Mt. Washington Summit Environmental Report To Be Unveiled In North Conway

By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org, InDepth NH

NORTH CONWAY, NH — An environmental and structural assessment of the 60-acre state park at the summit of the highest peak in the northeast, Mount Washington, with recommendations for its future is part of a presentation that will be offered Thursday night.

The state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources contracted with the firm Tighe & Bond to produce the "Mount Washington State Park Assessment and Recommendations for Implementation."

Officials for the company will discuss the report at the meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Fairbank Lodge at Cranmore Mountain Resort.

According to the website for Tighe & Bond:

The study area consists of alpine tundra, buildings and maintenance facilities, hiking trails, and remnants of historic uses.

"The assessment included natural resources such as topography, soils, vegetation, and wildlife; areas of environmental concern; site infrastructure and visitor experience; and conditions and usage of the summit’s Visitor Center, historic Tip-Top House, and the Yankee Building," the website said.

"Our interdisciplinary team compiled and reviewed extensive prior records and performed field data collection in August and September, 2024, supplemented with interviews of State Park staff. We then prepared an assessment using established relevant methods for each discipline.

"Public engagement was an important part of the study and included a visitor survey developed in collaboration with the University of New Hampshire’s Survey Center and DNCR, along with a wider public survey to collect opinions related to the future of the summit," the company said.

The study will provide recommendations for improvements or further study, providing the DNCR and Mount Washington Commission with a foundation for future planning and investment.

"Recommendations will be developed and refined through a series of workshops, aiming to balance the environmental protection of the alpine environment with the summit’s continued public use."

Project highlights will include an ecological conditions survey, assessment of natural and built resources, data collection, GIS mapping and public engagement, according to the website.

In October, 2022, the 12-member Mount Washington Commission unanimously approved a 10-year master plan with the proviso that environmental recommendations from this study be incorporated into the plan once complete.

Members of the advisory commission include representatives of the Cog Railway, The Mount Washington Auto Road, the Mount Washington Observatory, State Parks, TownSquare Media (operators of transmission towers at the summit), the Appalachian Mountain Club and state elected officials.

Discussion leading to the updated long term plan which is here https://www.nhstateparks.org/about-nh-parks/park-administration-legislation/commissions-and-committees/mount-washington-commission/mtwashmasterplan-attachments-11-2022.aspx included concern for this fragile Arctic environment and its habitat.

But also interests of tourism and business and the fact that you cannot control the number of people heading to the summit were discussed.

There was discussion about how to direct policy for use and accessibility to all which came up during discussion of the new plan. There were protests from some in the public that environmental concerns for the summit were not considered more important than concerns for visitors and business interests.

Former Senate President and former Commission Chair Jeb Bradley, before leaving his post said, “I like cooperation a lot better than contested procedures in court...I think funding for the environmental assessment will happen, it will be a top priority for the next legislature and in the right direction of...protection of the environment.”

Jamie Sayen of North Stratford, who authored an op-ed entitled, “Who Speaks for Mount Washington,” said in 2022, “We have a problem. Human aspirations are in conflict with natural limits. We cannot change natural laws and limits...or the law of carrying capacity but we can modify human behavior.”

There were concerns about the diminishing alpine zone in the face of climate change and over-popularity among the interests of those entities.

At two public hearings that summer – one in North Conway and one in Concord – members of the public overwhelmingly urged the plan to include an environmental assessment. The legislature agreed to fund that study that is now about to be made public.

Sarah Stewart, commissioner for the state Department of Cultural and Natural Resources did not immediately respond to an email for comment on the report Wednesday.

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