The Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve encompasses a diversity of land and water areas around Great Bay, an

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

in southeastern

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

. Protected lands cover , including approximately About the GBNERR
/ref> of open water and wetlands that include

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...

es, rocky shores, bluffs,

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

s, open fields, and riverine systems and tidal waters. Great Bay has a rich cultural history and was the first major commercial waterway developed by the early settlers. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) is a nationwide network of state-owned and -managed coastal protected areas. These are designated and supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the United States Department of Commerce. The

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHF&G) is a department within the government of New Hampshire in the United States. The Fish and Game Department manages New Hampshire's fish, game, and aquatic plant resources. Structure The Department ...

under the Marine Fisheries Division manages the Great Bay NERR. Designated in 1989, the reserve's primary purpose is to promote the wise use and management of the Great Bay estuary.

Visiting

The Great Bay Discovery Center, located in

Greenland, New Hampshire Greenland is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,067 at the 2020 census, up from 3,549 at the 2010 census. It is drained by the Winnicut River and bounded on the northwest by Great Bay. History On ...

, features interpretive exhibits about the estuary's natural history, salt marsh farming, salmon migration, plankton, tides and research. Other facilities on the grounds include the Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center, used for education programs and available for rental, a universally accessible trail and boardwalk, a 19th-century

gundalow A gundalow (also known in period accounts as a "gondola") is a type of flat-bottomed sailing barge once common in Maine and New Hampshire rivers. It first appeared in the mid-1600s, reached maturity of design in the 1700 and 1800s, and lingered i ...

replica, a replica Native American camp and gardens.

References

Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
- National Estuarine Research Reserve System

External links

Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
- official site
Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership
Protected areas of New Hampshire National Estuarine Research Reserves of the United States Nature centers in New Hampshire Protected areas of Rockingham County, New Hampshire Protected areas of Strafford County, New Hampshire {{NewHampshire-geo-stub