July 2004, #15 

CONTENTS (click on the topics below to get more information)

NHEP ACTIVITIES

6/01/04 - DES Watershed Bureau Meeting

Jennifer Hunter gave a presentation describing the NHEP's goals, management plan and organizational structure to help smooth the transition to our new host agency.  

6/02/04 - EPA Science Forum Presentation in Washington, DC 

Phil Trowbridge made a presentation at the EPA Science Forum in Washington. The presentation highlighted the successful partnership between NH DES and EPA to implement the National Coastal Assessment in New Hampshire.

6/02/04 - Portsmouth Herald Article: Commission Educates Hamptons on Prime Wetlands 

The Hampton and Hampton Falls Conservation Commissions put in motion the first step of their project to designate prime wetland area along the Taylor River.  Last December, the groups received a $10,000 [sic] grant from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project to complete the study. Read the rest of the story 

6/03/04 - Environmental Indicators Presentation to EPA/DES Senior Management Team 

Jennifer Hunter and Phil Trowbridge presented information on the New Hampshire Estuaries Project's environmental indicators at the DES/EPA Senior Management Team meeting. Jennifer described why indicators were developed for the NHEP and how they are used to evaluate progress toward meeting the objectives and goals described in the NHEP's management plan. Phil Trowbridge described four specific indicators, including bacteria concentrations, nutrient trends, impervious surface cover, and oyster standing stock. He further discussed how those indicators have been used by the NHEP in allocating resources and setting priorities.

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6/04/04 - Hampton Union Article: River Area May Get Added Protection 

The land along the Taylor River in Hampton and Hampton Falls may soon be designated as "prime" wetland if the towns’ conservation commissions can provide enough information to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services to designate it as such.  On Tuesday evening, the commissions held a public hearing on the matter. Ellen Goethel, chairwoman of Hampton’s Conservation Commission, and Tracy Degnan, conservation specialist with the Rockingham County Conservation District, told the handful of residents in attendance how the project began. They outlined the project’s necessary steps and explained why prime wetland designation is important to the area. "Development around the Taylor River is an epidemic these days," Goethel said. Recognition at the state level of the land around the Taylor River as prime wetland would add another layer of protection and make it more difficult to develop in the future. Developers would have to go beyond town planning and zoning boards and get approval from the DES before starting any projects. Goethel explained that last December, the committee received a $10,000 [sic] grant from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project to complete the study.  Read the rest of story

6/04/04 - Matt Craig's Last Day 

Matt Craig ended his employment at the New Hampshire Estuaries Project and currently is working for Ducks Unlimited.  During his time at the NHEP, Matt managed many projects including the NHEP septic system outreach project, Estuaries Month, a technical assistant project with the Center for Watershed Assistance, the Freshwater Wetlands Protection and Restoration grant program, and the Shoreland Protection grant program.   He authored several NHEP reports including  "Case Study 1:  Protecting Critical Habitat Around Great Bay" from the 2003 State of the Estuaries Report, the "NH DES Site Specific Program Policy Alternatives" white paper and many sections of the "NHEP Progress Report".  

6/10/04 - Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting

Four major changes to the Monitoring Plan were discussed: 1) new goals for sprawl indicators, 2) areal extent indicators, 3) new goals for trend indicators, and 4) deletion of certain research indicators. The topic then shifted to addressing research indicators and data gaps. The group developed recommendations for the Management Committee to fund projects to further develop the research indicators listed in the NHEP Monitoring Plan.  Contact Phil Trowbridge for details.

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6/15/04 - Hampton Harbor Clam Study

This meeting was convened to discuss the most recent NHEP-funded study of clams in Hampton Harbor. The study, being conducted by the University of Maine at Machias researcher Brian Beal,  involves deployment of large nets to exclude juvenile clam predators from a section of the clam flats. Clam survivorship in the study area will be compared to control areas elsewhere on the flats. The study should help identify ways to increase the number of juvenile clams that will in turn increase the number of harvestable clams in the future. Topics of the meeting included net deployment and monitoring, coordination with upcoming dredging activity, permitting, and outreach about the project to help clammers and other interested people understand the value of the project and to minimize net tampering. 

6/15/04 - Natural Resources Outreach Coalition (NROC) Meeting

This quarterly meeting began with program updates for the 2003 communities: Somersworth, Candia, and Nottingham.  Implementation funds for these communities are now available. The 2004 NROC Program (Chester, East Kingston and Strafford) is proceeding on schedule. Other NROC issues discussed included facilitation training for NROC staff, capacity of the NROC program (possibly reducing the number of communities per year) and revision of the NROC "Dealing With Growth" presentation.  Contact Dave Kellam for details.

6/17/04 - Management Committee Meeting

Held at Newington Town Hall, this meeting began with a proposal to reprogram liquidated funds from previous projects to fund four activities: 1) Oxford Road (City of Portsmouth) sewer system expansion/connection, 2) 2005 Local Grants program, 3) special monitoring projects in 2005, and 4) hiring a contractor to develop a watershed-wide plan for land protection. A review of the NHEP Strategic Communication Plan & Progress Report followed. The group's attention then shifted to review of the Year 9 Work Plan. The meeting ended on the topic of NHEP host entity.  After a lengthy discussion,  the Management Committee voted unanimously to move the program to the University of New Hampshire. Contact Jennifer Hunter for details.

6/23/04 - Executive Committee Conference Call

The Executive Committee of the NHEP Management Committee had a conference call to discuss plans to move forward in addressing the provisional aspects of the Management Committee's selection of UNH as the host entity for the NHEP.  Contact Jennifer Hunter for details.

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6/25/04 - Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GBNERR) Advisory Committee meeting for the Coastal Training Program

The committee reviewed a draft of the Executive Summary of the GBNERR Market Analysis.  Meeting discussion topics included training capacity issues in the region, impact evaluation of training programs, and planning board member and conservation commissioner turnover.  The final market analysis will be completed by the end of August.  Contact Dave Kellam for details.

6/27/04 - Portsmouth Herald Article:  Greenland Natural Resources Mapping Project 

Fewer malls and more land. That’s what many residents would like to see in the future. To preserve Greenland’s semi-rural character, town officials have begun a conservation project that will protect certain tracts of land from development. "If we can set land aside, it helps to buffer development that has already occurred and might occur in the future," Selectman Dan Kern said this past week. At Town Meeting in March, voters passed a $2 million warrant article to secure open space and recreational land as conservation parcels. Near the end of last year, the town Conservation Commission, Seacoast Land Trust, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire’s Forests, and the New Hampshire Estuaries Project worked on a natural resource-mapping project.   Read the rest of story

6/30/04 - Report Presentation at Conservation Commission Roundtable in Rye

Dave Kellam and Dr. Leonard Lord gave a presentation on the new "Freshwater Wetland Mitigation Inventory for Nineteen Coastal Communities" report.  The presentation used examples from the Town of Rye to illustrate how the report identified and documented areas appropriate for restoration and/or protection.  The Roundtable was attended by 26 commissioners from the region and was organized by the Rockingham Planning Commission.  Contact Dave Kellam for details.

6/30/04 - Last Day Hosted by the NH Office of Energy and Planning

On July 1, the NHEP was transferred to the NH Department of Environmental Services. The staff of the NHEP wishes to thank the people at the NH Office of Energy and Planning (and those from the former Office of State Planning) for supporting the program for 8 years and facilitating its success with great professionalism and commitment to protecting New Hampshire's coastal resources. 

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NEW PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS  All publications can be viewed at the NHEP website

6/03/04 -  NH DES Site Specific Program Policy Alternatives:  White Paper

Neighboring states have been actively involved in updating stormwater regulations. Vermont and Maine are currently involved in the revision of stormwater rules and both states have developed drafts for public review. These drafts are referenced in this paper. Maine is also currently in the process of revising its stormwater Best Management Practices, while Vermont recently completed and published its Best Management Practices guide. Massachusetts’s stormwater policy was most recently revised in the late 1990s. Read the Report (.pdf/ KB)

6/03/04 - NHEP Water Quality Funding Sources 

The Management Plan directs the NHEP to develop a database of potential funding sources to implement Water Quality Action Plans outlined in the Plan. The NHEP's Matt Craig authored this report that summarizes the NHEP Water Quality Database contents as of June 2004. Funding availability, contact information, and program objectives were compiled based on information available at this time and are subject to change.  Read the Report (.pdf/ 274KB)

6/30/04 - Eelgrass Distribution in the Great Bay Estuary: 2002 

In 2002, eelgrass percent cover decreased in many areas of the Great Bay Estuary. Although eelgrass was present throughout much of its expected range in the estuary, there was lower plant density than in previous years, which represents an overall decrease in eelgrass abundance.  Losses in Great Bay were the result of a wasting disease outbreak. Read the Report (.pdf/ 119KB)

6/30/04 - NHEP Monitoring Plan:  Version 4 

The NHEP Management Plan presents a series of goals, objectives, and specific actions designed to improve, protect, and enhance the environmental quality of the state’s estuaries, and outlines a process for implementing the Plan’s most critical actions. Measuring the effectiveness of these actions in achieving NHEP goals is
an essential part of implementation that will be achieved through a suite of environmental and administrative indicators. This Monitoring Plan describes the methods and data for the indicators that will be used to answer the following question accurately and unambiguously: Are the goals and objectives of the Management Plan being met? Version 4 of the Monitoring Plan includes recent updates to environmental indicators and goals that are consistent with the recently published "State of the Estuaries" report.   Read the Report (.pdf/7.2MB)

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6/30/04 - NHEP Summary of Freshwater Monitoring Programs in New Hampshire's Coastal Watershed: Recommendations for the NHEP Monitoring Program

The NHEP developed a Monitoring Program to track changes in the estuarine environment as a result of the NHEP’s efforts. Up to this point, the Monitoring Plan has focused exclusively on conditions in the estuaries. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the feasibility of including water quality data from the freshwater portion of New Hampshire’s coastal watershed in the Monitoring Program. Read the Report (.pdf/3.2MB)

6/30/04 - 2003 Great Bay Water Quality (DataSonde) Monitoring Program 

The in situ water quality monitoring program provides important data on basic water quality parameters in the Great Bay estuary. The Coastal Marine Lab monitoring site at the mouth of the Piscataqua River provides particularly critical information on the "end point" for the Great Bay system necessary for modeling and other integrative studies. The Salmon Falls River monitoring site provides important information on water quality during the critical summer period when dissolved oxygen levels may potentially decrease. When combined with the NERRS SWMP DataSonde program, these instruments provide comprehensive coverage of the Great Bay estuary. Read the Report (.pdf/ 166KB) 

6/30/04 - 2003 Great Bay Organic Nitrogen (PON & DON) and Light Extinction (PAR) Monitoring Program

The organic nitrogen and light extinction monthly monitoring program gathers important data that, when combined with the NERRS System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) program, provide comprehensive coverage of the Great Bay estuary and allow total nitrogen concentrations to be calculated for use in nutrient criteria measurements. This first year’s sampling procedures were not as consistent as desired as a result of logistical limitations in meshing these additional samples into the existing National Coastal Assessment  and Great Bay SWMP sampling programs. These issues were generally resolved as the year moved along, however, additional efforts and support will be required to ensure that the data collected collection efforts are as seamless as possible. Read the Report (.pdf/ 141KB) 

6/30/04 - Wetlands Evaluation Project

This study identified and evaluated significant wetlands within the six towns that comprise Moose Mountains Regional Greenways (MMRG): Brookfield, Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham and Wakefield. The goals of the study were to heighten awareness of the wetland areas in each town, educate Conservation Commissioners and key town officials of the functional values of each selected wetland, and provide educational outreach toward the preservation of the quality of these wetlands using proven planning tools such as outright land purchase, easements, master planning, Prime Wetland Designation, and inclusion of evaluated wetlands in natural resource inventories. MMRG, with the help of Wetlands Scientist Nancy Rendall, researched, evaluated and documented more than 60 significant wetland areas using the NH Method and created maps, NH Method data sheets, and a User’s Guide to address voluntary and regulatory methods of protecting significant wetland resources. These tools, along with the final report results, were presented by Nancy Rendall and MMRG staff and volunteers to the Conservation Commissions of all six subject communities at workshops in each town. Read the Report (.pdf/ 33KB)

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 Projects Starting   

6/01/04 - Conservation Commission Presentations on "Freshwater Wetland Mitigation Inventory for Nineteen Coastal Communities" 

Principal Investigator, Mark West of West Environmental, and Dr. Leonard Lord of Carex Ecosystem Sciences will give customized presentations at nineteen conservation commission meetings to explain how the recently completed "Freshwater Wetland Mitigation Inventory for Nineteen Coastal Communities" report can be used to select local mitigation projects.   These presentations will be completed by the end of October 2004.

6/23/04 - 2004 Candia Wells Survey and Open Space Workshops

Resulting from the implementation phase of Candia's NROC process, this project uses a survey to assess Candia residents' attitudes and perceptions about local wells, water usage, future water needs, and preservation of Candia’s water resources. The town will also conduct five land protection workshops for Candia landowners and embark on a community-wide campaign to build support for an open space protection bond in 2005.  The project will be completed by December 31, 2004. 

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NHEP UPCOMING EVENTS

 7/21/04  - Public Outreach and Education Team (POET) Meeting
9 - 11am, Kingman Farm, Madbury 
Contact Dave Kellam for details.

 7/27/04  - Facilitation Workshop for NROC Staff, 9am - 3pm, UNH Cooperative Extension Office, Brentwood  
Contact Dave Kellam for details.

 7/27/04  - Using the "Freshwater Wetland Mitigation Inventory for Nineteen Coastal Communities" report, Presentation, 7-9pm,  Hampton Conservation Commission, Town Hall, Hampton
  Contact Dave Kellam for details.

8/05/04 - "Land Conservation Techniques for Municipalities" Workshop, 7-9pm, Nowak Room, Exeter Town Office, Exeter 
Please pre-register by contacting Pat Fleury at 224-9945 or pfleury@spnhf.org by August 2.

8/11/04 - "Land Conservation Techniques for Municipalities" Workshop, 7-9pm, Selectmen’s Chambers, Farmington Municipal Office Bldg,  Farmington 
This workshop will emphasize early steps in organizing and implementing municipal land conservation.
Please pre-register by contacting Pat Fleury at 224-9945 or pfleury@spnhf.org by August 9.

8/12/04  - Marine Discharge Areas, Seminar, 6 - 8pm,  Wentworth Marina, New Castle
This seminar will be held in conjunction with the National Marina Day on August 14th. Ann Rodney from the US EPA New England Jody Conner from the NH Department of Environmental Services will give presentations. Contact Ann Reid of Great Bay Coast Watch for details.

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