The Glenn Cove Project

Our Goal

We’re on a campaign to open up new free public access along the shores of Great Bay, restoring and renovating the property’s historic farm along the way.

This project will

• Open a public access site for picnicking, wildlife watching, birding, kayaking and wind surfing, winter smelt fishing, and waterfowl hunting
• Create visiting researcher and fellowship housing for the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
• Construct a picnic pavilion for public use at the site, as well as parking for visitors and public bathrooms
• Increase options for Reserve education, stewardship and research programs
• Allow for access to water quality and saltmarsh research and monitoring, climate change and sea level rise work, and fisheries and wildlife management
• Provide parking and easier access to Great Bay for visitors with mobility concerns
• Provide a new location for estuary environmental education camps and field trips

Impact and Progress

In 2022, the Great Bay Stewards committed to raising the final piece of funding toward the Glenn Cove project, for a total of $450,000.  Funds previously raised – and dependent on the Stewards match – so far include:

• $428,399.00 committed from N.H. Fish and Game
• $999,595.00 committed from the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration in 2020
• An additional II $1.5 million grant from NOAA received in 2022

The project also abuts four NHFG-owned parcels that protect approximately 130 acres of land and 4,000 feet of frontage on the eastern shore of Great Bay, as well as the 154-acre Great Bay Farm recently put into conservation by the town of Greenland and Southeast Land Trust.

The History

The property, once known as Sunset Farm, was purchased in 2000 from the Emery family by the New Hampshire Chapter of the Nature Conservancy under the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership. Soon after, the parcel was transferred to the N.H. Fish and Game Department. The waterfront portion of the land and the seven associated buildings were put into a life estate until the passing of the family representative that sold the land. In the spring of 2019, that family member passed away and the management of the 11.58 acres and the collection of buildings on the land were transferred to NHFG. Now this area has been designated for use by the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, which is working to restore and renovate it to open it for public use.