Great Bay Trout Unlimited's Cocheco River Project

What is the Cocheco River Project?

GBTU is focusing its energy in an attempt to develop a model for conservation on area river watersheds that coordinates the local municipality, planning commissions, conservation organizations, businesses, state agencies, community schools and the general public in a unified effort. By educating and developing lines of communication between these various stakeholder groups, GBTU hopes that the created "franchise" will result in proactive decision making and action that will benefit the river, the watershed and all of its stakeholders. Once developed, this model could then be applied to other watershed communities.

Why the Cocheco?

Due to the fortuitous timing of many factors coming together, the Cocheco River was recognized as a prime opportunity for GBTU to make a difference. The purchase of easements along the Cocheco River by the city of Dover coincided with GBTU board members being in good working relationships with key stakeholder groups. A little strategic thinking made it clear that there was an opportunity to effect significant change with the limited resources at GBTU's command.

What are the Elements of the Project?

In essence the project's goal is clean water that will support cold water fisheries and native fish species. The concept is illustrated in the diagram below: