June 2006, #38

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NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS ANNOUNCEMENTS UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

MAY ACTIVITIES  

5/2/06 - NROC Assists Rollinsford
Jodi Castallo and the rest of the Natural Resources and Outreach Coalition (NROC) team conducted a follow up meeting with Rollinsford to help the town work on their top three priorities: land conservation, planning and zoning, and water resources. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

5/5/06 - NHEP Press Release on Water Quality Environmental Indicator Report
Read Release (.pdf/39KB)

5/17/06 - Association of Southeast Asian Nations Presentation
Jennifer Hunter and Phil Trowbridge made presentations to a delegation of environmental officials from Cambodia and Vietnam who were on the last leg of a two-week tour of Washington D.C. and New Hampshire to learn about sustainable water systems and water quality monitoring in an effort to help cities in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations protect their water resources. The NHEP presentations covered the Project's management structure, monitoring programs and environmental indicators. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

5/19/06 - Great Bay Commission Meeting The meeting attended by Jennifer Hunter and Management Committee members Dave Funk, Tom Gillick, Cynthia Copeland, and Brian Giles involved a review of the proposed wastewater treatment and disposal options to be studied in more detail by Metcalf & Eddy, the contractor for the study. Metcalf & Eddy proposed four of the original ten alternatives for additional study: No action - Treatment and disposal of wastewater continues as usual at the existing seacoast wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs) Treatment of wastewater at existing facilities with a regional discharge of treated effluent to the Gulf of Maine Expanded decentralized treatment facilities to accommodate future population growth and continued use of existing WWTFs (decentralized facilities would handle two-thirds of the projected increase) Treatment at existing WWTFs with discharge to land application sites as applicable The majority of the Commission accepted the contractor’s recommendation for studying these alternatives in more detail. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

For more information, see www.coastalclear.org

5/23/06 - Oil Spill Response Drill
Phil Trowbridge was the leader of the Environmental Unit for an oil spill response drill that was organized by the NH Department of Environmental Services and the Piscataqua River Cooperative. During the drill, the Environmental Unit was responsible for identifying resources at risk, making tactical recommendations for protection strategies, and managing the fisheries. Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

5/23/06 - The Nature Conservancy Spokesperson Training
Dave Kellam was invited to attend this workshop conducted by the regional office of The Nature Conservancy. The workshop covered interview strategies, organizational branding, and media relations. The session concluded with mock interviews to practice interviewing skills. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

5/29/06 - Eye On Estuaries Published in Portsmouth Herald Wetland buffers help water quality by Steve Miller, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve online article or text (.pdf/50KB)

5/30/06 – NHEP Shellfish and Living Resources Team Meeting
At the NH Fish and Game offices in Durham, the NHEP Shellfish and Living Resources Team critiqued a draft Request for Proposals for habitat restoration which will be issued in August. The team also discussed the findings from a recent report on clam populations in Great Bay and developed a list of next steps. Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

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NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS  

NHEP Environmental Indicator Report: Land Use and Development This report contains information on seven NHEP indicators of land use and development in the coastal watershed. Some of indicators presented in this report show that: Impervious surfaces continue to be added to the watershed at an average rate of 1,185 acres/year. By 2005, 8.0% of the land area of the watershed was covered by impervious surfaces. In 10 of the 37 coastal watersheds and 13 of the 42 coastal municipalities, the percent of land area covered by impervious surfaces in 2005 was greater than the NHEP goal of 10%. Land consumption per person, which is an indicator of sprawl-type growth, continues to increase. The average imperviousness per capita in coastal municipalities increased from 0.152 in 1990 to 0.0201 in 2000 to 0.217 in 2005. Higher imperviousness per capita values were found in the smaller towns than in the larger cities. Over the past three years, 12,037 acres in the coastal watershed have been permanently protected from development (4,012 acres per year on average). Currently, 54,622 acres are protected, which amounts to 10.7% of the land area of the watershed. The rate of land protection will need to increase in order to meet the NHEP goal to protect 15% of the watershed land area by 2010. Read Report (.pdf/5MB)

Conservation Lands (2005)
The Complex Systems Research Center (CSRC) at the University of New Hampshire reports updates made to their GRANIT Conservation and Protected Lands Data Layer. The data set contains a digital record of parcels of land of two or more acres that are mostly undeveloped and protected from future development. Data on current protected lands were collected, reviewed, and processed for 48 communities in New Hampshire's seacoast, including the 42 towns within the New Hampshire Estuaries Project area. GRANIT staff contacted each community's conservation commission as well as all semi-public land entities and land trusts active in the region, to solicit updates and additions to the data set. The New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning then contacted state and federal agencies managing property on the seacoast to compare information. As a result, 166 new tracts covering over 6,000 acres were added to the database, and 122 tracts were modified to incorporate corrections. Read Report (.pdf/490KB)

 

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

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

6/12/06 - Land Conservation Plan for New Hampshire's Coastal Watersheds: Public Meeting, 7:00pm, Newington Town Hall, Newington
Read Postcard Announcement Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

6/13/06 - Management Committee Meeting, 9-Noon, Elliott Alumni Center, Durham
Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

6/14/06 - Natural Resources Outreach Coalition Meeting, 9:30-11:30am, Kingman Farm, Madbury
Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

6/15/06 - Nutrient Criteria Workgroup for NH’s Estuaries, 1-3pm, DES Office at Pease Tradeport, Portsmouth
Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

7/12/06 - Public Outreach and Education Team (POET) Meeting, 9-11am, Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center, Stratham
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

9/18 - 9/21/06 - National Estuary Program Fall Meeting
Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

9/20/06 - V.I.P. Great Bay Estuary Tour, 9am-Noon, Fishermen's Pier, Portsmouth
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

9/30/06 - National Estuaries Day & V.I.P. Great Bay Estuary Tour, 2-5pm, Fishermen's Pier, Portsmouth
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

10/27/06 - State of the Estuaries Conference
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