Project Highlights

Conservation Commission Projects

2003  $2 million open space bond approved at town meeting.  Leveraged into protecting over $6 million in land

2008  Land Use Regulations that Protect Critical Water Resources created and distributed with grant funds from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project

2008  Open Space bond authority extended at town meeting for two years until 2011. $4 million in land already protected with $1.2 million left on Open Space Bond

2009  Fourteen highest functioning wetlands in town designated as Prime Wetlands at town meeting and accepted by NH Department of Environmental Services

2009  $9,000 Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership grant to create Stormwater Management Ordinance. Adopted at 2010 town meeting. 

2011  Open Space bond authority extended at town meeting for two years until 2013.

2011  Annual volunteer town wide clean-up in recognition of Earth Day

2011   Conserve Lawrence Lyford’s Creamery Brook Farm on Middle Road.  New owners Kate and Jeff Donald to operate organic Stout Oak Farm on property.

2011   Volunteers clean up along the Exeter River at road crossings and by canoe and kayak

2012  Annual volunteer town wide clean-up in recognition of Earth Day

2012   $125,000 grant from NHDES for Exeter  River Buffer and Stormwater Management Project along Rowell Road West and Haigh Road including bank restoration, new stairs for easy river access, over 100 plants and trees, and a conservation easement on the Wilson property.

2012  Volunteers helped with restoration efforts along the Exeter River including installation of the access stairs,planting trees and shrubs and planting grass along the entire roadway to enhance the buffer.

2013  Annual volunteer town wide clean-up in recognition of Earth Day

2013  Donation of conservation easement from Jody Kaufman and Roger Goun

2013  $1 million dollar grant through the Federal Wetlands Restoration Program coordinated by the Southeast Land Trust of NH to protect the properties owned by the Pilgrim Church, an adjacent property owned by Ahlgren, the Dodge property adjacent on Middle Road, and property on Rowell Road owned by Nisbet.

2013   Established relationship with Southeast Land Trust of NH for annual monitoring of 21 town easements

2014   Annual volunteer town wide clean-up in recognition of Earth Day

2014  $40,000 Green infrastructure grant through the Southeast Watershed Association to install rain garden at the Mary E. Bartlett Library

2015  $80,000 NHDES 319a Grant with UNH StormwaterCenter to install new green stormwater management projects at Town Office, TownHighway Shed, and Swasey Central School

2015  Hired Moosewood Ecological LLC to createland management plans for three large town owned properties including land atthe Recreation Center, on South Road and on Pickpocket Road. 

2015  Annual volunteer town wide clean-up inrecognition of Earth Day

2015  $19,000 NHDES Water Supply Protectiongrant to hire Truslow Resource Consulting to assist in a review of the town’sregulations that protect aquifers, shorelands and wetlands.