Estuaries Update #51: New Hampshire Estuaries Project

Anglers fishing for striped bass in the Salmon Falls River

July 2007, #51

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NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

JUNE ACTIVITIES

6/2/07 - Exeter River Local Advisory Committee Alewife Festival
The weather was perfect for the 7th annual Alewife Festival organized by the Exeter River Local Advisory Committee. Several hundred people turned out to celebrate the migratory herring and to enjoy the dozens of displays from a variety of organizations, including NH Coastal Program, NHDES, Town of Exeter, NH Fish and Game Department and the NHEP. This year the NHEP booth focused on its latest outreach campaign, Be Part of the Solution: Identify and Report Water Pollution. The campaign is designed to help people distinguish between pollution incidents and simply odd natural phenomenon. The campaign consists of presentations, a large educational poster, website, bookmark, and 32-page field guide, that are designed to create an informed, watchful citizenry that act quickly when water resources are threatened. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

6/5, 6/13, 6/14/07 - Library Cooperative Meeting
Dave Kellam attended these three meetings of the NH State Library to distribute Be Part of the Solution: Identify and Report Water Pollution campaign materials to librarians throughout the coastal watershed. In each meeting Kellam discussed the campaign, guided a discussion about how it could be used in a community, and answered questions related to NHEP activities. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

6/6/07 - Pollution Prevention & Good Housekeeping Workshop
Dave Kellam attended this EPA required training for Phase II entities that describes Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping practices. The session, lead by Kristie Rabasca of Sevee & Maher Engineers and Christine Rinehard of Edwards and Kelcey, interpreted the recently completed New Hampshire Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures Manual. Field crews from the University of New Hampshire, the Town of Durham and the Town of Rye were on hand to learn about actions they should incorporate into their daily operations to protect water quality. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

6/12/07 - NROC Quarterly Meeting
Jodi Castallo attended the Natural Resources Outreach Coalition (NROC) quarterly meeting that addressed the 2008 application process and program updates in the towns of Wakefield (implementing their Water Resources Chapter of the town's master plan), Rollinsford (developing a Natural Resources Inventory and conducting volunteer water quality monitoring), and Milton (determining the next step after the "Dealing With Growth" presentation). The communities of Deerfield and Fremont are completing their NROC projects. The next "Dealing With Growth" presentation is scheduled for September 12, 2007, in the Town of Hampton. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

6/19/07 - Kensington Buffer Presentation
Jodi Castallo presented the NHEP buffer presentation to a joint meeting of the Kensington Conservation Commission and Planning Board. The groups were interested in protecting shoreland areas along streams that feed into the Exeter River Watershed. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

6/19 - 6/20/07 - Great Bay Tributary Monitoring
Dave Kellam assisted NHDES Coastal Watershed Supervisor Natalie Landry and summer intern Kelsey Vaughan in data collection for the ambient rivers monitoring program of the Great Bay Estuary Watershed that is funded by the NHEP. Rivers sampled included Berry’s Brook in Rye, Sagamore Creek in Portsmouth, Winnicut River in Greenland, Exeter River in Exeter, Lamprey River in Newmarket, Oyster River in Durham, Bellamy and Cocheco Rivers in Dover, Salmon Falls River in Rollinsford, and the Great Works River in South Berwick, ME. Samples were collected from the freshwater portion of the rivers at the downstream side of road crossings. Field measurements were made for dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, pH, and turbidity and samples were sent to the lab to determine total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammonia, nitrate/nitrite, total phosphorus, biological oxygen demand (BOD), E. coli, and chlorophyll-a. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

6/19/07 - Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge Meeting
US Fish and Wildlife Service held a public meeting at Newington Town Hall to discuss plans for de-staffing the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge (GBNWR). The refuge will become networked with the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, whose on-site manager will oversee the Great Bay Refuge. The transition to un-staffed, satellite status will occur when the current manager at GBNWR is reassigned to another refuge. USFWS officials stated that highest priority management activities would continue at GBNRW. Development of a Comprehensive Conservation Plan for GBNWR in 2010 may give partners, town representatives, and the public an opportunity to learn more about FWS management priorities for the refuge and provide input. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

6/22/07 - NHEP in the NEWS
Don’t Be Fooled by Foam: Water Pollution Field Guide Distributed to Communities
by Patrick Law, The Wire, 6/20/07
Read the Story

NHEP in the NEWS

6/22/07 - Management Committee Meeting
The Management Committee’s quarterly meeting involved discussions of the NHEP funding situation, including federal funding, state funding initiative, and the recently completed Fund Development Plan; bills from the 2007 legislative session that impact the coastal watershed; updates on the staffing plan for the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge; plans for a nutrient monitoring project coordinated by the NHEP with funds recently awarded by USEPA; and several other program updates. Materials from two new NHEP outreach campaigns (pollution identification and reporting and prime wetlands designation) were discussed and circulated. The Committee reviewed and approved the NHEP’s Year 12 Work Plan for the FFY07 federal grant award and also approved using previous grant funds to hire a consultant to develop a strategic plan for the program. In addition, the Committee elected Theresa Walker from the Rockingham Planning Commission to serve as its new Chairperson for the next two years. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

6/25/07 - Water Pollution Identification and Reporting Materials Sent to 42 Coastal Watershed Communities
All of the Buidling Inspectors, Health Officers, Departments of Public Works (or Road Agents) and Conservation Commissions in the 42 communities of the coastal watershed recieved large posters, and 32-page field guides from the Be Part of the Solution:Identify and Report Water Pollution campaign. These materials are designed to create an informed, watchful citizenry that will act quickly when water resources are threatened. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

6/26/07 - Year 12 Workplan Submitted to EPA
The NHEP’s Year 12 Work Plan was finalized and submitted to USEPA. The annual work plan documents the program’s activities and accomplishments over the past year and describes the projects the program will undertake in 2008 to implement the Management Plan. The NHEP will continue its Local Grants Program, Monitoring Program, and Community Technical Assistance Program in 2008. Read Report. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information

6/28/07 - UNH Collaborative Workshop for Environmental and Natural Resource Training Professionals
Jodi Castallo participated in a workshop conducted by UNH Earth Systems Data Collaborative. The workshop described tools available online for retrieving, using, and reporting of environmental data about the coastal watersheds. Contact Jodi Castallo for more information.

6/29/07 - Request for Proposals for the 2008 Local Grants Program Issued
The NHEP requests project proposals for the 2008 Local Grants Program. This program funds projects that result in achievement or significant progress toward achievement of one or more Action Plans described in the NHEP Management Plan. An applicant may submit a project proposal for up to $10,000 of NHEP funds; however a 50% match is required (i.e. for each dollar contributed to a project by the NHEP, fifty cents must be provided by the applicant in the form of cash or in-kind services related to the project). All project activities must be completed by December 31, 2008. Proposals must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on October 1, 2007. NHEP funding for this program is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through an agreement with the University of New Hampshire. Successful applicants will enter into a subaward agreement with the University of New Hampshire. For more information, contact Dave Kellam, NHEP Project Coordinator. Read 2008 Local Grants Request for Proposals

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NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS

2006 Great Bay Organic Nitrogen (PON & DON) and Light Extinction (PAR) Monitoring Program
The UNH organic nitrogen and light extinction monthly monitoring program gathers important data that, when combined with the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP), provide comprehensive coverage of the Great Bay estuary and allow total nitrogen concentrations to be calculated for use in nutrient criteria measurements. UNH researchers completed the organic nitrogen and light extinction workplan in 2006. A total of 70, 132, and 214 measurements were made for light extinction, particulate nitrogen/carbon and dissolved nitrogen, respectively. The average light extinction coefficient in 2006 was -1.76 m -1. Average concentrations of nitrogen species at all stations were 0.213, 0.236, and 0.124 mg-N/L for dissolved inorganic nitrogen, dissolved organic nitrogen and particulate nitrogen, respectively. The average concentration of particulate carbon was 1.112 mg-C/L.
Read Report