May 2005, #25

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

NHEP ACTIVITIES  

4/7/05 - Narragansett Bay National Estuary Program Review Conference Call

Jennifer Hunter is participating as the NEP representative in EPA’s triennial review of the Narragansett Bay National Estuary Program (NBNEP) and took part in a conference call to review materials submitted by NBNEP and make plans for the May site review in Rhode Island. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information. 

4/12/05 - Senate Subcommittee Hearing 

Jennifer Hunter and Management Committee members Tom Gillick and Dave Funk attended the Senate Energy and Economic Development Subcommittee’s hearing on House Bill 148 to transfer the NHEP from DES to UNH. Rep. Gillick and Jennifer provided testimony in support of the bill. The subcommittee voted unanimously in support of the bill during its executive session, which immediately followed the public hearing on the bill. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information. 

4/12/05 - Shellfish and Living Resources Team Meeting

Meeting discussion topics included funding options for the DES Shellfish Program, an overview of a proposed Taylor River Dam Removal Feasibility Study, and an overview of the NH Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan. Jay Odell (The Nature Conservancy) gave a presentation on a NHEP-funded Restoration Compendium. The meeting concluded with the selection of priority action plans for funding in 2006-2007. Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information. 

4/14/05 - Water Quality Team Meeting

The meeting began with an update on four current WQ projects:  1) Municipal Grant Program for storm drain surveys and monitoring, mapping storm sewer systems, and illicit connection identification and removal, 2) a study to determine impacts of wastewater treatment facilities on receiving water, 3) UNH Storm Water Management Projects, and 4) support for and coordination with the Piscataqua River Cooperative. Jennifer Hunter shared new guidance from EPA about competitive grant awards and gave an update on the Regional Wastewater Management Study . The Team finished the meeting with a discussion of WQ Action Plans for funding in 2006. For more information contact Natalie Landry at nlandry@des.state.nh.us.

4/19/05 - NHEP Technical Advisory Committee Meeting

The meeting began with a discussion of two UNH studies of dissolved oxygen in the Lamprey River. In general, the lowest DO values occurred in the upper basin and the dissolved oxygen measurements collected at the sonde were confirmed and should be considered representative of the upper portion of the Lamprey River (the validity of data collected at this site in the past has been in question).  The rest of the meeting was devoted to planning for the 2006 State of the Estuaries report and discussing the funding levels for monitoring in 2006 and 2007.  Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information. 

 4/21/05 - Marine Managed Areas Meeting 

Jennifer Hunter met with NOAA representatives compiling information on marine protected areas and marine managed areas in New Hampshire and Maine. NOAA will create an inventory of marine areas managed in some capacity by various levels of government – local, state, or federal. Ted Diers (NH Coastal Program) and Brian Smith (Great Bay NERR) also attended the meeting. The participants discussed possible areas to include in the inventory and identified other organizations for NOAA to contact in creating the database for New Hampshire. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information. 

4/21/05 – HB148 Passed by Senate

The NH Senate approved House Bill 148, as amended and approved by the House. Next the bill will be enrolled by the Senate and House and then sent to the Governor for signature. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information. 

 Back to Table of Contents

 

NHEP New Publications and Reports  All publications are posted on the NHEP website

4/15/05 - Ambient Rivers Monitoring in NH Coastal Watersheds 2004

The NHDES Watershed Assistance Section oversaw the collection and analysis of monthly water samples from nine tributaries in the watershed from March to December 2004.  Field measurements were made for dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, pH, and turbidity. River water was poured into sampling containers for laboratory analysis of TKN, ammonia, nitrate/nitrite, total phosphorus, biological oxygen demand, E. coli, and chlorophyll-a. Samples were transported to and analyzed by the DES Laboratory Services Unit and the Limnology Laboratory.  Results of field measurements and lab analyses are presented in the report.  Read Report (.pdf/325KB) 

4/26/05  - Eelgrass Distribution in the Great Bay Estuary

UNH mapped eelgrass distribution in the Great Bay estuary for 2003 based on aerial photography and ground truthing. Eelgrass distribution and percent cover generally increased in most areas of the Great Bay Estuary over 2002 levels. As part of the annual monitoring program, UNH also acquired aerial photography of the Great Bay estuary in 2004 and conducted eelgrass ground truth observations of the 2004 aerial imagery. Read Report (.pdf/924KB) 

 

 Back to Table of Contents

NHEP Projects Starting  

4/15/05 - 2005 Natural Resources Outreach Coalition Coordination

The NHEP continues to support the University of New Hampshire's coordination of the Natural Resources Outreach Coalition (NROC) program in 2005. UNH Cooperative Extension staff will coordinate the efforts of the multi-organizational partnership to work with three new communities (New Durham, Wakefield, and Deerfield), as well as past NROC communities.  Contact Dave Kellam for more information. 

4/15/05 - Great Bay Estuarine Restoration Compendium

The Nature Conservancy received a NHEP grant to create a Great Bay Estuarine Restoration Compendium (GBERC). The GBERC will integrate existing data showing the historical and present day distributions for multiple species and habitats with new data and output from restoration site selection models. Restoration targets will include oyster reefs, softshell clam beds, salt marshes, eelgrass, shoreline buffers, macroalgae beds, beaches and dunes, and diadromous fish. Most importantly, this detailed estuarine restoration opportunity assessment will provide local communities with high-resolution maps showing specific opportunities for integrated estuarine restoration projects.  Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information. 

 

 Back to Table of Contents

NHEP UPCOMING EVENTS  

5/26/05 - NHEP Offices Move to UNH
 Office communications may be limited that day.   Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

6/4/05 - 5th Annual Alewife Festival,  10am - 2pm, Swazey Parkway, Exeter
Go to www.exeterriver.org for more information.

6/23/05 - Management Committee Meeting,  9-11am, US Forest Service Building, Durham [see map]
Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

 Back to Table of Contents