The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire

10/31/2026

Happy Halloween! Need a last-minute costume? 🎃👻 Skip the witches and superheroes! This year, come as your favorite ecosystem, phenomenon, explorer, volunteer, or conservation professional.

Bonus points if someone at the party actually knows what a Frost Pocket is. ❄️

What's your conservation costume of choice?

10/30/2026

Just your favorite nature-loving organization popping by to remind you that it's hunting season! Muzzleloader deer season kicks off tomorrow morning, with regular fi****ms beginning on November 11. If you haven't already, it’s time to break out your blaze orange (and make sure any pets accompanying you have orange too!)

Whether you're hunting, hiking, birdwatching, or just soaking up the last of the fall foliage, wearing blaze orange helps keep everyone safe and seen. There’s never been a better year to participate in this seasonal "fashion statement": it’s bold, bright, and VERY on trend. 🦺 🧡

P.S. Get familiar with which of our preserves allow hunting at https://nature.ly/4qCO9sL

(📸: Sarah Bailey/TNC Photo Contest 2018)

10/29/2026

Apparently, we could all use a little more outside time. Nearly half of Americans spend less than two hours a week in nature, according to the American Nature and Health Survey. Two hours. A WEEK. Oof!

And this is about more than remembering to take a walk. The survey looks at the connections between nature and our physical and mental health, along with the things that can make getting outside harder, including accessibility, safety and whether people feel like they belong.

Here in New Hampshire, where the outdoors is also a big part of our lives and economy, there’s a lot in here worth thinking about. What if it were simply easier for more people to get a regular dose of nature? We're all for it and what we work toward every day.

Check out the survey from the Nature and Health Alliance! https://natureandhealthalliance.org/american-nature-and-health-survey/

10/28/2026

For more than 90 years, the Bartlett Experimental Forest has helped advance our understanding of New Hampshire’s forests and how best to care for them. That long-term research is incredibly valuable and can’t simply be recreated somewhere else. Our own Jim O’Brien and Sarah Garlick recently joined other conservation, forestry and research partners at Bartlett with Senator Jeanne Shaheen to discuss the forest’s future. We’re grateful to Senator Shaheen and members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation for their continued advocacy for Bartlett. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners to find a workable path forward so this important research can continue.

Learn more in this recent story from InDepth NH: https://indepthnh.org/2026/10/19/sen-shaheen-sees-hopeful-signs-trump-will-reverse-plans-to-close-bartlett-experimental-forest/

10/27/2026

Pssst! There’s some good news bubbling up from Great Bay. Oysters are rebounding, local oyster farms are growing, and the two stories are more connected than you might think.

Our own Brianna Group talked with Foster's Daily Democrat about the comeback underway in Great Bay and how local oyster farmers are helping restoration efforts by providing oysters that can help rebuild the estuary’s wild reefs. It’s a great look at what’s happening on the water, and at the partnerships helping bring oysters back to Great Bay!

Great Bay oysters are rebounding from a 1990s collapse. Farmers helping restore the reefs now want more room to expand floating farms.

10/26/2026

Gosh, it's really too bad that the Green Hills Preserve is so ugly, isn't it? 🤣

Senior Director of Forests and Lands, Jeff Lougee, snapped these shots this weekend from Peaked Mountain. Fall at it's absolute best. 🍂 🍁 🧡

(📸: Jeff Lougee/TNC)

10/23/2026

Road-stream crossings are something most of us drive over without a second thought. But when a culvert is too small, perched above the stream, or damaged, it can block fish and wildlife, worsen flooding, and put nearby roads at risk. Our colleagues at The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts created some cool videos that show what happens when a crossing isn't working the way nature intended (and what we're doing about it!)

Here in New Hampshire, partners across the state have spent years assessing stream crossings to better understand which ones create barriers for wildlife and which are most vulnerable during major storms. Through the New Hampshire Stream Crossing Initiative, nearly 17,000 of the state's crossings have already been assessed. You can learn more about these efforts at https://www4.des.state.nh.us/NH-Stream-Crossings/

10/22/2026

Yesterday, our Marketing and Communications staff from New Hampshire joined our colleagues from The Nature Conservancy in Maine and the Conservation Gateway team for a field trip to the Ledgewood Preserve in mid-coast Maine!! 🎉💚 It was a great chance to get outside together, swap ideas, strengthen connections across teams and enjoy one of the places that makes our work so meaningful.

11/10, would recommend taking your meetings outside. 🥾🌲🌊

(📸: Gwen Fraser/TNC)

10/19/2026

When foliage season ends and colorful leaves blanket the forest floor, the work of the fallen leaves is just beginning. First order of business, enjoying their satisfying crunch. But then…

🍂For amphibians and insects leaf litter creates shelter from predators and harsh weather. Many salamanders spend much of their lives hidden under the leaf layer.

🍂As fungi, bacteria, insects, and other decomposers break down fallen leaves, nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon are returned to the soil. These nutrients become available to tree roots, helping support the next generation of forest growth.

🍂Leaf litter absorbs rainfall and snowmelt, helping water slowly filter into the soil rather than rushing away. This improves nearby water quality and helps the forest retain moisture during dry periods.

🍂During harsh New Hampshire winters, leaf litter provides important insulation. The layer traps warmth and helps protect plant roots, overwintering insects, and small animals from extreme temperatures.

(📽️: Our Colleagues at The Nature Conservancy in Vermont)

10/16/2026

⏰ Planning to apply for a 2026 Merrimack Conservation Partnership Grant?

Organizations across New Hampshire and Massachusetts have an opportunity to advance projects that support a more sustainable, ecologically healthy and climate-resilient Merrimack River watershed.

October 23 is the last day to submit questions and be guaranteed a response before the application deadline. Funding is available for land conservation, environmental science, education and outreach projects that advance the goals of the 2025 Merrimack Watershed Conservation Plan. 🌱

📬 Send questions to [email protected] by October 23
📝 Applications due November 6

Learn more and apply: https://merrimackconservationpartnership.org/grants/