The Merrimack Village Dam in New Hampshire is the lower-most dam on the Souhegan River that flows into the Merrimack River. After several years of coordination, consultation, fund raising, and with significant community support, Pennichuck Corporation (dam owner) along with U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Restoration Center, NH Department of Environmental Services, Town of Merrimack, NH Fish and Game Department, American Rivers, NH Coastal Conservation Association, Souhegan Watershed Association, Merrimack Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited have begun the removal of the 20-foot high Merrimack Village Dam. Removal is scheduled to occur over a 30-40 day period in July-August, 2008. The Souhegan is a major tributary of the Merrimack River, and is a priority watershed for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners. Removal of the dam will open up passage for Diadromous fish to 14.4 miles of the main stem Souhegan and will also open 5.0 miles of tributary habitat benefitting American shad, Atlantic salmon, Blueback herring, alewife, American eel, and sea lamprey. This dam removal project has been successful due to much cross-programmatic collaboration within the New England Field Office’s Federal Projects, Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Contaminants programs since 2003 and more recently between the Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and Fish Passage Program.
2. Photograph the potentially affected bats (including close-up shots if possible) and send the photograph and a report to the contacts above.
3. If you need to dispose of a dead bat found on your property, pick it up with a plastic bag over your hand. Place both the bat and the bag into another plastic bag, close it securely, and dispose of it with your garbage. Wash your hands – and any clothing that encounters the bat – thoroughly.
4. If you see a band on the wing of a bat, please contact your state wildlife agency or your nearest Service field office.
