August 2005, #28

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

JULY ACTIVITIES  

7/11/05 - New Project Coordinator Jodi Castallo's First Day

Jodi Castallo joined the NHEP as a Project Coordinator on July 11. Jodi will be managing many of the NHEP’s technical assistance and land protection projects. Jodi recently worked at the New England Environmental Finance Center at the University of Southern Maine where she managed a smart growth education project. She has also served as the state coordinator for the Maine Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) program and as a water resource specialist with the Northeast Rural Community Assistance Program. Jodi joins Jennifer Hunter and Dave Kellam in the NHEP office on the UNH campus and can be reached at 862-2641.

7/14/05 - Great Bog Management Plan Advisory Team Meeting

The Seacoast Land Trust convened this meeting of the advisory team for development of The Great Bog Management Plan, which is funded through the NHEP Local Grants program. The group reviewed and approved the management areas identified and began to prioritize areas for refinement. Some members of the team were especially concerned with invasive Japanese knotweed stands that were impacting the area. The Seacoast Land Trust will host two site walks to examine the knotweed problem and see management areas on August 22 and 30. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

7/15/05 - Local Grants RFP

The 2006 Local Grants Request for Proposals was issued on the NHEP web site and via email to the 230 email address on the NHEP Grants Notification list. Proposals must be received no later than 4:00 pm on September 30, 2005. Read the RFP for proposal requirements or contact Dave Kellam for more information.

7/19/05 - Great Bay Estuary Commission Meeting

Jennifer Hunter, along with several Management Committee members, attended this meeting of the Commission charged with making recommendations on wastewater treatment and management options. Representatives from Metcalf and Eddy summarized the comments they received on three technical memoranda related to population growth, wastewater and septage volume projections, and permit requirements, and they provided their rationale for incorporating or not incorporating the comments into the study methodology. Following the meeting, staff from the Durham wastewater treatment plant gave interested participants a tour of the facility. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information. Go to the Coastalclear.org for project updates.

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7/20/05 - UNH Welcomes NHEP Press Release

The University of New Hampshire's Media Office released an announcement welcoming the NHEP to UNH and highlighting 2005 NHEP activities. Read the Release(.pdf/46KB).

7/22/05 - TAP Application Review

An application review team comprised of NHEP staff and Management Committee members met to review and make the final selection of Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs), who are the qualified firms and/or organizations available in the Community Technical Assistance Program. The firms and organizations submitted proposals in response to a request for qualifications. The TAPs will work with communities on natural resource topics of mutual interest to the community and the NHEP. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

7/25/05 - RFA for the Community Technical Assistance Program

The NHEP sent an announcement of a Request for Applications to the 230 email addresses on the NHEP's Grants Notification list for the Community Technical Assistance Program. The NHEP is accepting applications from communities seeking help with regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to natural resources protection. To assist communities, the NHEP will hire Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs) to work with communities on natural resource topics of mutual interest to the community and the NHEP. Communities interested in receiving customized assistance from qualified professionals may submit applications from August 22, 2005 to December 16, 2005 (or as funds remain). The applications will be evaluated as they are received. Read Application (.pdf/480KB) For more information, contact  Jodi Castallo.

7/26/05 - "Two Funding Opportunities" Postcard Mailed

A postcard describing both the Local Grants and Community Technical Assistance Providers funding opportunities were mailed to 492 mailing addresses on the NHEP Grant Notification list.

7/28/05 - Charles Walker Lab Tour

After reading the "UNH Welcomes the NHEP" press release, Dr. Charles Walker invited Dave Kellam to tour his cellular biology lab in UNH’s Rudman Hall to learn about his work with neoplasia in soft shell clams. Specifically looking at clam leukemia, his lab is developing a model that provides insight into the treatment of the disease in humans. His lab collects clams in New Bedford, MA and also works with Normandeau Associates on the Seabrook clam monitoring program. Clam leukemia has been identified as a factor that limits the clam population in Hampton Harbor. Read about Dr. Walker's work. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

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NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS  

7/1/05 - 2004 Great Bay Organic Nitrogen (PON & DON) and Light Extinction (PAR) Monitoring Program

UNH researchers collected particulate organic nitrogen (PON), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) at up to 10 existing sample sites in NH estuaries.  When combined with the GBNERR SWMP program, these data provide comprehensive coverage of the Great Bay estuary and allow total nitrogen concentrations to be calculated for use in nutrient criteria measurements. Read Report(.pdf/777KB)

7/13/05 - CLCA 2004 Land Conservation Technical Assistance

The Center for Land Conservation Assistance (CLCA) provided 15 public educational and training events, as well numerous individual consultations, that reached more than 350 people from 27 coastal watershed towns. Read Report (.pdf/8.4MB)

7/28/05 - Promoting Voluntary Land Conservation on the Lamprey, Exeter, and Squamscott River Corridors

The Rockingham Land Trust (RLT) conducted activities that encouraged land conservation in three key river corridors in the NH Coastal Watershed. RLT researched the names and addresses of landowners along the Exeter, Squamscott, and Lamprey River corridors and utilized the list to invite landowners to participate in free, land conservation and estate planning workshops. RLT then followed up with each participant by letter and phone. Four landowners within the targeted river corridors or communities have contacted RLT in the past year. RLT has completed one conservation easement on land on the Exeter River in Sandown. The trust also has two pending conservation projects (one easement and one fee simple) on the Lamprey River in Epping, and has one pending conservation easement on land in Brentwood. Read Report (,pdf/617KB)

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NHEP Projects Starting 

Buffer Characterization Study

Dr. Fay Rubin of the Complex Systems Research Center (CSRC) at UNH is conducting a buffer characterization study that will entail the characterization of 2nd order and higher streams within the Great Bay Watershed of coastal New Hampshire. Existing remote sensing and GIS data will be used to map a suite of anthropogenic factors, including land use, land cover (impervious surface data from 1990, 2000, and 2005), conservation lands, and transportation infrastructure, within one or more standard buffer(s) around each stream segment. These factors will then be analyzed to produce a categorical indicator representing the status of each stream. The resulting data will be presented on a series of town-based maps. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

Septic Scenes: Video Contest Launched

As recommended by the NHEP Public Outreach and Education Team, the NHEP is conducting a video contest to find the best original 2-5 minute videos that educate people about their septic systems. The winning videos and several honorable mentions will be edited together in a 30-minute septic system “variety show” that will air on Community Access TV in the 42 communities of New Hampshire’s coastal watershed. The contest was announced via a press release on July, 28, 2005. The contest will conclude on October 28, 2005. Read More. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

8/27/05 - Annual MMRG Trail Day at Branch Hill Farm, 10am - 4pm, Branch Hill Farms, Milton Mills Organized by Moose Mountains Regional Greenways, this event features a live owl demonstration, a tour of a certified Tree Farm, and an introduction to the creatures that make their homes along the edge of the Salmon Falls River. NHEP's Dave Kellam will be a presenter at the event that features nature walks, hay rides, kids' crafts, live music and more! Trail Day is held at Branch Hill Farm, a 3,000-acre farm in Milton Mills, NH where The Forest Society holds a conservation easement. For more information, call MMRG (603) 817-8260 or go to their web site, www.mmrg.info.

8/29/05 - Shellfish Program Funding Subcommittee Meeting, 2-4pm, Conference Room A, NH DES Coastal Office, 50 International Dr, Pease Tradeport.
Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

9/7/05 - POET Meeting, 9-11am, NH DES Coastal Office, 50 International Dr, Pease Tradeport
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

9/13/05 - TAC Meeting, 1-3pm, Durham, (location TBD)
Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

9/20/05 - NROC Quarterly Meeting, 9:30-noon, Kingman Farm, Madbury
Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

10/12 - 10/14/05 - Association of National Estuary Programs - Fall Meeting, Rhode Island
Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

12/6/05 - NROC Quarterly Meeting, 9:30-noon, Kingman Farm, Madbury
Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

 

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