of the Great Bay Focus Area, in which the organization purchases and owns land and/or interests in land.  The Associate Partners in the Great Bay Focus Area include:

Bear Paw Regional Greenways
Bear-Paw Regional Greenways is a land trust established by resident volunteers, who are working to conserve open space through landowner outreach, education, land protection, and community assistance.  Its goal is to safeguard important wildlife habitat and travel routes, water and other natural resources, the region’s inherent natural beauty, and local recreational opportunities.  Bear-Paw’s mission is to create a network of voluntarily protected lands in our region which connects with the larger network in southeastern New Hampshire.  Bear-Paw envisions a region of scenic beauty and sustained rural character, where human habitat is set within a viable network of natural resources preserved for present and future generations to enjoy.

Rockingham County Conservation District
The Rockingham County Conservation District delivers soil and water conservation at the local level.  The District works with landowners and users, local government agencies, and other local interests in addressing a broad spectrum of resource concerns.  These concerns include but are not limited to surface and ground water quality and quantity, nonpoint source pollution, erosion and sedimentation, stormwater, flooding, wetlands, forestlands, wildlife habitats, and solid waste.  Conservation Programs in Rockingham County are carried out through public education and the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs).  Technical assistance and information for the implementation of BMPs are provided for various land uses in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), other state and federal agencies and organizations, District staff and volunteers, and district consultants.

Strafford County Conservation District
Contact 603-749-3037, 259 County Farm Road, Dover, NH 03820
The Strafford County Conservation District delivers soil and water conservation at the local level.  The District works with landowners and users, local government agencies, and other local interests in addressing a broad spectrum of resource concerns.

Strafford Rivers Conservancy
The Strafford Rivers Conservancy (SRC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and conserving the natural beauty, resources, and character of Strafford County. The SRC is THE local land trust for Strafford County and southern Carroll County.  The SRC achieves its mission by facilitating and holding conservation easements, the acquisition of land, education, and stewardship of protected properties. In the organization’s 17 year history, it has helped protect over 1500 acres of farm, forest, riverfront, and lakefront properties.

Community Partners include the twenty-four (24) municipalities and regional conservation and planning organizations in the Great Bay Focus Area.

Conservation Organizations:

• Cocheco River Watershed Coalition
• Exeter River Local Advisory Committee
• Great Bay Stewards
• Great Bay Watch
• Lamprey River Advisory Committee
• Lamprey River Watershed Association
• Moose Mountain Regional Greenways
• Oyster River Watershed Association
• Rockingham Planning Commission
• Strafford Planning Commission
• UNH Cooperative Extension

Municipalities:

• Barrington
• Brentwood
• Dover
• Durham
• Epping
• Exeter
• Fremont
• Greenland
• Hampton Falls
• Hampton
• Lee
• Madbury
• New Castle
• Newfields
• Newington
• Newmarket
• North Hampton
• Nottingham
• Portsmouth
• Raymond
• Rollinsford
• Rye
• Seabrook
• Stratham