In fact, the Merrimack is already the second greatest contributor of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Gulf of Maine. In the coming years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts an increase in rainfall and flooding for New England rivers due to climate change, which will only increase polluted runoff.
With the continued transformation of these vitally important forested lands into suburban developments, the ability of the land to absorb, hold, and naturally clean stormwater will be greatly reduced. In order to ensure clean drinking water and protect fish and wildlife in the Merrimack River from poorly planned development, the U. Environmental Protection Agency EPA needs to create a regional watershed team and implement key safeguards including protection for important forest lands along rivers and streams, green infrastructure solutions, and improved stormwater management to reduce the excess nutrients and pathogens in the river.
Such an approach empowers local citizens to take greater responsibility for river stewardship. Now is the time to take the action to the next level. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a lasting positive impact on the Merrimack by facilitating and funding a plan, backed by local citizens, to conserve the river through smart planning and accelerated land protection while there is still time.
The homes and public buildings that once faced the river now look out on the roads that have superseded the water as the main means of travel. The canals, locks and towpaths that once made river travel possible have been overgrown or disassembled. Old South Burial Ground is the final resting site of Thomas Lund and many others who were interred here in the s and s.
We set off in search of the source of the Merrimack with an eye to the sites where history and the river intersect and people still come to play. We wanted to discover or rediscover why the Merrimack was, and is, so important to us. Unlike Thoreau, who chose a dory, we traveled by an ancient Camry and on foot so our discoveries could be accessible to everyone. We took the same northward route chosen by Thoreau.
The current structure is the fourth at that site. The bridge has a walkway that offers a panoramic view of the river below, but you seldom see people using it. A steamboat once plied the river from here to Lowell, but that was before the railroad arrived in On the Nashua side a line of strip malls and indoor shopping centers stretches to the Massachusetts border. Festooned with a winged skull is the grave of Thomas Lund and seven others who died in a skirmish with the Indians on The quaint inscription reads, in part:.
This man with seven more that lies in this grave was Slew All in A day by the Indiens. A lot to consider as we moved north on the Memorial Bridge on Route from Hudson to Nashua overlooking the mouth of the Nashua River. The Nashua Indians once camped on the site, but that was before the Europeans arrived. In September Nathan Cross and Thomas Blanchard were tapping pine trees just north of the Nashua River to make turpentine, when they were kidnapped and taken north by Indians. Blanchard and Cross were eventually released by their captors in Canada.
Down the street from the historical society, at Greeley Park, is one of the few public boat ramps that still exist on the southern end of the Merrimack. We pick up the river again on the east side, on the Charles Bancroft Highway from Hudson to Litchfield. It is not nearly as developed as the west, where the train rails were laid but the land is now sprouting condominiums instead of corn. Riverboat captain Charles Bancroft spent a lifetime transporting brick and timber across the Merrimack River by ferry from Litchfield to Merrimack and must have gotten tired of spending so much time waiting for the boat to arrive.
His will stipulated that the span be toll-free and be named the Bancroft Free Bridge. Instead, in the town went to court and got permission to use the funds to pave Route 3A, the main road through town.
Through an act of the state Legislature the riverfront stretch of Route 3A was named the Charles Bancroft Highway, as rectangular stone markers at both ends of the highway signify. You can hike up to an overlook on the top of the stonework for an old trolley bridge, a reminder of the nearly three decades trolleys made regular daily trips from Nashua to Manchester. We continue on and once again cross paths with the Thoreau trip in Litchfield village, where a simple white church still stands as it did when Thoreau rowed by.
This was the old stomping ground of the Indian sachem Passaconaway, who is said to possess magical powers including making water burn. Passaconaway made his home on an island in the river. EPA's enforcement tools are explained here. Skip to main content. Merrimack River. Contact Us. The Merrimack: River at Risk. Upcoming Screenings Check our events page to find out more about upcoming screenings of the documentary. See a list of events. Learn more about the cast and crew.
Protect The Merrimack Find out more about the Merrimack River watershed and how a collaboration among 33 nonprofits and agencies across New Hampshire and Massachusetts is working on water protection, advocacy, restoration, outreach, and education. Learn more and find out how you can help. Support the Project As a nonprofit organization, the Forest Society conserves land and manages forests, but people — our members and donors — are our greatest asset.
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