Melissa Paly is CLF’s Great Bay–Piscataqua Waterkeeper, working to advocate, inform, and inspire people to protect and restore the rivers, bays, and coast that make the Seacoast such a spectacular place to live, work, and play.
Before joining CLF, Melissa was a principal of CrossCurrent Communications where she provided communications strategy, public relations, and media production services to many state agencies, businesses, and nonprofits focused on environmental and social issues throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Prior to founding her own firm, she worked for US Environmental Protection Agency Region 1, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and World Resources Council. Melissa holds a B.A. in geology from Yale College and a Master of Forest Science from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. An avid telemark skier, sailor, sea kayaker, and gardener, Melissa was past President of the Kittery (ME) Land Trust. She currently serves as a trustee of the Maine Island Trail Association, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and Yale Forestry School Alumni Board.
Recent Posts
Jun 18 2020
The Great Bay estuary of coastal New Hampshire and southern Maine once abounded with vast underwater meadows of healthy seagrasses. But since the 1990s, we’ve lost nearly half the acreage of these lush green beds, and along with it the benefits they provide. Instead, we now see expanses of thin and sickly plants, barren bottom,…
Nov 13 2019
What do polystyrene foam containers, paper coffee cups, and plastic grocery bags, food ware, and straws all have in common? None of them are recyclable and they cost towns and cities an enormous amount of money. What’s more, heaps of these single-use items end up on our beaches and shores, serving as an ugly reminder…
Aug 6 2019
Sometimes things don’t go as planned but end up exceeding all expectations. That was certainly the case with a group of Exeter activists who turned a trip on the Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper boat into a town-wide call to better protect water resources, conserve energy, and be a more sustainable community. On a blustery, cool day…
May 9 2019
Here in New Hampshire and southern Maine, the Great Bay–Piscataqua Estuary is our region’s “hidden coast.” This complex and beautiful body of water is made up of seven rivers, bays, and the shore, with waters that flow through 52 towns in two states out to the open ocean. As I prepare to launch CLF’s Waterkeeper…
May 10 2018
The Great Bay-Piscataqua estuary is an incredible place. It’s home to numerous fish and bird species and provides spectacular fishing, boating, and recreation for the people of New Hampshire, Maine, and beyond. But persistent high levels of nitrogen pollution have disrupted these waters, and while progress is being made, some municipal officials are fighting against…
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