April 2006, #36

QUICK LINKS:

NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS ANNOUNCEMENTS UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

MARCH ACTIVITIES  

3/6 - 3/10/06 - Annual Meeting of National Estuary Programs
Jennifer Hunter attended this annual National Estuary Program (NEP) meeting in Washington D.C. The conference focused on information sharing between the 28 programs that are part of the NEP and EPA’s Clean Water Act programs including Wetlands, Total Maximum Discharge Load, Nonpoint Source, Water Quality Standards, Monitoring, Stormwater Permitting, and State Revolving Fund programs. Jennifer, along with Ted Diers of the NH Coastal Program and Peter Wellenberger of the Great Bay National Estuarine Research and Reserve, met with Representative Bradley and staffers from Senator Gregg’s and Senator Sununu's offices. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

3/14/06 - Natural Resources Outreach Coalition Meeting
The NROC Quarterly Meeting was held at Kingman Farm. Most of the meeting was devoted to further examining and making action plans for priority items developed at the NROC Evaluation/Staff Retreat. Updates were given on the accomplishment booklet, evaluation tools, buffer presentation, and the water resources module project . Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

3/15/06 - NROC Meeting in Rollinsford
The NROC Team presented a draft “Dealing with Growth” presentation to the Town of Rollinsford for feedback and comments. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

3/17/06 - NHEP Technical Advisory Committee Meeting
Phil Trowbridge lead this meeting that reviewed a draft of the Critical Habitats and Species environmental indicators report. Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

3/21/06 - Senate Hearing on HB1747
Jennifer Hunter provided testimony during the Senate Environment and Wildlife Committee hearing on House Bill 1747 that would establish state funding (general funds) to support the State’s Shellfish Program. Management Committee member and bill sponsor Rep. Tom Gillick also testified in support of the bill. Following the hearing, the Committee unanimously approved the bill during its executive session. The Committee’s recommendation will be reported to the full Senate in April. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

3/21/06 - Buffer Meeting
Jodi Castallo met with staff from the Jordan Institute, Audubon, Fish and Game, and UNH Complex Systems at Audubon’s Silk Farm in Concord to discuss buffer outreach. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

3/22/06 - Public Outreach and Education (POET) Meeting
The Team reviewed 2005 projects and offered suggestions on how to best promote the Septic Scenes Awards Show. The group also discussed 2006 projects and recommended an outreach effort to promote the Coastal Watershed Conservation Plan in 2006, outreach materials for local municipal officials to encourage reporting of illicit discharges, a master email list of coastal decision makers (CDMs), and a guide to the 2006 State of the Estuaries report for local planners. POET also recommended projects for 2007 that include an outreach effort to communicate new impervious surface data and a program to educate CDMs about the value of Prime Wetlands Designation. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

3/23/06 - New Hampshire Seacoast Region Wastewater Management Study Project Pre-Charrette Workshop
About 70 people attended this evening workshop held at the Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center at the Great Bay Discovery Center in Stratham, NH. The workshop provided background information on issues and topics related to the regional wastewater management study in preparation for the public charrette. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

3/25/06 - New Hampshire Seacoast Region Wastewater Management Study Project Charrette
Jennifer Hunter and several NHEP Management Committee members attended the day-long charrette, along with about 100 other participants. The charrette involved different breakout sessions where participants were provided some initial information and then could ask questions or express concerns about how various wastewater treatment and disposal options affected four areas: Water Quality and Ecological Resources; Land Use and Planning; Engineering and Technical Feasibility; and Institutional Feasibility. Public input from the charrette will be compiled and made available in the future on www.coastalclear.org. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

3/27/06 - Land Use Team Meeting
The NHEP Land Use Team met to discuss the funding priorities for 2007. Updates about current NHEP and partner projects were also discussed. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

Back to Table of Contents

 

NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS  

Environmental Indicator Report: Water Quality This report describes the status and trends of water quality in New Hampshire’s estuaries. It contains data and analysis for bacteria indicators, toxic contaminants, nutrients and dissolved oxygen. Some of the conclusions from the report are: Dry-weather bacteria concentrations have decreased over the past 17 years. However, the concentrations have remained relatively constant for the past decade. The number of advisories at tidal and freshwater beaches in the coastal watershed is increasing. Toxic contaminants in the shellfish tissue (mussels, clams, oysters) are below FDA guidance values. A small percentage (12%) of the sediments of the estuary contains toxic contaminants at concentrations that might affect the benthic community. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations have increased in Great Bay by 59% in the past 25 years. Dissolved oxygen concentrations consistently fail to meet the State water quality standards in the tidal tributaries but not in the larger embayments. Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information. Read the Report

Environmental Indicator Report: Critical Habitat and Species This report describes the status and trends of critical habitats and species in New Hampshire’s estuaries. It contains data and analysis for salt marshes, eelgrass, unfragmented forest blocks, fish, lobsters, waterfowl and restoration projects. Some of the conclusions from the report are: The extent of salt marsh mapped in 2004 was 5,554 acres. Phragmites covered 133 acres of salt marsh area in 2004. Eelgrass coverage in the Great Bay has been declining since 1996 except for one good year in 2001. Between 1992 and 2003, the eelgrass biomass in Great Bay declined by 71%. Unfragmented forest blocks greater than 250 acres constituted 51% of the land area in NH’s coastal watershed in 2001. The populations of critical species of juvenile finfish, anadromous fish, lobster and waterfowl remain similar to previous observations. Excellent progress is being made toward the goal of restoring 300 acres of salt marsh by 2010. Oyster and eelgrass restorations are proceeding more slowly. Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information. Read the Report

Great Bog Management Plan This management plan was created by the City of Portsmouth and the Seacoast Land Trust for the protected area of the Great Bog in Portsmouth. Included are suggestions for two major areas: the Great Bog Conservation Easement, consisting of 196 acres; and the Great Bog Management Area, consisting of 1,805 acres (including the upper Pickering Brook Watershed), studied to understand what impacts the surrounding land had on the Bog. Maps of all management areas are included. Suggestions for managing the area included natural community mapping, Natural Heritage Inventory updates, water quality sampling, and restoration of degraded wetlands. Also included are specific suggestions for local organizations, schools, and individual citizens to get involved in the Great Bog's protection. Read the Report

Ambient Rivers Monitoring in The Great Bay Estuary Watershed 2005
The Department of Environmental Services (DES) received funding from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) to conduct water quality monitoring activities for tidal tributaries in 2005. DES Watershed Assistance Section staff collected samples and conducted field measurements, and other DES staff conducted laboratory analyses. Field measurements were made for dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, pH, and turbidity. Laboratory analysis was conducted for total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammonia, nitrate/nitrite, total phosphorus, biological oxygen demand (BOD), E. coli, and chlorophyll-a. These monitoring activities were completed with the overall purpose of improving the understanding of water quality trends. This report includes the sample collection information, field and laboratory data, and quality assurance information. Data summaries and interpretations will come at a later time in other DES and NHEP publications.

Read Report

Back to Table of Contents

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Stormwater BMP Technology Demonstration Workshops for Planning Board Members and Conservation Commissioners For a limited time, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) is paying the enrollment fees for Planning Board Members and Conservation Commissioners from the 42 Coastal Watershed communities who attend a Stormwater BMP Technology Demonstration Workshop conducted by the UNH Stormwater Center. There are 12 workshops offered in 2006 and all are eligible for this special offer from the NHEP. To take advantage of this deal, simply identify yourself as a Planning Board or Conservation Commission Member during registration. Your fee will be waived at that time. Online registration is now available at http://www.erg.unh.edu/cstevreg/register.asp. Registration questions can be directed to Maddy Wasiewski, Maddy.Wasiewski@unh.edu.

Back to Table of Contents

 

UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

4/13/06 - NHEP Water Quality Team Meeting, 1:00pm, NHDES Pease Tradeport Office
Contact Natalie Landry for more information.

6/12 & 6/13/06 - EPA Implementation Review
Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

7/12/06 - POET Meeting, 9-11am, Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center, Stratham
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

9/30/06 - National Estuaries Day
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

10/27/06 - State of the Estuaries Conference
Learn More

Back to Table of Contents