SB592

I support this bill because it would strengthen regional conservation and energy resource planning by incorporating habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors into the responsibilities of local conservation commissions and regional planning commissions.

Dear Chair Harb and Members of the Committee, The Rivers Management Advisory Committee (RMAC) is writing to express its support of Senate Bill 592, which allows regional planning commissions to include habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors in their plans. The RMAC supports this bill because • Rivers are wildlife corridors, providing habitat for aquatic species and resources to non-aquatic species; • Rivers cross municipal boundaries, yet downstream reaches are reliant on the management practices conducted upstream; and • Regional planning to maintain these essential habitats and corridors is essential for consistency throughout the river reaches. The RMAC is a legislatively created body charged to work with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) to administer RSA 483, the Rivers Management and Protection Program. The Governor and Council appointed Committee is composed of members from business, agriculture, hydroelectric, municipal government, water supply, conservation, recreation, fish and game, and historical interests. Should you have any questions regarding our testimony in support of SB 592, feel free to contact me at 603.796.2615 or MLT@naturesource.net. Sincerely, Michele L. Tremblay, Chair ec: Senators Watters, Rosenwald, Birdsell, Avard, Perkins Kwoka and Altschiller and Representatives Harvey, Bixby and Ouellet RMAC Representatives Robert R. Scott, Commissioner, NHDES

Our natural environment is a web. We must look holistically and work together to preserve it.

Please protect our habitat for animals and pollinators.

Let us support this bill which strengthens regional conservation and energy resource planning. My neighborhood has in the last decade been taken over by those who come here to own a second and third home, and many seem to have little interest in keeping NH a haven for wildlife and wilderness corridors. Let us work hard to keep our heritage of healthy wild spaces in mind as our communities grow. It requires careful planning.

Dear friends, thank you for the opportunity to write and express my support for this bill. It is so important for all citizens, because it offers essential support to our habitat: the land, air and waters we need to survive and thrive. Please pass this bill! Thank you, Margaret

I support SB 592 because it strengthens New Hampshire’s long-term environmental resilience by advancing coordinated regional planning for conservation, wildlife corridors, and energy resources. This bill improves transparency, supports science-based decision-making, and ensures the Winnipesaukee River Basin Program’s governance is evaluated responsibly. It’s a forward-looking investment in ecological health and public infrastructure.

I support enabling regional, conservation, and energy resource planning for habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors and creating a commission to study transferring ownership of Winnipesaukee River Basin program to an alternative authority.

This environmental bill is very important to NH and our way of life.

Protect NH habitats and wildlife!