The Rockingham County Conservation District (RCCD) is excited to celebrate 75 years of Conservation with the other NH Conservation Districts! Here on the seacoast, we’ve been working on working on saltmarsh grass health for a long time – see the black and white photo below from 1966.
Saltmarshes or estuarine ecosystems are one of the most productive and delicate ecosystems in the world. With an incredible richness in biodiversity, these systems help absorb floods, and serve as nursery grounds for an abundance of fisheries. At the turn of the century haying was also prevalent in saltmarshes and generally took place in August during low tides. . Saltmarsh hay was prized hay for cattle as it offered much greater nutritional value compared to regular hay. Although salt marsh haying is not as prevalent as it once was, there are still a few farmers that hay the saltmarsh.
The District continues to this day to advocate for the health of our saltmarshes. See the colored picture below of our team surveying the saltmarsh cover!
February 26 – Salt Hay, Rockingham County