Mount Washington Summit And Its Environmental Future To Be Discussed

By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH

THOMPSON AND MESERVE'S PURCHASE — The Mount Washington summit and its future, considering impacts from humans and climate change, are being considered as part of an extensive master plan right now with the contactor expected to hold a stakeholder workshop or two this summer.

One is likely to be in Concord at the end of June to solicit feedback on the draft summit assessment findings, according to the minutes of the last meeting of the Mount Washington Commission, though no such findings are available yet.

The commission is headed up to the Tip Top House on Friday to discuss the matter with perhaps more firm ideas of when and where the public can get information on what has been found.

At 6,288 feet in elevation, this is the highest location in the Northeast United States.

It is iconic for that reason with people wanting to hike, drive, or take the Cog rails to see it.

But the climate up there is much more fragile and different than even at 5,000 feet or the valleys below and it is undergoing increasing change.

The meeting on the summit is Friday at 10 a.m.

Albi Fioravante of the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources reported last month in its minutes that the contractor, Tighe & Bond will hold a stakeholder workshop in Concord at the end of June to solicit feedback.

"Phase II environmental assessment work was added to the Tighe & Bond contract using funds from DNCR’s energy audit account. The project will include soil and groundwater sampling and analysis. Tighe & Bond will make a final presentation to the (Mount Washington Commission) at the September meeting," according to the minutes from the meeting at Bretton Woods.

The commission is an advisory board to Commissioner of Natural and Cultural Resources Commissioner Sarah Stewart and it includes legislative leaders and stakeholders at the summit, including those from the Mount Washington Observatory, Auto Road, Cog Railway, and Townsquare Media communications which all have operations on the 60-acre state park property.

Members of the commission asked that a meeting be held in the north on an evening at a larger venue, such as the North Conway Community Center.

A visitor survey is being finalized.

In October 2022, despite protestations from the public that environmental concerns for the summit of Mount Washington are not considered more important than concerns for visitors and business interests, the commission unanimously approved a revised 10-year master plan.

The plan called for the legislature to fund a full environmental and structural assessment and those recommendations be incorporated into the plan.

The legislature has funded this study.

Phil Bryce, who now represents the public on the commission after being state parks director, said the legislature would not likely take the matter of funding forward without a master plan in hand.

White Mountain National Forest Supervisor Derek Ibarguen said the federal approach and sequencing is similar, with federal environmental assessments informing proposed plans before a final plan is approved.

At two public hearings during the summer of 2022, one in North Conway and one in Concord, members of the public overwhelmingly urged the plan to include an environmental assessment.

The Mount Washington State Park at the summit opened for the summer on May 23.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.