Redefining Progress.
CLF IN NEW HAMPSHIRE IS ...Advocating Sensible Transportation Planning
CLF is fighting for environmentally sound solutions to transportation problems, ones that result in less automobile traffic. We're focused on southeastern New Hampshire, where population densities are highest and expanding most rapidly. We favor a coordinated plan, one that considers public transit alternatives, and evaluates the impact of road design on development patterns. Traffic congestion and gridlock won't be eliminated by building more roads, but open space will.
CLF is challenging a state plan to build an access road to the Manchester Airport that would bridge the Merrimack River, cutting through undeveloped areas and wetlands that provide nesting habitat for endangered bald eagles. We're advocating a review of the project's environmental impacts, in light of other proposals to widen I-93 (from Manchester to Massachusetts), and I-293/Route 101 -- east of the Merrimack. CLF is urging the Department of Transportation to consider a rail alternative for the I-93 plan, one that will provide residents, tourists, and users of the airport with reliable transportation options. New Hampshire must think strategically, and plan for future transportation needs; more pavement isn't the answer.
Protecting Public Access to Pack Monadnock's Summit
CLF is involved in litigation to remove a 130-foot telecommunications tower atop Pack Monadnock, a treasured, publicly owned recreation area. The state has built the tower -- illegally. In addition to its endangering hikers and obstructing recreation, we're concerned that the state's action could set a dangerous precedent for its role as steward of the land. We're determined to show that this use of Pack Monadnock is inappropriate for a valuable public resource. The case is pending before the NH Supreme Court. It should send a message that the state must manage public lands for the public, in ways that are compatible with historic public uses.
Removing Private Dams that Harm Rivers
CLF is working statewide to remove hundreds of small, unused private dams that are clogging rivers. They pose a significant threat to the health of ecosystems, causing sediment build-up, and blocking the passage of fish. Such blockage is a serious obstacle to restoring populations of endangered fish, and to improving wildlife habitat. The dam sites are typically full of broken concrete and rusted metal, putting wildlife, as well as swimmers and boaters, at risk. CLF is co-chairing the New Hampshire River Restoration Task Force, charged with identifying and removing these dams. The task force is scheduled to remove a dam in Hinsdale this summer. Other sites will be announced later this year.
Fighting for Wilderness Protection in the White Mountain National Forest
CLF is working to protect New Hampshire's remaining wilderness -- the roadless areas of the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF). Last year, we worked with other forest advocates to produce Mountain Treasures, a report describing the few sections of forest still not fragmented by roads. There are very few remote areas left in New Hampshire, and they are of incalculable importance; wilderness provides recreation opportunities that are unique and irreplaceable. As the U.S. Forest Service develops a new management plan for the WMNF, CLF is advocating meaningful wilderness protections. Preventing destructive roadbuilding is key to preserving pristine watersheds, and to the diverse wildlife habitat they support. The new management plan will be developed in the next three to four years. CLF is staying focused on the issue, to ensure that these areas are protected in the interim, and that road projects are not allowed to impact areas that should soon receive permanent protection. (For a copy of Mountain Treasures, contact Dorene Hartford at CLF-NH (603) 225-3060.)
For more information, see: www.clf.org/aboutclf/index1.htm and click on New Hampshire.
--Nancy L. Girard New Hampshire Advocacy Center Director
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| Title Annotation: | various articles on environmental conservation |
|---|---|
| Author: | Girard, Nancy L. |
| Publication: | Conservation Matters |
| Article Type: | Brief Article |
| Geographic Code: | 1U1NH |
| Date: | Jun 22, 2001 |
| Words: | 617 |
| Previous Article: | In the Air and Afield, and On the Waterfront. |
| Next Article: | Big Problems in a Small State. |
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