New Grant Award Supports High Priority Restoration Projects

CONTACT:
Sandi Houghton: 603-271-5679
Michael Marchand: 603-271-2461
March 19, 2026

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program was recently awarded a nationally competitive grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative entitled Restoring Habitat Connectivity to Benefit At-Risk Wildlife in New Hampshire. The funding will support upgrading road infrastructure at four priority locations in New Hampshire. The project will have multiple benefits including reducing wildlife mortality and improving habitat connectivity, safety, flood resiliency, and culvert condition.

“Wetland fragmentation and road densities pose direct threats to semi-aquatic turtles and vernal pool amphibians as they move through the landscape for reproduction, food, shelter, and dispersal,” said Sandi Houghton, a Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program biologist. Turtles have a life history that includes low annual nesting success and hatchling survival, late age of initial reproduction (14–20 years), and lengthy adult survivorship (they can live for 70 years or more). The loss of an adult turtle is significant to local turtle populations, and reduced survivorship will lead to population decline over time. Migrating vernal pool amphibians can suffer high mortality rates from vehicles as they attempt to cross roads that are between their upland forest habitat and breeding vernal pools. In addition, habitat fragmentation can isolate populations. Restoring connectivity between habitats is an effective way to improve the resiliency of turtles, amphibians, and other wildlife populations.

The sites selected for restoration are conservation priorities based on over a decade of monitoring and planning. Restoration techniques with demonstrated efficacy, including new culvert underpasses and guide walls or fencing, will be used. By guiding wildlife to appropriately sized passage structures under the road, the risk of road mortality is greatly reduced and connectivity between populations will be restored, allowing for genetic connectivity, improved population viability, and metapopulation dynamics.

“We are incredibly excited to work with communities and conservation partners to implement these critical projects,” said Houghton. “The City of Keene, Town of Newmarket, and Town of Nottingham will be sub-recipients of this grant award.”

Collaborators are also enthusiastic regarding the potential of the investment. “The Town of Newmarket is grateful for partners like the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and for opportunities like this,” said Lyndsay Butler, PE, Town Engineer, Newmarket Department of Public Works. “Replacing aging and poorly functioning public infrastructure to improve safe passage for all users, people and wildlife alike, is the optimal outcome. Projects like this provide multifaceted benefits to our communities.”

“Nottingham contains some of the last remaining robust habitat for threatened and endangered reptiles in the entire Northeast,” said Drew Stevens of the Nottingham Conservation Commission and Nottingham Planning Board. “We are thrilled to be partnering with New Hampshire Fish and Game on such an important and impactful project that will help to reconnect fragmented habitat, reduce flooding impacts, and increase safety in this ecologically critical area.”

“The Harris Center is thrilled to be part of the first community-based amphibian tunnel project in New Hampshire,” said Brett Amy Thelen, Science Director, Harris Center for Conservation Education. “In addition to restoring habitat connectivity and protecting vulnerable amphibian species, we hope this project will serve as a demonstration site and provide momentum for similar restoration efforts throughout New England.”

“The City of Keene is a strong supporter of amphibian conservation as demonstrated by the implementation of road closures on nights when amphibians are likely to migrate, as we have since 2018,” said Duncan Watson, Former Keene Department of Public Works Assistant Director. “We see the project as a natural progression in our efforts to conserve amphibians.”

“Turtle road mortality is widespread in New Hampshire, and a leading cause of population declines,” said Joshua Megyesy, Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program Turtle Biologist “Roads that bisect wetlands or upland nesting habitats lead to more females in the population getting hit by cars. With their late age of sexual maturity and low hatchling survival rates, population recovery is a real challenge, however new wildlife passages and upgrades show great promise in reducing this threat.”

To learn more about the work of the NH Fish and Game Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, visit wildnh.com/wildlife-and-habitat/nongame-and-endangered-species.