NH Audubon Raptor Biologist Chris Martin (left) accepts TransCanada’s check from Cleve Kapala. Photo by Rebecca Suomala.
Bald Eagle recovery work in the Connecticut River watershed just got a big boost from TransCanada Corporation, a producer of hydropower at 13 hydroelectric stations and 3 water storage reservoirs located along the Connecticut and Deerfield Rivers in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. Cleve Kapala, Director of Government and Public Sector Relations for TransCanada’s U.S. Northeast Region, recently visited New Hampshire Audubon’s McLane Center in Concord and presented the environmental organization with a first year check for $80,000.
“TransCanada’s recent gift is just the first installment in a remarkable 3-year commitment to fund this new Connecticut River Eagle Restoration and Habitat Protection Project,” noted NH Audubon President Michael Bartlett.
NH Audubon has been active since the 1980s in the recovery the Connecticut River’s Bald Eagle population. The group’s conservation biologists and dedicated field volunteers have also been leading advocates for protecting habitat important to eagles throughout New Hampshire. And the number of eagles breeding in the Connecticut River watershed in New Hampshire and Vermont over the past decade has grown substantially, from one pair in 2000 to 14 pairs in 2011.
“Over the last five years, TransCanada has supported our Bald Eagle and Important Bird Areas initiatives through their Community Investment grant program,” said NH Audubon’s Raptor Biologist Chris Martin, “but this new multi-year grant clearly indicates their very strong commitment to promoting Bald Eagle conservation in northern New England.”
“A big part of our community investment program is to give back to the communities where we live and work,” said Kapala. “Since the eagles appear in proximity to our hydro facilities, there is a strong sense of stewardship by our employees and neighbors. We are proud to be part of the energy and enthusiasm surrounding this community initiative and look forward to watching this program continue to grow and succeed,” Kapala added.
Flowing between the two states, and linking them together like the spine of an open book, the Connecticut River is the core of Bald Eagle habitat in the watershed. The upper portion of the Connecticut River drains over 7700 square miles, including parts of 124 towns in Vermont and 93 towns in New Hampshire, as well as a smaller portion of Massachusetts, and even a tiny bit of Quebec.
NH Audubon’s new eagle project has four major focal areas: 1) inventory and monitoring, 2) management, 3) community education and outreach, and 4) habitat protection.
According to Martin, “We hope to accomplish much of this work in close partnership with the state wildlife agencies of both New Hampshire and Vermont, with the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, and with conservation NGO’s active in the region. Our ultimate goal is advancing population recovery to the point where eagles may safely be considered no longer Threatened in New Hampshire and no longer Endangered in Vermont.”
NH Audubon’s new project includes:
Inventory and monitoring: NH Audubon will conduct field searches for new eagle nests across the watershed, determine breeding success, examine overall health and contaminant loads, and deploy state-of-the-art solar-powered satellite tracking devices on 10 dispersing young eagles to better understand how they utilize the river and the rest of the New England landscape.
Management: Local land owners and resource managers will have the opportunity to learn simple, practical actions to promote eagle breeding success.
Community education and outreach: Local citizens and stakeholders will participate in eagle monitoring and management activities. In addition, NH Audubon will be developing web-based educational tools for schools and communities, providing technical assistance to natural resource agencies and others responsible for areas with eagles, and publishing a book about the 30-year effort to restore Bald Eagles to the entire watershed.
Habitat protection: Using field surveys and GIS mapping technology, NH Audubon will pinpoint critical areas for eagles, and then collaborate with wildlife agencies and land trusts to develop appropriate long-term conservation strategies.
About New Hampshire Audubon
NH Audubon’s mission is to protect New Hampshire’s natural environment for wildlife and for people. We are an independent non-profit statewide membership organization founded in 1914. We operate four environmental centers and two seasonal raptor observatories. Our programs focus on conservation biology, environmental education, land stewardship, and environmental advocacy. For more information, visit: www.nhaudubon.org.
About TransCanada
TransCanada is a leader in the responsible development and reliable operation of North American energy infrastructure with a corporate headquarters in Calgary, Alberta. TransCanada’s energy infrastructure includes natural gas and oil pipelines, power generation, and gas storage facilities. Over the long term, the company plans to cultivate a portfolio that will position it to capitalize on North America’s increased demand for cleaner and more efficient energy. For more information visit: www.transcanada.com.
