Contact Us

Sabrina Stanwood
Bureau Administrator

Sabrina.stanwood@dred.state.nh.us
(603) 271-2215 x303

Sara J. Cairns
Data Manager/Biologist
scairns@dred.state.nh.us
(603) 271-2215 x302
Peter J. Bowman
Wildlife Biologist
pbowman@dred.state.nh.us
(603) 271-2215 x427
William F. Nichols
Ecologist/Botanist
wnichols@dred.state.nh.us
(603) 271-2215 x444

Melissa L. Coppola
Environmental Information Specialist

mcoppola@dred.state.nh.us
(603) 271-2215 x323

Normal business hours for the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development, Division of Forests and Lands are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Division phone number is 271-2214. Office fax: (603) 271-6488

Mailing/Shipping Address:
NH Natural Heritage Bureau
172 Pembroke Rd  PO Box 1856
Concord, NH 03301-1856

Staff Bios

Sabrina Stanwood, Bureau Adminstrator
Sabrina administers New Hampshire's Natural Heritage Bureau (NHB) and builds partnerships with a variety of stakeholders to protect and conserve New Hampshire's native plants and natural communities. She received a Master of Forest Resources degree from the Pennsylvania State University, a B.S. in Natural Resource Studies and Wildlife & Fisheries Conservation from UMass Amherst and has an Associate degree in Applied Animal Science from the Thompson School of Applied Science at UNH. Prior to joining NHB in 2013, Sabrina worked in the Coastal Zone Management Program in Pennsylvania. She has also worked with landowners in Virginia to conserve and protect their property and as a Mounted Park Ranger in Massachusetts.

Sara Cairns, Data Manager/Biologist

Sara is responsible for all aspects of our database and handles information requests. She is nationally recognized for her innovative information products and data management tools, and is an instructor for NatureServe's national Natural Heritage training sessions. Sara has a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Ecology from Cornell University. Prior to joining NH Heritage in 1997, she was a professor in the Biology Department at Middlebury College (VT) and worked as an environmental consultant in Maryland. 

Pete Bowman, Wildlife Biologist
Pete processes wildlife data for the NH Wildlife Action Plan in coordination with New Hampshire Fish and Game, and consults with Division of Forests & Lands foresters on the management of State lands. Prior to joining NH Natural Heritage, he worked as a community ecologist for the Delaware Natural Heritage Program.  He has also worked as a research technician at the Joseph Jones Ecological Research Center in Newton, Georgia. He holds a B.S. in environmental science from Cook College, Rutgers University and a Master of Forestry from the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University for which he studied the herbaceous communities of longleaf and slash pine forests in northern Florida.

Bill Nichols, Ecologist/Botanist

Bill is responsible for all ecological projects at NH Heritage. He is also responsible for the revision of the endangered and threatened plant list, and conducts many of our field inventory projects. He has a Master of Science in Botany from the University of Rhode Island, where his thesis research focused on the degree to which geomorphological factors can be used to predict vascular plant diversity. Prior to NH Heritage, Bill was a Plant Community Ecologist with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, a Plant Inventory Specialist with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and a master boat builder at Lowell’s Boat Shop in Massachusetts. He began working with NH Heritage in 1996.

Melissa Coppola, Environmental Information Specialist
Melissa provides access to NH Natural Heritage data by doing environmental reviews and answering information requests. She also helps keep the database up-to-date. She has an M.S. in Environmental Studies from Antioch New England Graduate School and a B.S. in Natural History from Northland College. Prior to joining NH Natural Heritage, she was a field naturalist for Massachusetts Audubon Society, taught New England Flora as adjunct faculty at Antioch, was a field ecologist/inventory technician for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and worked as a plant ecologist for Moosewood Ecological Services. She has participated in ecological research in Wisconsin, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.


Staff Photos

Melissa Harty at Greenough Pond in Salisbury, NH (photo by Ben Kimball for the NH Natural Heritage Bureau)  Bill Nichols at 4th CT Lake in Pittsburg, NH (photo by Ben Kimball for the NH Natural Heritage Bureau)  Sara Cairns along the Connecticut River in Claremont, NH (photo by Doug Bechtel for the NH Natural Heritage Bureau)

Pete Bowman at the Sandy Point Discovery Center in Stratham, NH (photo by Ben Kimball for the NH Natural Heritage Bureau)