NH Moose Plates | Franklin Opera House, Franklin, NH

Projects funded by Moose Plates!

Sugar Hill Meetinghouse Tower Restoration

Repairing Publicly Owned Historic Resources & Artifacts

To get back into good shape, the 1830 Sugar Hill Meetinghouse in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire needed vinyl siding removed and repairs made to the clapboards underneath; it also needed painting and repairs to its steeple and clock. An NH Division of Historical Resources NH Moose Plate grant offered big help to get these important jobs done.

Protecting New Hampshire’s Vulnerable Wildlife

Did you know that the peregrine falcon and American kestrel, two raptors, are species of concern in New Hampshire? The NH Fish and Game’s Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program is working to increase the number of both these and other threatened migratory birds through research and conservation efforts supported by funds generated by the Moose Plate Program.

The Town of Stoddard Protects the Scenic Little Big Forest

The Town of Stoddard, with support from a Moose Plate Grant awarded by the NH State Conservation Committee, purchased the 40-acre Little Big Forest to protect this pristine,unmanaged forest with 4,000 feet of undeveloped shoreline on Highland Lake. Conservation efforts here protect water quality and the important wildlife habitat on either side of the lake, all while providing the community with an ideal environment for outdoor-based research and passive recreational use.

Pollinator Habitat Initiative Project

To counter the decline of pollinator habitat, 20 pollinator habitat sites were installed to demonstrate innovative approaches to converting sites, landowner workshops were held, and pollinator habitats on Cheshire County farms were inventoried to better understand the impacts of native pollinators.

Monitoring & Protecting Rare Plants Across New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau (NHB) surveys state-threatened plants, monitoring their health to provide recommendations for protecting rare species across the state. Recently, the NHB team visited Mt. Sunapee Park to survey for the greater fringed-gentian (Gentianopsis crinite), recording fluctuations in the appearance of this biennial plant.

Protecting Natural, Historic, & Recreational Resources In Grantham, NH

With support from a Moose Plate Grant awarded by the Land & Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), the Sawyer Brook Headwaters project is Ausbon Sargent’s first conserved property in Grantham, NH! Its purchase by Ausbon Sargent with funding support from LCHIP made way for the conservation of the 384.5-acre property and the diverse range of natural, historic, and recreational resources found within it.

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Franklin Opera House, Franklin, NH

The Franklin Opera House was built in 1892-1893 and designed by one of New Hampshire’s foremost architects of the time, William Butterfield. From the date of its dedication it was a venue for balls, dances, lectures, plays, musicals, vaudeville shows, concerts, school productions and graduation ceremonies. During World War II, programs of the Red Cross were offered there.

The opera house received grant funds in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008, including:

2004 — $10,000, Phase I: Renovation of the balcony to comply with fire and life safety codes and emergency exit stairs.

2005 — $20,000, Phase II: Renovation of the balcony by refinishing the floor, upgrading the electrical system, installing step lights, adding dimming units for the ‘house lights’, doing ceiling repairs, adding new interior paint and executing roof repairs.

2007 — $7815: Purchasing 195 stackable, moveable chairs to provide orchestra seating that was easy to store when not in use. (The Opera House donated their metal chairs to other non profits.)

2008 — $20,000: Restoring the front entrance of Opera House through the purchase and installation of three granite steps, quarried in Concord. The renovation was celebrated on July 16, 2008 with the attendance of Governor Lynch and the Executive Council for their regular meeting.