Wilderness officials shut down more than 100 trailheads, shelters, picnic areas and other sites in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest.
The U.S. Forest Service said Friday said the decision was based on federal, state and local guidance for physical distancing and to ensure the health and safety of employees, visitors and volunteers. It comes after officials reported an unseasonably high number of visitors who were “not able or willing” to follow social distancing recommendations.
Trails themselves remain open to those who can get to them on foot, but the state is under a stay-at-home order and officials have urged people to stay local for outdoor recreation.
Trailheads that are closed include popular areas off the Kancamagus Highway, like Lincoln Woods, and areas off Route 16 like Moat Mountain in North Conway.
Violators may be fine up to $5,000 per individual, the Forest Service said.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu extended New Hampshire’s state of emergency declaration for another three weeks, while retailers began outlining their goals in reopening the economy.
Sununu, a Republican, initially declared a state of emergency on March 13 and has continued to extend it as it expires every 21 days. Further extension is necessary given that the pandemic has caused an unprecedented public health emergency and economic devastation, he wrote.
Among other things, the order continues expansion of unemployment benefit eligibility and protections against housing evictions and utility shutoffs. Separate orders, including a stay-at-home order, business closures and restaurant restrictions, are due to expire May 4 but Sununu has said extensions are likely.
Demand is up and revenues are down for New Hampshire’s critical nonprofit sector, officials said.
“There’s a fundamental paradox with nonprofits. When your ‘business’ is up, when more and more clients need you, your revenues almost by definition are down because you’re in a down economy,” Dick Ober, president of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, told the legislative advisory board for the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery.
Martha Stone, executive director of the Crossroads House in Portsmouth, said the homeless shelter already was operating above capacity before the pandemic. Half of her annual $2 million budget comes from fundraising, but she’s had to cancel a major event that typically brings in $400,000. At the same time, expenses are rising, including spending $12,000 to house the most vulnerable residents in hotels. And she fears there will be a surge in homeless residents once the current prohibition on evictions is lifted.
Nonprofit organizations employ 83,000 people in New Hampshire, according to the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits. In a survey this week, the average nonprofit reported losing a third of its annual budget because of the pandemic.
The only way to get college students back on campus this fall is through robust virus testing, the head of the University System of New Hampshire said Friday.
Chancellor Todd Leach told lawmakers that it would cost about $6 million to conduct such testing. He also said the university system needs $6 million to upgrade classrooms for remote learning, in case some student aren’t comfortable returning or there is another wave of the virus.
Colleges and universities are hoping to reopen in the fall, but haven’t made final decisions. The university system has already refunded $41.6 million in room and board for the current semester.
Michele Perkins, president of New England College, is chairwoman of the New Hampshire College and University Council. The group’s 21 members report having lost more than $185 million because of the pandemic.
“This crisis has the potential to cause the demise of many great institutions across this country, and those states that can preserve their institutions will be at an advantage in terms of workforce development when this crisis is over,” said Perkins.