Mission

The New Hampshire Rivers Council is committed to the conservation and ecologically sound management of New Hampshire’s rivers, watersheds and related natural resources.

The New Hampshire Rivers Council is the only statewide conservation organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of New Hampshire rivers. Since its incorporation as a non-profit organization in 1993, the Rivers Council has worked to educate the public about the value of the state’s rivers, designate rivers in the state’s protection program, and advocate for strong public policies and wise management of New Hampshire river resources.

The Rivers Council grew out of the New Hampshire Rivers Campaign, a group of concerned citizens and conservation organizations that united in 1985 to create a voice for protection of New Hampshire rivers. The Campaign helped establish the state’s Rivers Management and Protection Program in 1989. The Campaign also helped shepherd river nominations into the new state protection program and helped establish river corridor protections under the state’s Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act. In 1992, the participants in the campaign recognized the need for a permanent, ongoing voice for river protection in the state, and formed the New Hampshire Rivers Council.

The New Hampshire Rivers Council has made many significant contributions to river and watershed conservation. The following is a small sample:

Partnered in a comprehensive study of the value of surface waters in New Hampshire. Led grassroots advocacy efforts to force the state to implement a long overdue requirement for minimum water levels on protected rivers. Helped defeat a number of bills that would have reduced protections against harm caused by sludge spreading along rivers and over aquifers. Joined the Citizens for New Hampshire Land & Community Heritage Coalition to urge the governor’s Commission on Land & Community Heritage to recommend a new, permanent and adequately funded program for land conservation in New Hampshire. Advised numerous river groups considering or applying for inclusion to the State Rivers Management and Protection Program, most recently the Souhegan and Isinglass rivers. Supported several Local River Advisory Committees in their successful quest to change the state’s Shoreland Protection Act to include the Upper and Lower Merrimack, Lamprey, Contoocook and North Branch, and Swift Rivers—rivers that are already covered in the River Management & Protection Act, but which were exempted from the important shoreland protection bill when it was passed. In cooperation with other state, regional and national organizations, we’ve urged Congress to fund the Land & Water Conservation Fund—our nation’s single most significant source of land and water protection funding. Partnered with the New Hampshire Lakes Association to create a Watershed Stewardship Program. Joined other New Hampshire organizations to negotiate a creative license agreement for the 15-mile Falls dam on the Connecticut River. In a cooperative, non-adversarial process, conservation and recreation groups worked with the dam owner on an agreement that will provide better protection to the river ecosystem and preserve almost 12,000 acres of land on the river and surrounding the Connecticut Lakes.

Current Goals

1. Ensuring that the state establish “instream flow rules” that protect the ecosystem of rivers in the state management program.
2. Contributing to a study of the economic value of the state’s rivers and lakes.
3. Conducting workshops for activists and legislators regarding important river issues.
4. Coordinating river and watershed groups statewide to act collectively on river and watershed issues.
5. Strengthening our organization’s leadership and membership

Priorities

• Educating and informing the public and decision makers about the benefits and value of New Hampshire’s rivers, watersheds and related natural resources;
• Building a constituency for New Hampshire rivers by coordinating and supporting grassroots river and watershed organizations;
• Advocating for legislation, policies, funding, and judicial decisions that conserve river resources and improve their management;
• Encouraging and supporting the nomination of additional rivers into the state’s Rivers Management and Protection Program.