What We Do
Restoration and Conservation
Protecting and enhancing our natural resources.
Below are a few of the pillar initiatives PREP participates in to carry out the mission of the Restoration and Conservation Program.
Eelgrass is a rooted plant that grows in meadows on the floor of the e
stuary and provides a critical habitat for young fish, lobsters, and mussels, as well as other important ecosystem benefits. In 2026, PREP has launched Great Bay’s first seed-based eelgrass restoration effort! This is the first restoration effort in the Great Bay Estuary that focuses on harvesting seeds, which help bolster existing meadows in Great Bay proper.
In August, PREP staff and a group of volunteers visit coastal donor beds near Fort Foster (Kittery, ME) and New Castle Beach (New Castle, NH). This work involves using a snorkel to harvest the reproductive part of an eelgrass shoot that flowers and produces seeds. PREP's SCUBA team also collects eelgrass shoots in deeper underwater meadows.
After collection, reproductive shoots are held in flowing seawater tanks at Jackson Estuarine Lab. The tubs replicate the coastal meadows where they were harvested. Here, seeds from the shoots will continue to mature. Eventually, they will separate from the shoot and settle at the bottom of the tanks. This process mimics how eelgrass seeds naturally release and settle on the seafloor. Once they’re at the bottom of the tank, our team will collect each seed, which is approximately the size of a grain of rice.
After the seeds are cleaned and processed, PREP will visit select restoration sites, including Great Bay proper, where teams will seed existing meadows.
View the Eelgrass condition indicator in the 2023 State of Our Estuaries report.
Learn more about the 2025 eelgrass decline in Great Bay proper.
The Nature Conservancy has developed a spatially explicit plan for oyster restoration opportunities in the Great Bay Estuary. With PREP's assistance, Oyster Restoration by Design includes a broad public process to incorporate existing technical knowledge, as well as to elicit and integrate additional stakeholder interests and feedback.
Learn about Oyster Restoration by Design
View the related condition indicators in the 2023 State of Our Estuaries report:
Salt marshes are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. In the past few centuries, many of the salt marshes in the Piscataqua Region watershed have been degraded or lost over time.
PREP supports the ongoing efforts to improve these critical habitats through salt marsh restoration and tidal crossing enhancement projects. The Hampton-Seabrook Estuary contains the largest contiguous marsh in the state.
Salt marsh restoration is officially underway in Hampton, NH. In the winter of 2026, on-the-ground work is helping restore the natural tidal flow of Hampton’s salt marshes by fixing historic drainage ditches that have altered the landscape for centuries. PREP's partners at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services’ Coastal Program received a $2 million National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) America the Beautiful Challenge grant to support salt marsh restoration projects along New Hampshire’s coast. In Hampton alone, this funding is supporting restoration across 120 acres of salt marsh, beginning with a 14-acre demonstration project.
Healthy salt marshes act like natural infrastructure. They help absorb storm surge, reduce flooding, support wildlife, and protect the community from the growing impacts of sea level rise. But long, straight ditches dug centuries ago disrupted natural water flow, causing marshes to sink and erode, leaving coastal communities more vulnerable.
This project uses techniques like micro-runneling (small channels that reconnect water to the tides) and filling in man-made ditches to help the marsh function the way it’s supposed to. Work happens between November and March (and over three years) to reduce impacts to wildlife, including the endangered salt marsh sparrow. The result: healthier marshes, stronger coastal protection, and a more resilient Hampton for the future.
View the Salt Marsh condition indicator in the 2023 State of Our Estuaries report.
Conserving land provides a multitude of ecological and social benefits, including flood protection and recreational opportunities, and is one of the most effective ways to protect wildlife and water quality.
PREP supports land conservation through significant sub-awards for targeted land conservation efforts in alignment with the Conservation Plans for New Hampshire and Maine’s Coastal Watersheds. These efforts are focused on protecting lands identified as Conservation Focus Areas, as indicated in the State of Our Estuaries report.
View the related response indicators in the 2023 State of Our Estuaries report: