_________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
(click on the topics below to
get more information)
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NHEP
ACTIVITIES
4/2/03
- NHEP Water Quality Team Meets
The
Water Quality Team met to discuss projects to fund, including the Spur Road
Project in Dover. The Team reviewed progress made to date on Action
Items from the Management Plan, so they could direct future resources and
efforts to priority Action Items and projects that have not been completed.
The group also discussed emerging issues related to water resources.
4/10/03
- Land Use Team Meets
The
Land Team convened and discussed NHEP indicator reports and saw a
presentation by Jim Oehler of the New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Non-Game
program regarding the NHEP-funded “Field Verification of the Piscassic
& Lower Lamprey River Watershed Wildlife Habitat Model”.
The group also outlined an RFP for shoreland protection projects and
discussed steps to implement the LND-2 Action Item in the CCMP.
A significant portion of the meeting was a review and debate about
the establishment of impervious surface and land protection goals for the
watershed.
4/10/03
–
SAVE THE DATE Postcards Sent
Reminders
for the October 20th and 21st 2003
State of the Estuaries Conference were sent to all
stakeholders on our mailing list. We
also mailed the reminder card to a mailing list from the Great Bay National
Estuarine Research Reserve, who is sponsoring part of the conference.
If you did not receive this reminder or know of someone who should
receive it, please email Dave
Kellam and he will update the database.
4/14/03
- New Employee: Matt Craig
The
NHEP welcomes Matt Craig as the program’s new part-time Planning
Technician. Matt grew up in the
Seacoast and recently completed his Masters degree at UNH.
His thesis, entitled “A
Bioregional Approach to Planning for Sustainability in the Bellamy River
Watershed”, was enriched by his work experienced gained as a Land Use
Assistant at the Strafford Regional Planning Commission.
4/22/03
& 4/30/03 –
Significant Wildlife Habitat Workshops
Jim
Oehler of the New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Non-Game program along with
UNH Cooperative Extension’s Darrel Covell and the Society for the
Protection of New Hampshire Forests’ Dan Sundquist conducted two community
workshops for the NHEP-funded habitat mapping project on the Piscassic and
lower Lamprey Rivers. The
project created a course covariance map – which is created by
electronically layering of a number of GIS data layers of key habitat
features and known occurrences of rare wildlife species.
The resulting composite map reveals areas that are likely to support
populations of rare wildlife species. When this map is melded with a tax map
it shows parcels of land that should be targeted for protection.
This information is an important tool for conservation commissions
and land planners when deciding how to best protect lands in their
community.
4/25/03
- New Hampshire Sites for Rapid Assessment Survey of Marine Invasive
Species
Jennifer
Hunter, Brian Smith, Phil Trowbridge, and Jan Smith (Massachusetts Bays
Program Director) took to the field to identify appropriate sites for a
regional study of invasive species. This
regional survey involves eight National Estuary Programs, from Casco Bay in
Maine to New York Harbor. During
the study teams of about 25 researchers will count and catalog marine
invasive species in New England from August 2nd – 8th.
The NH day is Sunday August 3rd. The
NH sites selected for the study are the Coastal Marine Lab in New Castle and
Great Bay Marine in Newington.
NEW
PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS –
go to the publications
page of the NHEP website for complete listing
Tracking
Bacterial Pollution Sources in Hampton Harbor, April 2003, NHEP
Dr.
Stephen Jones, Jackson Estuarine Laboratory/ Center for Marine Biology &
Natalie Landry, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services - - -
From the report’s Executive Summary:
“In this study, Escherichia
coli isolates (bacteria colonies) were obtained from water
samples collected from ten sites in Hampton Harbor year-round during both
dry and wet conditions.” Through
a process known as ribotyping (commonly referred to as DNA fingerprinting)
62% of the 390 isolates collected between August 2000 and October 2001 were
matched with a source species. “The
results suggest that the most common source species is humans.
Other identified sources included deer, coyotes, horses, dogs, geese,
gulls, cows, fox, ducks, chickens, a pigeon and a robin.”
Tracking
Bacterial Pollution Sources in Stormwater Pipes,
April 2003, NHEP
Dr.
Stephen Jones, Jackson Estuarine Laboratory/ Center for Marine Biology
- - - In October 2002 researchers examined two stormwater pipes in
the Hampton Harbor watershed to see if they could determine what creature
was contributing to the E.coli present in the pipes.
Using a technique called ribotyping they were able to identify 10
sources of the E. coli.
NHEP
Environmental Indicator Reports, NHEP:
Land
Use and Development (2003)
These
two reports are the last in the series of four that will provide the content
for the State of the Estuaries Report due in October.
New
Hampshire Juvenile Clam Studies Provide Insight into a Roller Coaster
Population, Coastlines,
EPA, April 2003; issues 13.2
This
summary of Dr. Beal’s work in Hampton Harbor suggests that young clams
there have a tough time with tides and green crabs.
The Spring 2003 edition of Coastlines
will be posted soon on the EPA website.
Paper copies were mailed out in April.
NHEP
UPCOMING EVENTS –
go to the Events
page of the
NHEP website for complete listing
3rd
Annual Exeter River Alewife Festival, Saturday, May 31st, Swazey Park,
Exeter
This
year the NHEP office will have a booth at the festival that will highlight
the project’s action items and encourage citizens to participate in a
variety of community volunteer programs associated with the coastal
watershed.
Achieving
Smart Growth in New Hampshire, Regional Workshops
in May and June
These
workshops, sponsored by the NH Office of State Planning, will provide
information and examples of smart growth in New Hampshire.
May workshop dates are May 12 in Durham, May 22 in Keene, and May 27
in Meredith. For complete list
of dates, times and locations go to the NHEP
website. RSVP
with Denise
Adjutant at the NH Office of State Planning,
603-271-2155. The NHEP provided
funding to NH OSP for the production of the report, Achieving Smart Growth
in New Hampshire, which is the basis for the workshops.
Estuaries
Expo –
Saturday, October 18th, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, Urban Forestry Center
How
healthy are New Hampshire’s estuaries?
This question will be answered during the NH Estuaries Expo:
a free public event that features estuarine scientists explaining the
environmental status of the State’s bays and related resources.
In addition to learning about current research, participants can also
enjoy a free lunch and a variety of brief presentations, such as a shellfish
cooking demonstration, a nature walk along Sagamore Creek, and an up-close
look at a live bald eagle! This event is a great way to learn how to become
involved in the community-based effort to improve the health of our
estuaries.
A
technical conference examining key environmental health indicators of New
Hampshire’s estuarine systems. This
conference is a joint effort between the NHEP and the Great Bay National
Estuarine Research Reserve. Conference
registration forms will be available in July.
