Environmental Protection and Preservation Grants

2020

• Eastman Community Association, Lakes & Streams Committee. A grant of $5,000 was awarded to bring to completion the two-year work on a comprehensive Watershed Management Plan (WMP) for Eastman Lake. ECF’s award of $5,000 was paired with a Byrne Foundation grant of $2,000, an award that ECF applied for and received for the purpose of supporting WMP costs upon the project’s completion. The WMP meets current EPA standards and improves eligibility for future federal and state funds to further assist in implementing the WMP priorities that were identified.
• Eastman Community Association, Lakes & Streams Committee. A second grant award of $3,499.97 was made in order to fund a conductivity probe, one of two required probes that were identified in the Watershed Management Plan. The database, which is managed by NH DES, allows monitoring and mitigation on a year-round basis. The data is public and accessible to Eastman residents. The aggregate information that is generated will position the Eastman Community Association (ECA) for future EPA funding. With this award, ECF partnered with ECA in splitting the total costs of $6,613 for the probes.

2019

• Eastman Community Association, Woodlands and Wildlife Committee. A grant of $1,350 was awarded in support of completing the third and final year of the Snow Hill Botanical Surveys. Funds cover the Fall botanical survey and the final report. The second-year report showed increases in the number of pollinators and the growth of wildflowers. The purpose of the 3-year project, carried out by Moosewood Ecological LLC, is to document the habitat value of old ski runs for pollinators, birds and small mammals by showing the benefits of not mowing. A change in Eastman’s future maintenance practice is anticipated. A database for replication by other ski areas in New England will also be available.
• Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, Town of Grantham Sawyer Brook Headwaters property. A grant of $7,500 was awarded in support of the purchase and permanent protection of the unique 386-acre Sawyer Brook Headwaters property in Grantham. Following Town approval of an appropriation of $300,000 for the property – valued at $515,000 – remaining funds were secured in partnership with a range of private and grant funding sources. As designated by NH Fish and Game, the property includes highly ranked wetlands and a wildlife habitat, as well as a critical section of an existing wildlife corridor between nearby conserved parcels. The property has public access, allowing visitors of all ages to enjoy hiking, hunting, mountain biking, running, snowshoeing, skiing, snowmobiling, nature observation and other low-impact activities.
• Eastman Community Association, Lakes & Streams Committee. Recent lake assessment data clearly demonstrated the need for developing a new Watershed Management Plan (WMP) for Eastman Lake. The new plan must meet current EPA standards and improve the health of the lake, a public water body. Eastman Lake has been identified by NH Department of Environmental Services as an impaired body of water, due to significantly elevated levels of chlorophyll and conductivity/chloride. An up-to-date Watershed Management Plan, including a blueprint for actions that address the health of the lake, improves eligibility for federal and state funds to assist in implementing the WMP priorities that are identified. A $6,500 invoice from Loren Wehmeyer, WMP project consultant, was covered by a $5,000 grant from ECF and a grant of $1,500 from the NH Charitable Foundation. The ECF has committed an additional $5,000, paired with a Byrne Foundation grant of $2,000, to be expended in 2020 for the completion of the $30,000 project.

2018

• Eastman Community Association, Woodlands and Wildlife Committee. A grant of $1,560 was awarded in support of continuing the Snow Hill Botanical Surveys for a second year. Funds will cover spring and fall botanical surveys, and an annual report. The first year report shows increases in the number of pollinators and the growth of wildflowers. The purpose of the 3-year project is to improve the habitat value of old ski runs for pollinators, birds and small mammals by showing the benefits of not mowing. A database will be created for replication by other New England ski areas.

2017

• Eastman Community Association Lakes & Streams Committee, in partnership with the NH Lakes Association. A grant of $500 was awarded to support Eastman Lake participation in a statewide water infrastructure study “What is Water Worth?” It’s anticipated that findings from the study will provide a variety of data that benefits the work of the Lakes & Streams Committee, including a new Eastman Lake watershed study.
• Eastman Community Association, Woodlands and Wildlife Committee. A grant of $1,620 was awarded in support of Snow Hill Botanical Surveys. The purpose of this 3-year experimental project, carried out by Moosewood Ecological LLC, is to improve the habitat value of old ski runs for pollinators, birds and small mammals. A database for replication by other ski areas in New England will be created.
• Grantham Conservation Commission. A grant of $665 was awarded to establish a permaculture garden in the old apple orchard at Brookside Park. The project enhances the Commission’s recent development of the park by revitalizing the apple orchard through sustainable techniques. The garden will provide public education about permaculture and sustainable orchard gardening using a kiosk, a web site blog, hands-on learning experiences and information dissemination.

2016

• Grantham Village School, Gale Schmidt Outdoor Classroom. A grant of $5,000 was awarded towards the costs of completing an outdoor classroom in honor of former School Board member and naturalist Gale Schmidt. The project includes a structure connecting GVS grades K-6 students with a trail network and outdoor natural resources on the school property. A comprehensive curriculum integrates the Outdoor Classroom with the sciences, arts, language arts and social studies. The Outdoor Classroom will be available to Croydon and Lebanon students in grades K-12 and to the community after school hours.

2014

• Eastman Community Association Lakes and Streams Committee. A grant of $1,500 was awarded for Eastman youth to construct a Bevin’s Skiff wooden rowboat during the February and April 2015 vacations. Participants gained confidence and math skills working on the project. The Bevin’s Skiff replaces an outdated boat and provides a new non-polluting vessel for Eastman Recreation, where it will benefit summer campers and others.

• Eastman Community Association Lakes and Streams Committee, Lake Host Shelter. A grant of $650 was awarded to support the Lakes and Streams Committee in the construction of a Lake Host Shelter by the public access ramp. Members of the Youth Conservation Corps assisted in the project.

• Enfield Conservation Commission. Funds of $755, remaining from a 2010 ECF grant, were used to distribute the NH DES pamphlet, ” Homeowners Guide to Storm Water Management “, to all lakefront property owners on Crystal Lake, Mascoma Lake and Spectacle Pond in Enfield.

2013

• Eastman Community Association Lakes and Streams Committee. A grant of $1,500 was awarded to support the summer Youth Conservation Corps program. Several projects were completed at South Cove: maintenance of two rain gardens; mitigating roof runoff; construction of a vegetated buffer garden by the dock; and construction of new stairs, hand rail and dock railing.
• Eastman Community Association. A grant of $1,700 was awarded to supplement costs associated in the removal of an endangered rare beech tree in Eastman and the replanting of the tree in an environmentally protected location. The project was executed by Skyline Nursery, Springfield, VT.

2012

• Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, New London. A grant of $5,000 was awarded toward a Spurling Family conservation easement in Springfield, NH, in partnership with the Village District of Eastman.
• Eastman Community Association, Lakes and Streams Committee. A grant of $500 was awarded to support summer Youth Conservation Corps program projects. A split-rail fence was constructed near Peppermint Patty’s to minimize erosion and protect the rain garden. A wet section of the trail around the lake was improved.

2011

• Eastman Community Association, Lakes and Streams Committee. A grant of $1,000 was awarded to support the summer Youth Conservation Corps program. To filter storm-water runoff, two rain gardens were constructed near the South Cove Pavilion. An infiltration trench was installed along the North Porch.

2010

• Enfield Conservation Commission. A grant of $4,000 was awarded for the preservation and protection of Crystal Lake and Mascoma Lake watersheds. A watershed education packet was sent to all residents of the watersheds. Packets included a book published by NH Lakes Association ” Help Protect New Hampshire’s Lakes. A guide to wise lake and watershed stewardship “, watershed maps for each lake, and an ECF Fact Sheet.
• Grantham Chamber of Commerce. A matching grant of $1,500 was awarded to the Grantham Area Chamber of Commerce towards the landscaping of the Commuter Park and Ride at Exit 13 on Interstate 89 in Grantham.
• New Hampshire Lakes Association, Lake Conservation Corps Program. A grant of $4,000 was awarded to incorporate a Lake Conservation Corps Program into the summer youth programs offered by the Eastman Community Association’s Recreation Department for the Eastman Lake watershed.
• Eastman Community Association, Woodlands and Wildlife Committee. A grant of $4,400 was awarded to preserve and protect a rare and threatened native plant, the Rhododendron Maximum, located within Grantham’s Eastman Community. Members of the Committee constructed The Giant Rhododendron Park. The Park is located on Shore Road and features trails and an information kiosk.

2009

• Eastman Community Association, Lakes and Streams Committee. A grant of $5,000 was awarded to partially fund a comprehensive study of Eastman Lake and its watershed, a critical water resource in Grantham. The Watershed Management Study, sponsored by the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission, was completed in September 2009.

Links to the final study:

Phase 1 Lake Inventory

Phase 2 Watershed Plan

CSPA Standards Summary

• Eastman Community Association, Golf Maintenance Department. A grant of $300 was awarded for materials to construct over 30 habitat houses for birds, bats, owls and butterflies on and around the golf course.

• Blue Mountain Snowdusters , Grantham. A grant of $1,000 was awarded to purchase materials to rebuild a warming hut destroyed by fire at the top of Miller Road in Grantham. The shelter is used as a community gathering spot at a major intersection of outdoor recreation trails.

2006

• Eastman Community Association, Lakes and Streams Committee, Purple Loosestrife Control Project. A grant of $440 was awarded to purchase beetles for implementing biological control of the invasive purple loosestrife plant.