What could a resilient future for Hampton’s Meadow Pond look like? This question brought together local partners, scientists, and community members for a hands-on workshop hosted by the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GBNERR) and the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP), with support from the Town of Hampton and the NH DES Coastal Program.
We’re excited to share the Meadow Pond Workshop Summary, which captures the ideas, energy, and collaboration that emerged during this field-based exploration of the area’s changing ecosystem.
Explore the report here: Meadow Pond Workshop Summary Report
Meadow Pond is a 50-acre, tidally influenced water body surrounded by marsh in Hampton, New Hampshire. It connects to Hampton Harbor through a winding tidal channel, while small streams and local runoff add freshwater flow. The surrounding wetlands are part of the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary—the largest salt marsh complex in New Hampshire—and support a vibrant bird community among stands of cattail, salt marsh hay, smooth cordgrass, and Phragmites.
Over time, roads, drainage infrastructure, and development have disrupted tidal exchange and contributed to flooding in nearby neighborhoods. Sea level rise, invasive species and altered hydrology continue to challenge the area’s resilience.
Residents and partners are responding with creativity and persistence. Through the Flood Ready Neighborhoods Project, the Coastal Hazards Adaptation Team, and a major hydrodynamic and flood mitigation study, the Town of Hampton and residents are working to reduce flood risk and improve drainage. The town is also piloting the Hampton Voluntary Elevation, Property Acquisition, and Relocation (VEPAR) Program to explore equitable ways to adapt to rising seas.
Recognized in GBNERR’s Pathways to Salt Marsh Resilience Project for its strong community and marsh migration potential, Meadow Pond became the focus of the August 2025 workshop—an opportunity to share knowledge and imagine a resilient future for this special place.
The goal of the workshop, which took place on August 14, 2025, was to bring together partners who work in land conservation, land use planning, restoration, and community engagement to deepen knowledge about the changing ecosystem, foster creative thinking about what a resilient future could look like for the Meadow Pond area, and share project ideas. The workshop had two parts: a field trip around Meadow Pond, visiting different sites to spark discussions about key issues and opportunities for building resilience, and an indoor work session to reflect on the field trip observations and explore ideas that could advance the resilience of Meadow Pond.
This report summarizes all of the ideas we heard at the workshop, and includes the event handouts and maps as well as a list of all the references we assembled that relate to Meadow Pond. Importantly, the summary describes the ideas the group generated for what a resilient future could look like for the Meadow Pond area, and outlines potential strategies and actions to advance resilience.
We hope this summary can be used in a variety of ways, such as demonstrating support for a Meadow Pond project in a grant proposal, or deepening your understanding of the ecosystem and history of work at the site. We also hope that the workshop and this summary will support the advancement of resilience projects in the Meadow Pond area and beyond. We are available to talk about ideas identified in this report and to help make connections to develop projects. Please let us know if you’d like to be part of the next steps or have additional ideas to contribute!
Becky MacKnight, GBNERR Project Specialist, becky.macknight@greatbaystewards.org
Lynn Vaccaro, GBNERR Training & Engagement Coordinator, lynn.e.vaccaro@wildlife.nh.gov
Annie Cox, PREP Watershed Resilience Manager, anne.cox@unh.edu
