Regional planners must consider wildlife habitats and routes animals travel

Regional planning commissions must consider wildlife habitat areas and routes wildlife use to move between them. Local conservation commissions must inventory habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors, including those on state or municipal land. These are wildlife areas covered by the referenced state definitions. The habitat inventory informs regional planners and cannot serve as a basis for town or city zoning or planning. Regional planning commissions act as advisers; local planning boards keep their powers. The Fish and Game executive director may consult with regional planners, conservation commissions, and the Department of Transportation about these areas. These provisions took effect September 13, 2026.

A commission must study whether the Winnipesaukee River Basin program should stay under state control or move to another authority. The study covers program assets, their value, needed legal changes, staffing, and long-term operating and infrastructure costs. Any alternative authority considered must support the municipalities the program serves. The commission must receive input from the Department of Environmental Services, the program's advisory board, and the municipalities it serves. The law requires a study and recommendations; it does not authorize a transfer. The commission provision took effect July 15, 2026, with its first meeting required within 45 days. Its report is due on or before November 1, 2026, when the provision establishing it is repealed.

The law provides a director position for the Winnipesaukee River Basin program within the Department of Environmental Services. The director oversees the program's operations, maintenance, programs, and projects, along with duties assigned by the commissioner. The commissioner nominates the director, and the governor appoints the director for four years with the Executive Council's consent. The director must qualify through education and experience. The salary follows the referenced state pay schedule, and funding must move into a designated spending category. The director and salary provisions took effect July 15, 2026.