2015 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Update For the North Country Council Economic Development District Produced with funds provided by: United States Department of Commerce— Economic Development Administration (EDA) December 2015 BACKGROUND It is now an accepted fact that region-states and not nations are the primary units of economic activity. The health of the North Country economy relies greatly on Early 2000’s employment decline also concentrat- the condition of New Hampshire’s and New England’s ed in establishments with employment of 100-999. economies and these are inextricably linked to the Smaller establishments (less than 100 employees) national and global economies. appeared to be relatively resilient as a group (NEEP). OUR REGIONAL ECONOMY 3. The North Country Economy Grafton County has developed as a service New Hampshire Growth Trends dependent county with a strong emphasis on tech- nology and the health care industry. Anchored by Mid 1970’s through the Mid 1990’s Dartmouth College, the Dartmouth Hitchcock The State of New Hampshire experienced a Medical Center, and the Dartmouth Regional higher level of growth outpacing the rest of New Eng- Technology Center, Grafton County has a large land and much of the rest of the country between 1975 cluster of health related research and service in- and 1995. dustries. Because of its ability to take part in the new economy, Grafton County is the most pros- 2. Late 1990’s and 2000’s perous county in NH’s North Country and one of This strong period of growth lasted until the the most prosperous counties in the -4 state north- late 1990’s when it was brought to an end by the sharp ern forest region. The county’s most challenging market declines in the values of technology companies, issues relate to growth management including or the “tech bubble” collapse as it is often referred to. affordable housing and workforce availability. This recession hit New England harder than the rest of Carroll County is recreation-dependent United States and it took the region longer to recover. and has traditionally depended on tourism. Carroll County most effectively enjoys the image of the 800,000 acre White Mountain National Forest because it has been marketing to the rest of the Northeast its incredible scenic beauty and clean air since the late 1800’s. The county led the State of NH in population growth during the 1980’s and 1990’s and has experienced growth management issues in terms of affordable housing, retail work- force shortages, living wages, and traffic issues. Carroll County has made a considerable effort to improve educational opportunities in recent years. Pioneering efforts like the “Tech Village” sponsored by the Mount Washington Val- ley Economic Council, have begun showing the way on how the low-paying tourism industry can lever- age greater forms of economic development by attracting entrepreneurs and technology compa- nies based on quality of life considerations. Coos County, the region’s most northern area bordering Canada, had been dependent on 2 manufacturing, espe- cially paper manufacturing, for over 100 years. Now primarily dependent on recreation and tourism the county has been losing population since 2006 (Berniert & Lee PSU). However economic indica- Our shortest tors in 2013 show the beginning of a turnaround. border to the north is with Canada and we border northern Vermont to the west, western Maine to the REGIONAL FACTORS INFLUENCING ECO- east and New Hampshire’s Lakes Region to the south. In NOMIC DEVELOPMENT New England, we are part of the Great Northern Forest, which extends from northern Maine through Vermont into the Adirondacks of upstate New York. The Appala- chian Trail, from northern Maine to Georgia, also passes Natural and Environment Capital through the heart of our region. While NH does have a shoreline on the Eastern Seaboard the North Country Introduction does not, although the drive to the ocean from most Of the factors that most locations in the region is under a couple of hours. influence the North Country economy, the most fundamental b) Conservation Lands are the region’s natural The North Country contains large tracts of resources and environmental federal, state, and privately held conservation lands. capital. It is the mountains, These lands provide numerous opportunities for the rivers, and soils that ultimately outdoor recreation and tourism industries, flora and determine how communities fauna habitat, and the natural assimilation of pollutants develop and where growth contributing to a high quality natural environment. The occurs. This is true of the region’s major developed White Mountain National Forest encompasses nearly a areas that are located along our major rivers and/or in third of the region with over 700,000 acres of wilder- the lush productive valleys. ness and multi-use lands (adjacent 100,000 acres of In rural areas and especially here in the rugged WMNF in Maine). North Country, the natural environment can act as a Over half the landmass in several municipalities constraint to overall growth and commerce, but at the and unincorporated locations is located in the National same time these are the resources that offer the most Forest . In addition, there are 45 recreational parks, opportunity within the region. A cursory look at the wayside areas and forests under State auspices in the region’s industrial mix shows a heavy reliance on the North Country which contain over 60,000 acres. Some area’s individual raw materials including forest and wa- of these major conservation areas include the Nash ter resources, but even greater dependence on the Stream State Forest, Crawford and Franconia Notch overall environment. The region’s overall environment State Parks, Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge, the Lake Um- affords a quality of life which is both coveted by the bagog Conservation Area and 10,000 acres held in trust residents and sought after by over 6 million tourists by Dartmouth College. visiting the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) alone. To the extent we allow our natural environment c. Geological Features to deteriorate from overuse or neglect, we risk losing The most predominant or degrading what is priceless about our region. geological feature in the North Country is the White Mountains, 2. Locational Characteristics which are like a spine crossing through the region. There are 48 a) Location in State, New England, Nation and peaks that reach over 4,000 feet World in elevation, which is far more he North County of New Hampshire is a triangular re- than in the Green Mountains of gion that encompasses the northern third of the State. Vermont or even the mountains in 3 the large State of Maine. The Presidential Range, a section of the White Mountains with the highest altitude, in- cludes Mount Washington, which is nearly a mile high and holds the record for the fastest reported wind Acid rain speeds in the world. Numerous other smaller mountain continues to be a major problem despite improve- ranges crisscross the region creating geography re- ments stemming from the 1990 Clean Air Act Amend- plete with peaks, valleys, mountain passes, rivers ments which resulted in the decline of sulfur dioxide and streams. emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Indeed, The North Country is home to the headwaters controls on nitrogen oxides and ammonia – key com- of three relatively large New England waterways. The ponents of acid rain – were not fully addressed by the Connecticut River creates a natural border between sweeping environmental regulations that began to New Hampshire and Vermont from its confluence high take effect in the mid 1990’s. Nitric acid will soon in the Connecticut Lakes of Coos County and travels the replace sulfuric acid as the dominant pollutant length of New England to Long Island Sound. The affecting forest ecosystems. If the trends continue, Androscoggin River, site of paper mill activity in several certain tree species, including the sugar maple as the locations, also originates in Coos County from Lake Um- most dramatic example, will inevitably decline as cal- bagog on the New Hampshire - Maine border and flows cium and other key elements are leached from the southeast entering Maine south of Berlin, New Hamp- soils by acid rain. And waterways, including reservoirs shire. The Saco River begins at Saco Lake at the south- that serve our large urban populations with drinking ern end of the Presidential Range and flows through water, will become increasingly polluted from atmos- what is known as the Mount Washington Valley, enter- pheric deposition of nitrogen and as the forest’s ing Maine through East Conway, New Hampshire. nitrogen cycle is distributed. Mercury pollution from the sky harms both humans 3. Some Major Environmental Challenges and and wildlife. While inputs of lead, another heavy met- al that can cause serious environmental problems, Opportunities have been reduced through legislation to remove it The following environmental threats have been from gasoline, mercury from coal-burning power identified by Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest USFS plants enters ecosystems and bio accumulates in fish, (2013). loons, mink, otters, bald eagles, and other wildlife high in the aquatic food chain. Mercury concentra- tions in fish and other animals now routinely exceed human and wildlife health thresholds in numerous areas of the Northern Forest that have been identified as “hotspots” for mercury in biological organisms. Invasive species and diseases constitute a rogues gallery