1. Merrimack Conservation Partnership

2.  In 2010 the Merrimack River was identified by the US Forest Service as the most threatened watershed in the nation in terms of projected loss of private forest land over the next twenty years.  The watershed’s 2.6 million residents directly depend on the Merrimack watershed for drinking water, local food and forest products, and close-to-home outdoor recreation.  Despite being highly developed, the Merrimack Valley still contains critical terrestrial and aquatic habitats, and contributes to the larger Gulf of Maine marine ecosystem. Why the Merrimack?

3. Merrimack watershed totals about 3,275 square miles or 2.1 million acres, divided almost evenly between NH (54%) and MA (46%). From its start in Franklin, the Merrimack River flows through eight of the New Hampshire’s ten largest cities, including Manchester, Nashua and Concord. River continues into MA, running through cities like Lowell and Lawrence to its mouth at Newburyport. Why the Merrimack? Concord Manchester Nashua Lowell

4. The Merrimack at Canterbury, NH

5. The Merrimack at Manchester, NH

6. The Merrimack at Newburyport, MA

7.  A new science-driven, consensus based land conservation plan for the Merrimack watershed.  Product of two years of effort by conservation and planning professionals representing 33 private organizations and public agencies in NH and MA.  Integrates best-available natural resource data with expert judgment to prioritize land protection to protect water quality, habitat, farms and forests, and recreational open space. A Land Conservation Plan for the Merrimack Watershed of NH and MA

8. TownState 2000 Population 2010 Population# Change% Change Massachusetts MERRIMACMA 6,1386,3382003.3% METHUENMA 43,78947,2553,4667.9% MIDDLETONMA 7,7448,9871,24316.1% NATICKMA 32,17033,0068362.6% NEWBURYMA 6,7176,666-51-0.8% NEWBURYPORTMA 17,18917,4162271.3% NORTH ANDOVERMA 27,20228,3521,1504.2% NORTH READINGMA 13,83714,8921,0557.6% NORTHBOROUGHMA 14,01314,1551421.0% PAXTONMA 4,3864,8064209.6% PEABODYMA 48,12951,2513,1226.5% MA Merrimack Towns # Pop. Growth 2000-2010 (72K added total in MA watershed)

9. TownState 2000 Population 2010 Population# Change% Change NEW HAMPSHIRE BEDFORDNH18,27421,203 2,92916.0% WINDHAMNH10,70913,592 2,88326.9% MANCHESTERNH107,006109,565 2,5592.4% CONCORDNH40,68742,695 2,0084.9% PELHAMNH10,91412,897 1,98318.2% HOOKSETTNH11,72113,451 1,73014.8% MILFORDNH13,53515,115 1,58011.7% HUDSONNH22,92824,467 1,5396.7% NEW BOSTONNH4,1385,321 1,18328.6% HILLSBOROUGHNH4,9286,011 1,08322.0% WEARENH7,7768,785 1,00913.0% NH Merrimack Towns # Pop. Growth 2000-2010 (42K added total in NH watershed)

10.  29% of all Massachusetts residents live in the MA portion of the Merrimack watershed, but the region only has 17% of the state’s conservation land.  57% of all New Hampshire residents live in NH portion of the Merrimack watershed (79 towns comprising 19% of the state’s land area);  NH portion of the Merrimack has only 10% of state’s conservation land. Current status of Conservation in the Watershed

11. 17.6% of the Merrimack watershed is permanently conserved -- less than the share for New Hampshire as a whole (30.6%) or Massachusetts (24.5%). In MA, 18% of the land classified as “source water protection area” by state regulators is in permanent conservation. In NH, only 9.9% of all the land classified as “wellhead protection area” (of which there is 110,000 acres total) is in permanent conservation. Watershed Conservation

13. TownState Total WHPA Acres Acres WHPA Conserved % WHPA Conserved BEDFORDNH1,839372.0% WINDHAMNH6,9543244.7% MANCHESTERNH8400.0% CONCORDNH1,167373.2% PELHAMNH2,3601657.0% HOOKSETTNH1,048807.7% MILFORDNH2,82145616.1% HUDSONNH738638.5% NEW BOSTONNH1,44320.1% HILLSBOROUGHNH1,055888.3% Conservation of Wellhead Protection Areas in Top Ten NH Towns by # Population Growth 2000-2010

14. The Merrimack conservation plan integrates 43 different GIS data sets; Of these 15 were water-related, including drinking water and source water protection areas, aquifers, phosphorus and nitrogen loading data, wetlands, stream networks etc. Each data set was weighted via “Delphi” voting (18 partners participated) Water-related data is a key driver of the plan. The Merrimack Plan and Water

15. Tier 1 Conservation Focus Area (CFA) = “best of the best” highest scoring acres; Tier 2 CFA = “next best” still very high scoring; Tier 3 = “supporting landscape” that buffers and connects CFAs. Plan Priorities

16. Plan Priority Areas: Current Conservation Status

18. Example: Amherst, NH Town ac. in WatershedTier ac. Tier ac. as % of Town Tier ac. Conserved % of Tier ac. Tier acres Not Conserv % of Tier acres Tier 1 22,025.3 1,958.48.9% 620.331.7% 1,338.168.3% Tier 222,025.3 4,571.520.8% 794.017.4%3,777.582.6% Tier 322,025.3 4,848.222.0% 359.77.4%4,488.592.6%

19. Example: Merrimac, MA Town acres in WatershedTier Acres Tier acres as % of Town Tier acres Conserved % of Tier acres Tier acres Not Conserved % of Tier acres Tier 15,685 59910%6611%53288% Tier 25,6852,16538%59527%1,57072% Tier 35,6854,09122%21522%76378%

20. NH Merrimack Watershed Current Land Use (1.13 M acres total)

21. Land Use if ALL Tier 1 Acres Conserved (+86K)

22. Land Use if all Tier 1 AND Tier 2 Acres Conserved (+244K)

23. Land Use if all Tier 1, 2 AND Tier 3 Acres Conserved (+262K)

24. Outreach:  Public release of conservation plan – Spring 2014  Outreach to towns, Conservation groups and others Summer 2014 - summer 2015  Use plan for case-making with legislature to State Conservation Funding programs;  Establish a website 2015 (delivery of map and data) (http://merrimackconservationpartnership.org/)http://merrimackconservationpartnership.org/ What’s Next for the Partnership?

25. Land Conservation:  Increase pace of land conservation activity by towns, state agencies and land trusts in the region by targeting priority lands;  Seek public and/or private funding to establish transaction grants program tied to plan implementation;  Maintain the Merrimack Conservation Partnership & track progress; Other  Use plan (and complementary state-wide research) to integrate watershed land conservation into policy discussions around water infrastructure funding (the “$3 billion problem”);  Possible “Phase II” planning project looking at urbanized corridor along main-stem of Merrimack River with more emphasis on trails and local open space?; What’s Next for the Partnership?

26. Brian Hotz Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests bhotz@forestsociety.org (603) 224-9945 http://merrimackconservationpartnership.org/ For More Information

27. Questions?

30. TownState Total WHPA Acres Acres WHPA Conserved % WHPA Conserved WINDHAMNH6,9543244.7% DERRYNH6,2365749.2% HAMPSTEADNH5,2985009.4% BOWNH5,02198319.6% ATKINSONNH4,4983948.8% PEMBROKENH4,394942.1% PLAISTOWNH4,1502706.5% EPSOMNH3,528461.3% LOUDONNH3,3521083.2% LONDONDERRYNH3,0422528.3% Conservation of Wellhead Protection Areas in Top Ten NH Towns by Total Acres of WHPA

31. Example: Derry, NH Town acres in Watershed Tier Acres Tier acres as % of Town Tier acres Conser ved % of Tier acres Tier acres Not Conser ved % of Tier acres Tier 122,7312,62811.6%46717.8%2,16282.2% Tier 222,7315,35423.6%5089.5%4,84690.5% Tier 322,7314,09118.0%3207.8%3,77192.2% 22,73112,07353.1%1,29510.7%10,77889.3%

32. TownState 2000 Population 2010 Population# Change% Change NEW HAMPSHIRE EAST KINGSTONNH1,7842,357 57332.1% NEW BOSTONNH4,1385,321 1,18328.6% WINDHAMNH10,70913,592 2,88326.9% CHESTERNH3,7924,768 97625.7% DUNBARTONNH2,2262,758 53223.9% GILMANTONNH3,0603,777 71723.4% HILLSBOROUGHNH4,9286,011 1,08322.0% SALISBURYNH1,1371,382 24521.5% MASONNH1,1471,382 23520.5% BROOKLINENH4,1814,991 81019.4% NH Merrimack Towns % Pop. Growth 2000-2010

33. TownState 2000 Population 2010 Population# Change% Change NEW HAMPSHIRE AMHERST NH10,76911,201 4324.0% BEDFORDNH18,27421,203 2,92916.0% WINDHAMNH10,70913,592 2,88326.9% MANCHESTERNH107,006109,565 2,5592.4% CONCORDNH40,68742,695 2,0084.9% PELHAMNH10,91412,897 1,98318.2% HOOKSETTNH11,72113,451 1,73014.8% MILFORDNH13,53515,115 1,58011.7% HUDSONNH22,92824,467 1,5396.7% NEW BOSTONNH4,1385,321 1,18328.6% HILLSBOROUGHNH4,9286,011 1,08322.0% NH Merrimack Towns # Pop. Growth 2000-2010 (42K added total in NH watershed)