Climate Change and the NRWA
The NRWA is committed to working with communities, organizations, and individuals throughout our watershed to build a more resilient and sustainable landscape that is better able to adapt to a changing climate. The NRWA Board adopted the following policy to reflect this commitment:
NRWA Climate Change Policy: "The Nashua River Watershed Association recognizes the adverse impacts of climate change to the natural systems that sustain life on our planet. It is the policy of the NRWA to promote and undertake local and regional actions to address the impacts of climate change on our watershed. These actions include developing strategies to address changes in local hydrology and ecology, assisting communities to become more resilient, and helping people to live more sustainably and safely in the face of climate change."
The NRWA’s on-going effort to create a greenway corridor along our rivers through land preservation helps to mitigate the effects of flooding by keeping these lands, and associated wetlands, undeveloped and, therefore, better able to absorb excessive rainfall and prevent flooding. Working with federal, state, local, and private entities, the NRWA has encouraged conservation of forests, which helps with carbon sequestration. Our water quality monitoring program has collected information on temperature and other data in our rivers and streams for several decades and serves as an important basis for noting trends caused by a changing climate. The data are shared with the public, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the NH Department of Environmental Services; data are also utilized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The NRWA works with municipalities on improving stormwater infrastructure, low impact development, and other best management practices that help them plan for development while protecting critical resources. Our environmental education programs in schools and for the general public have educated tens of thousands of children and adults on the value of wetlands and the importance of managing storm water and the hydrologic cycle at a watershed scale.
All in all, over the last fifty years, the NRWA’s work to fulfill its mission has helped to mitigate the impacts of a changing climate, and our current work is continuing to do so.
What is a watershed? A watershed is a geographic area of land in which all surface and ground water flows downhill to a common point, such as a river, stream, pond, lake, wetland, or estuary. "Healthy, resilient watersheds are the best insurance policy for a changing climate." (USDA, Forest Service, https://www.fs.fed.us/kidsclimatechange/products/water-climate-brochure.pdf)
