February 2007, #46

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NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS ANNOUNCEMENTS UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

JANUARY ACTIVITIES  

1/4/07 - NHEP Funding Legislation Introduced State Senator Maggie Hassan introduced legislation that would appropriate $250,000 in state funds per year to support implementation of the NHEP’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. Senate Bill 68, which is co-sponsored by Senators Fuller-Clark, Cilley, Barnes, and Estabrook, and Representatives Spang, Abbott, Sanders, and Stiles, was assigned to the Senate Energy, Environment, and Economic Development Committee with a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 13. If approved, funding would support coastal monitoring programs and the NHEP’s community assistance programs. For more information about the bill and upcoming hearings, contact Jennifer Hunter.

1/4/07 - NH Sea Grant Policy Advisory Committee Meeting
Jennifer Hunter participated in the NH Sea Grant Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) quarterly meeting. The PAC discussed recommendations from the program’s recent federal review, PAC membership, and the upcoming proposal cycle for NH Sea Grant. Additional meeting time was spent discussing regional research priorities for the Gulf of Maine as part of a collaborative effort being coordinated by the Northeast Sea Grant programs. For more information, contact Jennifer Hunter.

1/10/07 - Strafford Regional Planning Commission Buffer Meeting
Jodi Castallo presented buffer information to the Somersworth Conservation Commission to kick off their buffer protection work with Strafford Regional Planning Commission. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

1/12/07 - Buffer Outreach to Planning Boards and Conservation Commissions
The NHEP’s Buffers: Protecting Water Resources brochure was sent to the chairs of the coastal planning boards and conservation commissions. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

1/12/07 - State of the Estuaries Report Sent to State Legislators
The State of the Estuaries Report was sent to all NH Senators, NH Representatives from the Seacoast and the House Finance Committee members. A total of 109 reports were sent along with cover letters that highlighted report findings and relevant NHEP programs. For more information, contact Dave Kellam.

1/13/07 - Portsmouth Community Radio Interview Phil Trowbridge was the guest speaker for “The Environmental Show” on Portsmouth Community Radio, WSCALP 106.1 FM. The show focused on the State of the Estuaries report. For more information, contact Phil Trowbridge.

1/19/07 - NHEP Management Committee Meeting
Program updates heard by the Committee included reports on the State of the Estuaries Report and Conference, NHEP outreach projects and resources, and legislation that would appropriate State funding for the NHEP. The Management Committee approved a preliminary NHEP budget for the Year 12 Work Plan, pending finalization of the FFY07 federal budget appropriation. The Committee established a subcommittee to review expanding the NHEP focus area to Maine and reviewed a preliminary work scope for the study. Susan Varn, a consultant hired by the NHEP, presented findings and preliminary recommendations on the fund raising assessment she is conducting for the organization. NH Department of Transportation representatives updated the Management Committee on the Spaulding Turnpike/Little Bay Bridges expansion project. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

1/23/07 - State of the Estuaries Report Sent to 42 Coastal Communities State of the Estuaries Reports for each planning board and conservation commission member in the 42 NH coastal watershed communities were sent to the Chairs of those groups. Each report included a customized bookmark (Raymond example) that presented specific data for the community, recommended actions to protect local natural resources, and listed helpful contact information and resource citations that will be valuable during planning efforts. A total of 672 reports were mailed. To receive more reports and bookmarks, contact Dave Kellam.

1/23/07 - ERLAC Buffer Presentation
Jodi Castallo presented an overview of the buffer outreach presentation to members of the Exeter River Local Advisory Committee (ERLAC). Several members scheduled follow-up presentations for their specific communities. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

1/30/07 - Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission Meeting
Jodi Castallo participated in a meeting to discuss and work on a new buffer model ordinance that Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission is working on for all New Hampshire communities. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

1/30/07 - Strafford Regional Planning Commission Presentation
Phil Trowbridge presented the 2006 State of the Estuaries Report findings and Jennifer Hunter described various NHEP outreach materials and resources to the Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC) board members at their quarterly meeting. SRPC staff gave a presentation on buffer outreach programs on which they are collaborating with the NHEP. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

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NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS  

Juvenile Soft-shell Clam, Mya arenaria L. Research in the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary A series of field experiments was conducted at two intertidal sites in the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary from November 2004-2006 to assess the efficacy of enhancing intertidal areas with cultured clam (Mya arenaria L.) seed (mean shell length [SL] = 7-10 mm). Measurement variables in each experiment included survival and growth of both cultured and wild seed clams. The first of three trials (November 2004 -May 2005) examined the interactive effects of size of planting area (4, 8, 12 and 18 square meters) and predator deterrent netting (none, 4.2 mm, and 6.4 mm aperture [flexible, plastic netting]) at the Willows Flat in the Hampton River. The second trial (June-October 2005) examined the effect of predator deterrent netting at two discrete intertidal locations at the Willows Flat. The third trial (April - November 2006) replicated trial two except at two intertidal sites within the estuary approximately 3 km apart. Results from the study, together with those from a previous, smaller-scale investigation in the same estuary (Beal, 2002) suggest that clam enhancement can be successful as long as netting is properly deployed and maintained through regular inspections. Seeding should occur in early spring (late March or April of Year I) when seawater temperatures are below 10 degrees Celsius. Animals should be seeded at densities between 500-1000 individuals per square meter (ca. 50-100 individuals per square foot) and then covered with a plastic, flexible netting with an aperture size of 4.2 mm. Because predation in the estuary is so intense and affects all but the largest sizes of clams, nets should be maintained in situ as long as possible, perhaps as long as it takes the shellfish to attain harvestable sizes (50.8 mm SL, or 2-inches). A large proportion of these animals will be ready for harvest by October or November in Year II. Read Report

2005 Coastal Municipal Stormwater Infrastructure Mapping Project

The 2005 Stormwater Infrastructure Mapping grant program, funded by the NHEP and administered by the NH Department of Environmental Services, involved grants to Rye and Seabrook. The town of Rye hired a consultant to work with town staff to update maps with storm drainage features including catch basins, underground and above-ground storm drainage, direction of flow, and outfall locations. The town of Seabrook hired a consultant to complete the final stage of its ongoing stormwater infrastructure mapping project that has been underway for five years. Field inspections were completed for 460 structures, including 165 that previously had not been mapped. Read Report.

Shellfish Tissue Monitoring in New Hampshire Estuaries 2005 The NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) describes the collection of mussels at 4 sampling locations in New Hampshire during the 2005 sampling season. Oyster and clams were collected at one station each. Mussel samples were collected from Portsmouth Harbor (StationID “MECC”), Dover Point (NHDP), Hampton-Seabrook Harbor (NHHS) and North Mill Pond (NHNM). Oyster samples were collected from Nannie Island in Great Bay (NHNI) and clam samples were collected from Middle Ground in Hampton-Seabrook Harbor (NHMG). All field sampling and sample processing was conducted as outlined in Sowles et al. (1997). The samples were analyzed for inorganic contaminants by the Battelle Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim, Washington, and for organic contaminants by the Environment Canada, ECB Laboratory in Moncton, New Brunswick. The data were quality assured by the individual laboratories. In addition, DES conducted four quality assurance tests on the data. The laboratory results for the 2005 samples are presented in the report. The conclusions that can be drawn from DES quality assurance tests are that the 2005 mussel tissue data appear to be valid with some caution for the PAH results at NHDP. However, clam and oyster tissue data for PAHs may not be valid. DES should work with Environment Canada laboratory to determine whether the PAH data at NHDP, NHNI and NHMG should be rejected. Read Report

Land Conservation Plan for New Hampshire’s Coastal Watersheds – Implementation & Outreach
The Nature Conservancy, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, Rockingham Planning Commission and Strafford Regional Planning Commission conducted various outreach activities to promote implementation of The Land Conservation Plan for New Hampshire's Coastal Watersheds (the Plan). Seven field trips and two workshops were conducted to reach target audiences, a poster describing the Plan was developed, additional copies of the Plan distributed to town boards, and town-scale maps were provided to all conservation commissions. The planning commissions worked with the towns of Lee, New Durham, East Kingston, and Hampton Falls to review and implement various strategies from the Plan. Read Report

Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures for IDDE and Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping The City of Portsmouth, with grant funding from the NHEP, hired a Edwards and Kelcey to develop a manual to assist with several requirements of the federal stormwater management program (Phase II requirements). Designed specifically for New Hampshire communities, this manual addresses illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE) programs and pollution prevention/good housekeeping for municipal activities. The manual is written for program managers with responsibility for developing town stormwater programs and for municipal employees such as public works staff who will implement programs on a day-to-day basis. The manual offers guidance on six steps to develop a customized IDDE program. It also includes commonly accepted technical standards and guidance on stormwater management measures to control the quantity and quality of stormwater produced from municipal activities. This manual can help communities improve their stormwater management programs and provides a basis for future employee training programs. Portsmouth worked closely with other Seacoast Stormwater Coalition members provide input to the contractor in developing the manual. Read Manual

Shoreline Buffer Module for GRANIT Data Mapper
The Complex Systems Research Center at the University of New Hampshire enhanced the GRANIT Data Mapper by incorporating data describing shoreline buffers in New Hampshire. The project supports an ongoing, comprehensive New Hampshire Estuaries Project outreach initiative that seeks to educate municipal decision-makers about the importance of stream buffers in preserving water quality in coastal New Hampshire. It complements these existing outreach efforts by allowing coastal managers, local land use boards, and the general public to readily visualize the spatial extent of current and/or proposed shoreline regulations in their community. Using standard GIS tools, six concentric buffers incrementing in 50’ widths from 50’ to 300’ were generated around stream and shoreline features. The resulting buffers were merged with the GRANIT surface water data, and acreage by town and sub-watershed was calculated for each buffer category. Read Report

2005 Coastal Illicit Connection Identification and Elimination Grant Project
The 2005 Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination grant program, funded by the NHEP and administered by the NH Department of Environmental Services, involved grants to Rye, Somersworth, and Portsmouth. The Town of Rye conducted dry-weather surveys to find non-stormwater flows in the storm sewer system. Ten outfalls were found to have non-stormwater flows, which the town will work to rectify in the future. The City of Somersworth televised sewage and storm drainage lines in several areas of the city to confirm locations of suspected illicit connections. Three illicit connections were confirmed and eliminated. Read Report

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pet Waste Outreach Grant Program - NHDES The NHDES' New Hampshire Coastal Program and Watershed Assistance Section are requesting proposals for its Pet Waste Outreach Grant Program that protect waterways from dog waste pollution. A total of $50,000 is available for projects, with a minimum of 40 percent cost-share required. Proposals are due March 30, 2007. To assist development of pet waste project proposals, applicants are invited to attend a free Pet Waste Outreach Project Design Workshop on February 15, 2007, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. at the NHDES Coastal Office at Pease Field Office, in Portsmouth. The grant program is designed to implement recommendations from the new manual Inside Scoop: How to Conduct a Pet Waste Outreach Campaign. To register for the workshop, contact Sally Soule (603) 559-0032 or email at ssoule@des.state.nh.us.

Pervious Concrete Seminar - Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Jonathan Kuell, Executive Director of the Northern New England Concrete Promotion Association, leads this seminar on pervious concrete that is targeted to municipal board members, engineers and decision makers from across the coastal watershed. Topics included properties of pervious concrete, applications, design considerations, placement guidelines, freeze-thaw durability, project review, and the benefits of this material for protecting water quality. This seminar, sponsored by the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Coastal Training Program and the Northern New England Concrete Promotion Association, will take place at the Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center in Greenland. It also qualifies for 1 AIA/CES Learning Unit, 1 Professional Development Hour (PDH), or 0.1 Continuing Education Credit. There is no charge for this program, but please register to ensure seminar materials. RSVP to Steve Miller at Steve@greatbay.org or call (603) 778-0015 ext 305. Read Flyer

 

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UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

2/4/07 - 20th Anniversary of the National Estuary Program
Read Press Release

2/13/07 - NHEP Funding Legislation Hearing, Legislative Office Building, Concord
Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

2/14/07 - NHEP Technical Advisory Meeting (TAC), 10:30am - Noon, NHDES Pease Field Office, Portsmouth
Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

3/5 - 3/8/07 - Annual Meeting of National Estuary Programs, Washington, DC
Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

4/1/07- NHEP Public Outreach and Education Team (POET) Meeting, 9:00-11:00am, Location TBD
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

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