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As part of its mission to promote stewardship of the Great Bay, the Great Bay Stewards have a natural intererst in preserving the unique ecology of the Bay and the surrounding habitats.
The Great Bay Stewards support habitat conservation through direct land acquisition and ongoing stewardship of that land, primarily through the Stewards support of the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership. The Partnership, a group of natural resource organizations, was established in 1994. Working in a twenty-four town region, the Partnership is involved in the continuous acquisition of critical conservation lands. To-date, the Partnership has protected approximately 7,900 acres around Great Bay.
Volunteers from the Stewards membership, along with the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve staff, organize annual work parties. These activities are geared toward specific projects that enhance recreational opportunities or the ecological conditions of the Great Bay lands. Previous projects have included the construction of a walking trail on Goat Island and an invasive plant control project at Chapman's Landing in Stratham.
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Pulling knotweed
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Volunteers at Goat Island
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Currently, several members of the Great Bay Stewards are volunteering as Community Land Stewards for the Reserve. These Stewards adopt a property, becoming the "eyes and ears" of the Reserve for that property. Volunteers select a specific property and visit the land once each season. While there, they will look for:
- Special habitat features, such as beaver dams, vernal pools, dens, etc.
- Wildlife sightings
- Invasive plant species
- Illegal dumping
Volunteers are always needed for community land steward activities. If interested, please call Jay Sullivan at 603-778-0015, or send an e-mail to her at jay@greatbay.org.
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