Conservation Commission

The Conservation Commission is comprised of seven members and two alternates. It is charged by statute with the protection and proper utilization of the natural resources of the City. The Commission meets on the second Wednesday of each month to consider and make recommendations to the New Hampshire Wetlands Bureau and/or the Planning Board on matters affecting natural resources.  For wetland protection and other environmental regulations please see Article 10 in the Zoning Ordinance.

Recent Work

Citywide Wetland Map Update!

In 2022, the City of Portsmouth Planning & Sustainability Department received a NH State Conservation Committee Conservation Moose Plate Grant to hire a certified wetland scientist to update our city wetland map. The City then hired Mark West of West Environmental to review the existing wetland map, find discrepancies, perform ground truthing, and finalize wetland edges using LiDAR technology and field verification. This new map can be found here and for an interactive map, including the location of the 100' wetland buffer, check out MapGeo for the latest mapping updates.

If you would like to find more information on this update, please check out the special meeting of the Conservation Commission on April 23, 2025. A recording of the meeting can be found here.

This project would not have been possible without the generous support of the NH State Conservation Committee Conservation Moose Plate Grant Program. The SCC Conservation Grant Program is funded through the purchase of Conservation License Plates, known as "Moose Plates". All funds raised through the purchase of Moose Conservation and Heritage Plates are used for the promotion, protection and investment in New Hampshire's natural, cultural and historic resources. To learn more about Moose Plates, visit their website at www.mooseplate.com. To buy a Moose Plate, visit your municipal office and request one when registering your vehicle.

The Portsmouth Conservation Commission and Portsmouth City Council have voted to expend up to $1,000,000 from the City's Conservation Fund to help the Southeast Land Trust (SELT) acquire a conservation easement over 94 acres of forest, wetlands, prime wetlands and potential vernal pools. This property has also been identified as an area with a highly-ranked wildlife corridor and consist of parts of the Berry's Brook watershed, identified as an area needing conservation for water quality protection and habitat connectivity in the 2020 Open Space Plan.

For more information on the project, please visit the SELT project page.