Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Stewardship Plan February 15, 2018 Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Committee c/o Nashua River Watershed Association 592 Main Street Groton, Massachusetts 01450 978-448-0299 www.WildandScenicNashuaRivers.org The logo for the Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Committee was designed by Kristen Mann. Graphic Design service for the final print version of the Stewardship Plan was provided by Geralyn Miller Design - www.GeralynMillerDesign.com. Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Stewardship Plan | i Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Committee Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Committee Voting Entities Town of Ayer .......................................................Beth Suedmeyer and Robert Pontbriand Town of Bolton ...................................................Rona Balco and Rebecca Longvall Town of Brookline ..............................................Jordan Bailey and Drew Kellner Town of Dunstable ..............................................Leah Basbanes and Jean Haight Town of Groton ...................................................Nadia Madden, Vice-chair and Stacey Chilcoat Town of Harvard .................................................Lucy Wallace, Chair Town of Hollis ....................................................LeeAnn Wolff and Laura Bianco Town of Lancaster ...............................................Bill Flynn and Susan Munyon Town of Pepperell ................................................Paula Terrasi and Mark Andrews Town of Shirley ..................................................Heidi Ricci and Betsy Colburn Town of Townsend ..............................................Bill Wilkinson Nashua River Watershed Association ...................Elizabeth Ainsley Campbell, Al Futterman, and Martha Morgan National Park Service ...........................................Jamie Fosburgh and Liz Lacy Participating Entities Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife ........Anne Gagnon US Fish & Wildlife Service ..................................Tom Eagle US Geological Survey ..........................................Jeff Barbaro Devens Enterprise Commission ...........................Neil Angus Outstandingly Remarkable Resource Value Subcommittee: Lucy Wallace, Chair; Elizabeth Ainsley Campbell; Betsy Colburn; Mike Fleming; Al Futterman; Anne Gagnon; Warren Kimball; Liz Lacy; Nadia Madden; Martha Morgan; Beth Suedmeyer; Paula Terrasi Outreach Subcommittee: Robert Pontbriand, Chair; Elizabeth Ainsley Campbell; Bill Flynn; Al Futterman; Cindy Knox People who served on the Committee in the course of the Study include: Mark Archambault, former Nashua River Watershed Association Smart Growth Circuit Rider; Libby Herland, former Project Leader Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex, US Fish & Wildlife Service; Judy Larter, former Dunstable representative; Tim Purinton, former Director of Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration ii | Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Stewardship Plan Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Committee Questions: For questions about the Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Committee or this “Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Stewardship Plan” please contact: Al Futterman Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Committee c/o Nashua River Watershed Association 592 Main Street Groton, Massachusetts 01450 978-448-0299 [email protected] For questions about the Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers Program, please contact: Jamie Fosburgh National Park Service Manager, Northeast Region Rivers Program 15 State Street Boston, Massachusetts 02109 617-223-5191 [email protected] This Plan is also available on our website www.WildandScenicNashuaRivers.org (and once a final draft is produced, hard copies will be made available in the Town Clerks’ offices and town libraries). Additional information and electronic copies of this plan are available on our website www.WildandScenicNashuaRivers.org or by sending a request to [email protected]. Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Stewardship Plan | iii Nashua, Squannacook, & Nissitissit Rivers in the Stewardship Plan Map Nashua, Squannacook, & Nissitissit Rivers in the Stewardship Plan. iv | Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Stewardship Plan Letter February 15, 2018 Greetings– We are pleased to present the “Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Stewardship Plan” for your consideration. Three years in the making, the Stewardship Plan is intended as a guide for local communities as they work in partnership to take voluntary actions to protect and enhance the outstandingly remarkable resource values of these rivers in the years to come. The Congressionally-authorized Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Committee identified the resources and developed the voluntary Stewardship Plan with much public input. Representatives appointed to the Committee by the eleven participating riverfront towns—Ayer, Bolton, Brookline, Dunstable, Groton, Harvard, Hollis, Lancaster, Pepperell, Shirley, and Townsend—worked together with the Nashua River Watershed Association and National Park Service to explore whether sections of the rivers were eligible and suitable for federal designation as Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers. Many experts from state agencies and conservation organizations assisted with this effort, and the conclusion is a resounding affirmation that our rivers merit designation. It is up to the townspeople in the eleven participating communities to vote at their 2018 spring Town Meetings to accept the Stewardship Plan and its recommendation that the rivers be designated Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers. If the votes are affirmative, as the Study Committee anticipates, legislation will be submitted to Congress. After designation, a local Stewardship Council will be formed—much like our current Study Committee—to implement the Stewardship Plan. Designation will not stop development, rezone private land, or change property rights. Land use controls on private lands continue to be solely a matter of state and local jurisdiction. Acknowledgements: We have many people and organizations to thank for their assistance over the past three years, first and foremost the boards and committees of the participating towns and all those who served at one point or another on the Study Committee. As can be seen from the list of Experts Consulted, we have been very fortunate throughout our work to have the benefit of their expertise. We also appreciated being able to consult with leaders of the Stewardship Councils of the New England rivers that have already been designated Wild and Scenic: Eight Mile; Farmington; Lamprey; Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord; Upper Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Stewardship Plan | v Nashua, Squannacook, & Nissitissit Rivers in the Stewardship Plan Map Missisquoi and Trout; and Westfield. We appreciated being able to utilize template sections of the plans developed by their Stewardship Councils as appropriate. Many friends from throughout the watershed have contributed a wide variety of photographs. Several individuals have contributed extraordinary pro bono services, including Cindy Knox, who designed our website and provided an initial set of stunning photographs, Diane Carson of Nashoba Paddler, LCC who provided canoes and kayaks for our on-river outreach tours, and Joan Wotkowicz, who helped edit and format the Stewardship Plan. We greatly appreciate the financial and technical support provided by the National Park Service, including attention from both Liz Lacy, who joined the team more recently, and from Jamie Fosburgh, who has been a tremendous and steady presence since the inception of the project. The Nashua River Watershed Association staff’s leadership and diligent work in coordinating the study activities and development of the Stewardship Plan have enabled us to bring this project to fruition, and we especially thank Elizabeth Ainsley Campbell, Al Futterman, Martha Morgan, and Wynne Treanor-Kvenvold. In conclusion, we look forward to hearing from the townspeople at their 2018 spring Town Meetings when they accept the Stewardship Plan and its recommendation to seek designation for sections of the Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers as Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers. Furthermore, we look forward to using this locally-driven Stewardship Plan as a guide to voluntary actions that can be taken to protect and enhance our magnificent rivers. Lucy B. Wallace Chair, Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Committee vi | Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Stewardship Plan Table of Contents Table of Contents Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Committee .......................... ii Letter .................................................................................................................................v Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... vii List of Maps ...................................................................................................................x Executive Summary .................................................................................................. 1 National Wild and Scenic Rivers System .......................................................................... 1 Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study covering the Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers ...................................................................