June 14, 2021
The Nashua National Fish Hatchery (NH) is not considered a National Wildlife Refuge, but it is listed in the Passport I received at Umbagog. The Passport is supposed to be for NWR sites, but this fish hatchery is listed…so I visited to satisfy my OCD tendencies. It is right across the street from the Nashua Mall, and I had to be in that area anyway.
It was strange arriving; I am used to the fish hatcheries up north, in the White Mountains. There is one hikers must drive through to get to the trailhead for Cabot, one of the 4Ks. Those hatcheries are on remote locations and are huge, with moose, bear, and other wildlife passing through it. The Nashua one is right off the highway and across from a massive mall.
The website states to call ahead for a free guided tour. I called multiple times, but each time I got a recorded message telling me the inbox was already full. When I showed up, all the buildings were closed. Someone was there working (a car was parked right outside the main building), but there was a sign on the door saying you could do a self-guided visit IF the side door was open…and the door was not open. I visited at 11:30 on a Monday.
Though I didn’t get a guided tour and the buildings were closed, I did technically visit. I read all the outside placards and peeked into windows. I am going to count this as a visit and check it off my (very long) list. This is not really a NWF anyway, and I already know how fish hatcheries work from my multiple visits to the one by Mount Cabot.
