The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) supports projects through competitive RFPs, local grants, and other funding mechanisms. The following list highlights examples of projects supported by the NHEP. 

The NHEP's 2008 Local Grants Program Recipients

* The Town of Northwood will hire a consultant to research and recommend appropriate storm water management treatment technologies in the town and create a municipal shoreland buffer ordinance to protect surface waters within the town

* Bear-Paw Regional Greenways will initiate the Isinglass River Conservation Corridor Project to protect up to 800 acres of land, including 288 acres of high conservation-value forestland along the river in the Town of Strafford.

*Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission will develop shoreland protection and riparian buffer regulations for the Town of Raymond’s headwater and lower order streams. The project will include a public outreach program and development of buffer regulations for the Town of Raymond to protect all buffer areas adjacent to surface waters.

Additional projects supported by the NHEP in 2008


* The Natural Resources Outreach and Education Coalition will begin working with Dover and Raymond in 2008.  


* The NHEP initiated a Community Technical Assistance Program to provide assistance to communities on a wide range of regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to natural resources protection. The NHEP will hire technical assistance providers to work with communities on specific projects. Communities apply for assistance and eligible projects are funded on a first come first serve basis. Read More


*The NHEP Buffer Outreach project is designed to assist communities in protecting buffers. Currently, there are two components to this project: the first is a customized presentation and facilitated discussion aimed at giving a town information, tools, and assistance in its buffer protection efforts; and the second will be a series of fact sheets that illustrate different way buffers can be protected through case studies of various towns’ approaches.



* The NHEP is providing funding for the following annual monitoring activities in 2008:

• Tidal Rivers Monitoring: NHDES conducts monthly (March – December) water quality sampling for bacteria, nutrients, and other parameters on nine tributaries to Great Bay and Little Harbor.

• Gulf Watch: NHDES manages the collection and analysis of blue mussel samples from two additional sites (Dover Point and Hampton-Seabrook Harbor).

• Nutrient Monitoring Program: The UNH Marine Program conducts monthly (April – December) monitoring of total dissolved nitrogen, particulate organic nitrogen, particulate organic carbon and water clarity at seven stations in Great Bay. This work enhances existing monitoring at these stations. In the winter (January – March), monthly monitoring of nutrients and eutrophication parameters at Adams Point at high and low tide is conducted.

• Oyster Disease Monitoring: New Hampshire Fish and Game performs yearly testing of the four major oyster beds in Great Bay for MSX and Dermo. The NHEP will fund additional testing in 2006 so that six more oyster beds are tested for a total of 10 beds.

• Eelgrass Mapping: The UNH Marine Program to perform yearly mapping of eelgrass beds in Great Bay, Little Bay, and Portsmouth Harbor.

Project Reports

Organizations funded by the NHEP must produce a final report that outlines project activities and/or research findings.  The NHEP requires grantees to submit digital copies of project reports.  Most  final reports from past projects are accessible from the Publications page. 

Go to Publications page