November 2006, #43

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NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS ANNOUNCEMENTS UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

OCTOBER ACTIVITIES  

10/02/06 - State Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan
Phil Trowbridge participated in a meeting to edit the draft State Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan. The plan will be circulated to interested parties later this year. Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

10/12 - 10/13/2006 - Shellfish Sampling for the Gulfwatch Program
Phil Trowbridge coordinated this annual mussel sampling in Portsmouth and Hampton Harbors to test for toxic contaminants. Two dozen NH DES employees and others collected and processed 1,000 mussels from five sites. The sampling was done as part of the Gulfwatch Program for the Gulf of Maine Council. Data on mussel tissue are used in the State of the Estuaries report to document water quality trends. Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

10/17/06 - Local Grants Proposals Received
This year the NHEP received eight project proposals to its annual Local Grants program; representing $62,210 of requested funding. This year, $45,000 is available. Proposals will be selected by a team of reviewers from the NHEP Management Committee on November 6. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

10/27/06 - State of the Estuaries Conference
Attended by 185 people, the State of the Estuaries Conference featured 20 presentations that addressed a variety of topics related to New Hampshire's estuaries, including shellfish restoration, stormwater management, water resources sustainability, and marine invasive species. The conference began with a presentation by NHEP Coastal Scientist Phil Trowbridge on the newly release 2006 State of the Estuaries Report. To view the agenda, presentation abstracts, and other materials, go to the 2006 State of the Estuaries Conference webpage.

Left to Right:(top row) Phil Trowbridge delivers the keynote presentation on the 2006 State of the Estuaries Report, Neil Savage asks about clam populations, Dr. Alan Eaton describes a disease-carrying mosquito species, (bottom row) conference participants learn about current environmental indicators, Barbara McMillan answers questions about a pet waste project in Dover, Senator Maggie Hassan provides an update on the Great Bay Estuary Commission, and Dr. Tom Ballestero points out the benefits of a gravel wetland.

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NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS  

2006 State of the Estuaries Report Produced every three years, this report includes information on the status and trends of a select group of environmental indicators from the coastal watershed and estuaries. It provides the NHEP, natural resource managers, local officials, conservation organizations, and the public with information on the effects of management decisions and actions. Prior to developing each State of the Estuaries report, the NHEP publishes four technical data reports (“indicator reports”) that illustrate the status and trends of the complete collection of indicators tracked by the NHEP. Each report focuses on a different suite of indicators: Water Quality, Shellfish, Critical Habitats and Species, and Land Use and Development. The 2006 State of the Estuaries Report communicates the status of 12 out of 34 environmental indicators tracked by the NHEP. For each of these key indicators it provides the reader with the associated NHEP management goal and an explanation of supporting data. For some of the 12 indicators, additional information from supporting or related indicators is presented to further explain trends or to provide context for the primary indicators. The report was released during the State of the Estuaries Conference and all attendees received a copy. Copies will also be sent to coastal watershed legislators, planning boards, and conservation commissions. Contact Dave Kellam to request a report.

Read Report

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

11/28/06 - NH Fish and Game Wildlife Action Plan for Planning Boards and Conservation Commissions Sponsored by the Exeter River Local Advisory Committee, this program will help land planning groups implement this important plan in their community. The event is occurring in Exeter. For more information, contact Theresa Walker at theresawalker@comcast.net.

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UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

12/06/06 - NHEP Public Outreach and Education Team (POET) Meeting
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

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