Isinglass River

In 2000 a group of Barrington Middle School students, nicknamed "Kids of the River", and two of their parents created a group called the Isinglass River Protection Project (IRPP). They educated themselves about the river and made it their goal to promote the protection and conservation of the river. They testified before the New Hampshire House of Representatives in favor of nominating the Isinglass River for designation under the NH Rivers Management and Protection Plan (RMPP). The nomination was accepted and in 2002 the river became designated under the plan. Once the river was designated, the Isinglass River Local Advisory Committee (IRLAC) was formed and several members of the IRPP were appointed to it.

After receiving a grant from the NH Coastal Program, "Isinglass River Management Plan: Building Public Awareness and Support", in the spring of 2004, the IRLAC set out to inform people of the designation of the river by the state and also to show people the necessity in protecting the natural resources of the river. The goal was to get the rest of the community to join the movement for conservation. They began to also check building plans and road construction plans to make sure the river would not be negatively affected. They began doing water tests at several different locations, and the quality has shown to be improving over the years.

In 2008, a proposal by the town of Strafford and a couple of other groups was ranked number 1 in the nation out of 44 potential projects that were eligible for federal Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) funding. The project will prevent a 58-unit housing development that would take up 7,800 feet (2,400 m) of river frontage along the Isinglass. The river is also being utilized for more activities such as hiking, fishing, and kayaking. Waste Management of NH, which has an operating facility in Rochester, also has worked to create hiking trails and encourage conservation of the area. One of the Waste Management trails leads to Locke's Falls, one of the most attractive views along the river. There are many public fishing areas to utilize, and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department stocks the river annually with about 5,000 Brook and Rainbow Trout. Monitoring of water quality at different spots along the river has shown that since the implementation of the plan, the dissolved oxygen levels (D.O), pH levels, turbidity, specific conductance, and E.coli levels, have all risen to meet the standards of a class B river. The efforts at both the state and local levels have proven to be effective in helping preserve one of the few natural rivers left in New Hampshire. Today the local committees are working to make sure that the river is protected and that as little development as possible is done along the river.