The Wrack

The Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative, an ambitious interstate effort to protect drinking water supplies for more than 47,000 residents in Maine and New Hampshire, has been awarded the 2012 U.S. Water Prize by the Clean Water America Alliance.

The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership convened the Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative to improve watershed planning and management — and to protect water supply sources — in the Salmon Falls River watershed.

On the heels of the?environmental?communication course with Eric?Eckl?at the Great Bay Reserve on August 3rd, the?CTP?hosted Eric and local environmental leaders and community members for a sunset boat cruise upon our research?vessel on the Salmon Falls River.

29 people representing 13 towns and organization participated in three boat trips on the Salmon Falls and Piscataqua Rivers in July and August. The trips coincided with the release of the new Land Conservation Plan for Maine's Piscataqua Region Watersheds that covers 18 communities in southern Maine. The narrated tours brought together key municipal officials and conservation leaders to learn about the plan, its goals, and the river's status and history.

Land use changes, particularly the loss of vegetation along the water edges (associated with residential development), are having a significant impact on water quality. The Land Conservation Plan outlines actions that towns and citizens can take to maintain the natural, recreational, and economic resources that this watershed, draining 1058 square miles, provides.