The 1995 to 2020 Vision for the Nashua River Watershed (The 2020 Plan) was developed by the Nashua River Watershed Association with input from watershed communities (planning boards and conservation commissions), land trusts, conservation groups, state agencies, businesses, and interested citizens.

The Nashua River watershed is an ecosystem, an interacting web of life that is sustained by the elements of water, soil, and air. All of us, plant and animal, are vital parts.

- The 2020 Plan

The goals and priorities set by The 2020 Plan are as follows:

Restore and Protect Water Quality

• Keep drinking water supplies clean
• Clean up polluted waters
• Protect water quality for a variety of uses, including wildlife, fish, and recreation

Conserve Open Spaces

Protect, restore, and sustain the following significant resource lands:

• Lands along all water bodies, including wetlands and their surrounding lands, as greenways for their natural resource value
• Lands and corridors for wildlife habitat (including rare species)
• Native American sacred sites in the watershed, prime farm and forest soils
• Lands and corridors for outdoor recreation and scenic quality

Encourage Careful Land Use with Well-planned Development

• Encourage watershed communities to plan development so that natural and community resources are protected
• Implement community plans through cooperative integrated watershed management
• Make Fort Devens re-use a model for environmentally compatible economic development
• Focus development in environmentally compatible areas to preserve or strengthen city, town, and village centers
• Support resource-based economic activities including sustainable farming, forestry, and eco-tourism
• Protect traditional New England landscape patterns and visual resources

The 2020 Plan recommends four basic strategic actions: environmental education, advocacy for resource stewardship, resource-based community planning, and working together for cooperative watershed management. You can review the plan at the NRWA's Conservation Clearinghouse or order a copy from our Publications collection.

For more information on the NRWA's programs, please see Land Protection, Environmental Education, Water Quality Monitoring, and Stream Teams.

The Nashua River watershed, a small corner of the earth, still largely rural at the edge of a great metropolitan area, is endowed with a wonderful mixture of human and natural resources, from mill cities to rare species.

- The 2020 Plan