THE NH SIERRA CLUB EXPLAINS DEVELOPMENT THREATS TO HACKETT HILL ATLANTIC WHITE CEDARS AT AN ATLANTIC CITY SYMPOSIUM (2006) *

* The contents of this Web page appeared as an article by Pat Mattson in the Fall, 2006 issue of "The New Hampshire Sierran"

Until recently, development threats to the Manchester Cedar Swamp Preserve, located on Hackett Hill in northwest Manchester, were little known outside of New Hampshire. Thanks to two Sierra Club members, that situation has changed dramatically.

Boardwalk in TNC's Manchester Cedar Swamp Preserve. Volunteers (including the Sierra Club's Chris Kelley) constructed the boardwalk several years ago. (Boardwalk may be reached by taking the Woodland Loop and Cedar Loop from the Preserve's entrance on Countryside Boulevard.)

In early June, Kym Hall and Pat Mattson, representing the Merrimack Valley Group, attended a symposium, "The Ecology & Management of Atlantic White Cedar Ecosystems," held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. They both gave presentations that concerned the 604-acre Preserve, where cedars are located in a number of discreet swamps.

At one time Atlantic white cedars occupied a vast amount of US swamp land in states along the Eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast, but the species subsequently declined drastically in numbers. Over-logging certainly contributed to the decline, but development that occurred adjacent to cedar swamps also played a very large role. The trees are highly specialized and extremely sensitive to changes in their surroundings.

In New England, many of the remaining cedars are located in areas such as Manchester's Preserve, which is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, and therefore are supposedly well protected. However, extensive housing projects have recently been situated extremely close to the northwest border of the Preserve. Moreover the city of Manchester plans to build a "research park" directly southeast of the Preserve in close proximity to certain cedar swamps.

There were over 100 attendees from eight states at the Atlantic City symposium. They represented various colleges and research laboratories, as well as the EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and various environmental organizations and land management firms.

All attendees had high interest in the restoration and preservation of Atlantic white cedars: 37 presentations were given that were related to these concerns. Kym and Pat both gave poster presentations that explained the Manchester preserve-development issue. They hoped to raise awareness abut the problem and to discuss with others how it can be solved.

Pat used maps and photographs to show how the city's planned "research park" would place buildings, parking lots and traffic in close association with the Preserve. Her graphics showed how a major component of the project would lie within the watershed of a prized Atlantic white cedar swamp.

Kym's poster, based on studies done for her master's thesis at Antioch New England Graduate School, concerned her study of the hydrology and vegetation of the Hackett Hill swamps. Should the research park proceed, and cedar damage subsequently occur, any changes found in her baseline data would clearly implicate developers.

Poster presentations permit extended conversations between presenters and a selective audience. The Sierra Club has suggested that the Hackett Hill land slated for a "research park" instead be protected and used for passive recreation and environmental education. Pat and Kym received strong encouragement to promote this proposal. Importantly, there is now increased interest in how the controversy will be resolved and eyes other than those of New Hampshire residents are focused on the issue.

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Abstracts for poster presentations at the symposium, including the contributions of Pat and Kym, have been posted on the internet.