The Wakefield NROC program started with the Dealing with Growth in Wakefield presentation in June, 2005. Over the course of the next few months, Wakefield-NROC participants identified goals, and formed Action Groups to develop and implement specific actions to achieve their natural resources protection goals. These activities are described below.

• Land Conservation

• Water Resources Protection

• Managing Growth, Revising Zoning, and Preserving Town Centers

• Hosted a Saturday  "Conservation Breakfast"  featuring Phil Auger (UNH Cooperative Extension) speaking about land conservation options, and discussions with the Wakefield Land Conservation Committee, attended by landowners.

• Established the group as an "official" Wakefield Land Conservation Committee, with 15 committee members.

• Developing a process for land conservation in Wakefield and the role of the Land Conservation Committee

• Developed a list of conservation criteria for identifying priority areas.

• Developed and hosted a Saturday morning public outreach event, "Wakefield's Fragile Treasures", in April 2006. The event provided education and information about Wakefield's many water resources, and provided a forum for discussion about efforts to maintain high water quality.

• For Phase II of the project, the group contracted with Strafford Regional Planning Commission to look at how Wakefield's land use regulations, enforcement policies, and education/outreach activities affect water resources. SRPC will use the information gathered in Phases I and II to develop the Wakefield Water Resources Planning Document for the Master Plan.

• Contracted with Jeff Schloss, Water Resources Specialist from UNH to work on Phase I of this project. This work involved rounding up existing water quality monitoring data and maps and compiling that information into a document describing the current state of Wakefield's water resources.

• Started work on a Water Resources chapter for the Master Plan.

• As a result of public input and the development of public support, Wakefield passed the following zoning ordinance changes at 2006 town meeting:
  
  • Added the Residential III - Rural District: Many Residential III areas are located contiguous to Residential II areas, and thus serve as a residential buffer between the rather densely populated Residential II districts, and other districts that require a lower density.
  • Added a Farming - Prime Soils Overlay District to promote the continuation of agriculture, protect historically viable farmland and prime agricultural soils and preserve Wakefield's rural character and working landscape.
  • Added an open space conservation/cluster development to conserve agricultural and forestlands, habitat, water quality, rural character and scenic areas that might otherwise be lost through conventional development, by encouraging environmentally sound development of land.
  • Added Conditional Use Permits to the ROUTE 16 CORRIDOR for all business, commercial and industrial uses that have frontage on ,or access from, Route 16

• Developed a community outreach plan to solicit additional citizen participation in the Planning Board/Controlling Growth process. The plan included:
  
  • Advertising Planning Board meetings on a marquee board placed outside the town hall
  • Notices to local groups, e.g. lake associations, Church groups, Heritage Commission, Wakefield Arts Council, etc.
  • Postings on the town website
  • Articles in local papers (Granite State newsletter, Fosters, etc.)
  • Notices posted in public places
  
  

Received grant funding from the NH Coastal Program and NHDES to develop a Water Resources Chapter for the Master Plan.

Received NROC Implementation Grant funding from the NH Estuaries Project to develop a survey of voter attitudes to conservation funding, and to develop a public outreach program to build additional support for land conservation projects and funding.