September 2005, #29

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

AUGUST ACTIVITIES  

8/1/05 - Comte Property Tour

Jodi Castallo and Jennifer Hunter joined representatives from the Bear-Paw Regional Greenways(BPRG) and property owner Dan Comte to walk a 134 acre Nottingham property that will be protected by a conservation easement. The NHEP is providing funds to BPRG to complete the easement purchase. The property consists of prime agricultural soils, forestland, wetlands, and headwater streams and is connected to other unfragmented forestland in the region. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

8/19/05 - Reports Submitted to EPA

A number of reports were submitted to EPA to meet the annual reporting requirements. Staff compiled and submitted reports on funds leveraged, habitat acres protected or restored, CCMP actions initiated and completed, and environmental indicators. The NHEP reported leveraging over $1.3 million for project activities related to Management Plan implementation. For more information, contact Jennifer Hunter.

8/22/05 - Great Bog Site Walk

Dave Kellam joined members of the Great Bog Management Plan team for a site walk over much of the nearly 200 acre conservation easement held by the Seacoast Land Trust and owned by the City of Portsmouth. The team walked through varied habitats while discussing possible management goals for the property, such as encouraging grassland habitat and controlling Japanese knotweed and other invasive plant species. The total 700 acre Great Bog, consisting of both public and private lands, contains numerous plant, animal and water resources, making it one of the state's largest wetland complexes. The development of a Great Bog Management Plan is being coordinated by the Seacoast Land Trust and funded through a local grant by the NHEP. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

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8/27/05 - Annual MMRG Trail Day at Branch Hill Farm

Dave Kellam was a presenter at Moose Mountains Regional Greenways' annual Trail Day event that featured a live owl demonstration, a tour of a certified Tree Farm, hay rides, and live music. Dave spoke at a stop along the hay ride route about the significance of the Salmon Falls River to the Great Bay Estuary. The event was at Branch Hill Farm, a 3,000-acre farm in Milton Mills, NH where The Forest Society holds a conservation easement. For details, contact Dave Kellam.

8/29/05 - NHEP Subcommittee to Review Shellfish Program Funding Options

Jennifer Hunter and Dave Kellam were two of the nine people participating in this meeting to discuss various strategies for funding the DES Shellfish Program. The subcommittee of the NHEP Management Committee reviewed 10 options to compensate for dwindling federal funding. Currently, the NHEP funds ambient sampling of shellfish growing waters, pre- and post-rainfall sampling of waters and shellfish tissue, emergency closure sampling of waters and/or tissue, PSP sampling, and shoreline pollution source sampling and evaluation studies. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

8/31/05 - Buffer Outreach Meeting

Jodi Castallo attended a meeting at Silk Farm Audubon Center to discuss the update to the new Buffer Handbook. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

8/31/05 - Sea Grant PAC

Jennifer Hunter attended the quarterly meeting of the NH Sea Grant Policy Advisory Committee (PAC). The PAC discussed its recommendations for 6 areas to be included in NHSG’s next strategic plan: aquaculture, coastal communities and economies, coastal natural hazards, ecosystems and habitats, fisheries, and marine and aquatic science literacy. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

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NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS  

8/29/05 - Marine Invaders in the Northeast: Rapid assessment survey of non-native and native marine species of floating dock communities, August 2003

On August 3, 2003 a team of 15 researchers from across the country investigated two locations in New Hampshire in search of native, invasive, and cryptogenic (not clearly native or introduced) marine species. Known as a rapid assessment survey, the effort strove to identify creatures present as fouling communities on floating docks and associated structures. The New Hampshire sites were part of a larger effort in the Northeast, sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, that included sites from Portland, Maine through New York City and Staten Island, New York. The study included areas in each of the eight National Estuary Programs in the Northeast. Rapid assessment surveys are relatively quick, cost-effective approaches for generating species lists and may provide reliable baseline data for additional studies. Twenty locations were sampled in this study over the course of seven days. Approximately 349 protists (microbes, protozoa, and small algae), macro-algal, higher plant, and macro-invertebrate species were identified. Plants as a group had the greatest number of species (98), while echinoderms (four) had the least. Twenty-nine taxa were identified as introduced species and 32 were identified as cryptogenic (meaning not clearly native or introduced). The report was published by MIT Sea Grant College Program and cosponsored by Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program. Read the Report (.pdf/1.7MB)

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Septic Scenes: Video Contest

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. Deadline for the entries is 4:00pm, October 28, 2005. Read More. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

9/13/05 - TAC Meeting, 1- 3pm, Room 320, Gregg Hall, Durham
Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

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

9/21/05 - V.I.P. Tour of the Great Bay Estuary, 9am-noon, Fishermen's Coop, Portsmouth
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

9/24/05 - National Estuaries Day

9/28/05 - POET Meeting, 9-11am, NH DES Coastal Office, 50 International Dr, Pease Tradeport
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

9/29/05 - NHEP Management Committee Meeting, 9am - Noon, Urban Forestry Center, Portsmouth
Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

9/30/05 - Nutrient Criteria Meeting, 2- 4pm, NH DES Coastal Office, 50 International Dr, Pease Tradeport
Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

9/30/05 - Deadline for Local Grants Proposals
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

10/1/05 - V.I.P. Tour of the Great Bay Estuary, 2-5pm, Fishermen's Coop, Portsmouth
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

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

10/28/05 - Deadline for Septic Scenes Video Entries

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

 

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