Biology
Several different types of plant communities are found in Eaton each of which supports a range of wildlife. Of the 27 different types of habitat classified by the Wildlife Action Plan of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department 13 are found in Eaton. Each type is subject to distinct threats requiring specific conservation measures for protection. The map below shows where each tuype of habitat is found in Eaton. Descriptions of these plant and animal communities and their particular needs can be found in the Biology pull down menu. All of the animal species mentioned can be found in Eaton. All of the photographs and videos accompanying these descriptions were taken in Eaton from 2018 through 2020.
Eaton is also home to several threatened or endangered species and is subject to pressure from invasive species of plants and animals which are also discussed below. A concluding section identifies areas of Eaton that have the highest need for conservation due to multiple factors.
The Upper Saco Valley Land Trust created a map of habitat types as part of their 2011 natural resource inventory for their service area. This map uses different descriptions of habitat types resulting in different classifications in some parts of town.
Sources
Much of the material for this page on Biology came from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s wildlife webpages: wildlife.state.nh.us/wildlife
The interactive habitat map is from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Wildlife Action Plan.
Another good resource is Taking Action for Wildlife community resources webpage: takingactionforwildlife.org/resources-communities-and-conservaiton-groups
Other sources of general use in this area are: Lakes Region Conservation Plan 2017 Update FINAL.pdf; USVLT_NRI.PDF – 2011 Natural Resource Inventory for Saco river watershed; maps on GranitView; and maps in the Living Atlas on ArcGIS.
A detailed description of the vegetation of the town is provided in the 1986 Master Plan. A more thurough exploration of forest land owned by the town can be found in the 2018 Forest Management Plan for the Eaton Town Forest Lands.
Habitat Types
The five groupings of habitat types (Forest Habitats; Cliffs, Ridges, and Talus Slopes; Developed Areas and Grasslands; Wetland Habitats; and Open Water Habitats) and the accompanying map of where these habitats are found in Eaton come from the Wildlife Action Plan of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department: https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/nh-wildlife-action-plan
Another source of information on where animal species are found is wildlife road kill info: https://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/nongame/raarp-reporting.html
The Nature Conservancy provides an interactive map and alternate classificaiton system for terrestrial habitat at maps.tnc.org/nehabitatmap/ Clicking on any habitat on this map will bring up additional informaiton about the habitat type and a link to further informaiton.
Resources: NH Natural Heritage Bureau (NH NHB) in the Division of Forests and Lands, Department of Resources and Economic Development, Nature Conservancy, local botanists, Identifying and Protecting New Hampshire’s Significant Wildlife Habitat: A Guide for Towns and Conservation Groups from NH Department of Fish and Game (F&G), Comprehensive Wildlife Plan (NH F&G), Audubon Society of NH, local reports of sightings and tracks