Section 482-A:15 of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes enables municipalities
to designate jurisdictional wetlands that, "because of their
size, unspoiled character, fragile condition, or other relevant
factors, make them of substantial significance." The NH-DES
Wetlands Bureau administers, regulates and enforces procedures and
standards for all development activity in and around designated prime
wetlands. In the words of the Wetland Bureau, "Once the
municipality approves the wetlands for designation as prime, the
municipality provides to the DES Wetlands Program a copy of the study
and tax maps with the designated prime wetlands identified. Once the
submission is considered complete, DES will apply to any future
projects that are in or within 100 feet of a prime wetland the rules
and law that are applicable. All projects that are in or within 100
feet of a prime wetland are classified as major projects."
In
1979, Barry H. Keith, then of the UNH Cooperative Extension Service,
inventoried and evaluated 71 wetlands in Tamworth totaling 1,997
acres. Each wetland was evaluated for plant community diversity,
size, cover, site type, connectivity, wildlife habitat, and adjacent
land type/use. From this inventory, Keith identified 938 acres of
significant wetlands and recommended that they be designated Prime
Wetlands as authorized by state statute. The Town of Tamworth voted
to designate ten areas totaling 573 acres as Prime Wetlands. These
areas have been recorded at NH-DES and are protected by state
authorized provisions going beyond town ordinances and standard state
wetlands regulations. The table below shows the wetlands and acreages
as determined from state records.
