River Steward in NH

River Stewards are the principal advocates for the Connecticut River Conservancy and serve as the public face of CRC in their respective state. They advocate for clean and healthy rivers, collaborate with community and governmental partners, and communicate with the public. The River Stewards play a vital role in protecting and restoring the Connecticut River and its tributaries as part of the CRC team, working to ensure the long-term health and vitality of our watershed.

General Description and Major Responsibilities:

While each River Steward will address issues and priorities unique to their state, all River Stewards are expected to:

• Create and implement legislative advocacy strategy

• Conduct outreach and education about river issues and promote recreational access

• Maintain awareness of relevant regulatory permitting processes (NPDES, 401, wetlands, etc.) and submit public comments when necessary

• Monitor active hydro facilities and engage in current FERC relicensing efforts as appropriate

• Partner with watershed organizations to promote collaboration, capacity building, and information sharing

• Collaborate with the CRC communications team to create content for e-blasts, blog posts, op-eds and media interviews

• Serve as a resource for public inquiry, to include connecting individuals and organizations with the appropriate internal or external resources

• Apply for grants and manage grant funding to support advocacy work

• Support donor relations activities

• Maintain knowledge of and inform other programmatic work ongoing in the state

New Hampshire Focused Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with other NGOs on New Hampshire specific legislation and policy

• Monitor the activities and operations of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) dams along the Connecticut River and tributary rivers.  Remain actively engaged in the licensing of the Wilder, Bellows Falls, and Vernon facilities

• Attend NH Exotic Aquatic Weeds and Species Committee meetings and support invasives removals and education within the watershed

• Work with recreation staff to increase safe and equitable access to the Connecticut River and tributaries

• Collaborate with CRC staff, the Connecticut River Joint Commission, and NH Department of Environmental Services to expand volunteer water quality monitoring in New Hampshire

• Work with Vermont River Steward on cross boundary issues including nutrient runoff/nitrogen reduction strategies, stormwater management, academic partnership opportunities, and flood resilience

• Collaborate with the Events Coordinator to plan, promote, and attend events relevant to New Hampshire advocacy work

• Build CRC presence in New Hampshire by building collaborations, engaging with the public, and broadening CRC’s visibility