September 2007, #53

QUICK LINKS:

NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS ANNOUNCEMENTS UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

AUGUST ACTIVITIES  

8/10/07 - UNH Cooperative Extension Workshop Series
Jennifer Hunter participated as one of the trainers in an UNH Cooperative Extension Community Conservation Workshop focused on the Great Bay. The workshop, organized by Steve Miller from the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, introduced participants to bay ecology, research, and monitoring activities. Jennifer spoke about environmental indicators and threats to the health of the Great Bay Estuary. Participants also conducted a field exercise to identify salt marsh plants using techniques currently used in restoration monitoring. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

8/10/07 - Program Coordinator Jodi Castallo's Last Day
Jodi Castallo left the NHEP to spend more time with her family and pursue a career in wine sales with her husband in Maine. The NHEP has posted the open position at the UNH Human Resources Employment Services web site. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.

8/14/07 - Where the buoys are by Dave Kellam, NHEP Exeter Newsletter Read Seacoast Online Version or .pdf version

8/17/07 - Long-time Management Committee Member Tom Gillick Passes
The NHEP said goodbye to a champion of shellfish management and coastal conservation when Tom Gillick died at the Exeter Hospital after a period of failing health. Dave Kellam attended the funeral on behalf of the NHEP and let Tom's family know what outstanding contributions he made to the future of the Seacoast. NHEP Management Committee members will make a contribution to Tom's memorial charities. Read Tom's Obituary.
Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

8/18/07 - Moose Mountains Regional Greenways' Woods, Water, and Wildlife Festival
For the fourth year, Dave Kellam was a presenter at Moose Mountains Regional Greenways' annual event to raise awareness, appreciation, and funding for the conserved lands of this region. The day's events included live animal educational sessions by Squam Lakes Natural Science Center naturalists, woodlot management programs by UNH Cooperative Extension, and live music. Kellam spoke at a stop along the hay ride route about the importance of buffers to the water quality of the Salmon Falls River and Great Bay Estuary. The event was at Branch Hill Farm, a 3,000-acre farm in Milton Mills, NH where The Forest Society holds a conservation easement. For details, contact Dave Kellam.

8/23/07 - Restoration Partnership Meeting
Phil Trowbridge represented the NHEP at a planning meeting of the Restoration Partnership for New Hampshire's estuaries at the NH DES offices at Pease. The Nature Conservancy convened the meeting to review the outcomes of subcommittee meetings on salt marsh and eelgrass restoration goals and organization structure for the partnership. Contact Phil Trowbridge for details.

8/24/07 - Fremont land protected through grant program Portsmouth Herald Read the Story

8/29/07 - Tidal Power Commission Meeting
Dave Kellam and NHEP Management Committee members Brian Giles, Dave Funk, Ted Diers (NHCP), and Peter Britz (City of Portsmouth) attended this meeting of the Tidal Power Commission that was formed as a result of HB 694 that establishes a commission to study the feasibility of tidal power generation under the Little Bay and General Sullivan Bridges, located in Dover and Newington. At this meeting the commission elected co-chairs, Thomas Fargo, representing the City of Dover, and Kenneth Baldwin, representing the University of New Hampshire, as well as a vice chair, Ted Diers, representing the Department of Environmental Services Coastal Program. The commission also selected the NH Coastal Program as the lead state agency to coordinate the efforts of the commission. The commission will hold monthly meetings that are open to the general public. Contact Dave Kellam for more information.

8/29/07 - Collection of Hyperspectral Imagery for Great Bay
The NHEP partnered with the UNH Coastal Observing Center and SpecTIR to collect hyperspectral imagery of Great Bay. The imagery was collected at low tide and covered Great Bay, Little Bay and most of the tidal tributaries. Field crews from several monitoring programs (GBNERR SWMP, National Coastal Assessment, and DES Shellfish Program) collected ground truth samples during the period of imagery acquisition. Another set of imagery will be collected at high tide in October. Funding for the project was provided by EPA Region I. Contact Phil Trowbridge for more information.

8/30/07 - EPA Regional Meeting on Implementation Review Process
Jennifer Hunter joined other New England NEP directors and EPA Region 1 staff to review new proposed guidance for the Implementation Review conducted by EPA every three years. The proposed process applies new performance measures across a number of core program elements (e.g., Financial Management, Program Tracking and Reporting, Program Planning and Administration, and Assessment and Monitoring) and assigns ratings of Excellent, Good, Adequate, or Inadequate based on an evaluation of a program’s performance. The group reviewed the proposed performance criteria for each of the measures and proposed alternatives that were better aligned with NEP priorities and processes in implementing management plans through their annual work plans. For more information on the meeting or the implementation review process, contact Jennifer Hunter.

8/31/07 - GPRA Reporting Completed
The NHEP completed its required annual reporting to the US Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). All 28 National Estuary Programs are required to provide annual reports on acres of habitat protected or restored; funds leveraged to implement the Management Plan; environmental indicators used by the program; and the number of highest priority Management Plan actions that have been initiated and completed. The NHEP reported the protection/restoration of just over 2,300 acres, the majority of which resulted from the land protection projects funded through the Coastal Watershed Land Conservation Transaction Grant Program. For the past year, the NHEP leveraged over $1.7 million in support of Management Plan implementation. The NHEP has made at least some progress on all 44 of its highest priority action plans, having fully implemented 22 of them. For more information on the GPRA reports, contact Jennifer Hunter.

8/31/07 - NHEP Welcomes Work Study Student Meaghan Julian
UNH graduate student Meaghan Julian began working in the NHEP office. She will manage the program's database of planning board and conservation commission members, as well as assist in other outreach activities. Meaghan is studying to become a high school earth science teacher, with hopes of working in New England or New York State. Previously, she studied geology at SUNY Geneseo and Texas A&M, with an interest in geologic history and climate change.

Back to Table of Contents

 

NEW NHEP PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS  

Land Conservation Transaction Grants: 2005 - 2007 The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests administered the Coastal Watershed Land Conservation Transaction Grant Program with funding from the NHEP. From July 2005 to July 2007 a total of $70,000 was awarded to 16 different organizations to assist with transaction costs for 28 projects that achieved permanent land conservation in the New Hampshire coastal watershed. The projects protected 2,220 acres in 15 different communities. The $70,000 in grant funds were matched by $224,651 of transaction costs from other sources. The value of the land protected is well over $17,000,000. Twenty projects met the criteria for adding to existing protected areas. Eight protected frontage on rivers, for a total of 13,900 feet on five different rivers (Dudley Brook, North River, Mad River, Piscassic River, and Exeter River). Three projects protected important wetlands. Five projects protected critical wildlife habitat or special species. Twenty-four projects were included as priorities in some land conservation plan. Twenty were acquired for less than full value, either as a bargain sale or as a donation. Read Report

Eelgrass Distribution in the Great Bay Estuary 2005 Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is an essential habitat for the Great Bay Estuary because it provides food for wintering waterfowl and habitat for juvenile fish and shellfish. Starting in 1986, the University of New Hampshire has mapped the distribution of eelgrass in the estuary annually. The present report describes and interprets the eelgrass distribution data collected in 2005 for the Great Bay Estuary. In 2005, eelgrass biomass decreased in the Great Bay Estuary while eelgrass distribution increased slightly. Eelgrass was present throughout much of its expected range in the estuary, although there are still large areas of the estuary that historically supported eelgrass and currently do not, including Little Bay, the Piscataqua River, and parts of Portsmouth Harbor and Little Harbor. Despite a few increases in low biomass eelgrass bed distribution in the upper estuary, the continued decrease in eelgrass biomass in the estuary overall is indicative of poor water quality conditions. Read Report

City of Portsmouth Prime Wetlands Analysis Report
West Environmental, Inc. (WEI) worked with the City of Portsmouth to evaluate and designate prime wetlands. WEI reviewed the technical criteria for prime wetlands designation with the Conservation Commission and Planning Department staff and developed a Portsmouth specific evaluation form. Twenty-seven wetlands, including 21 identified in the 2003 City Wide Wetlands Inventory and six additional wetlands, were evaluated and field inspected to verify boundaries and functional analysis. Two of the original wetlands were combined based on field inspection. Thirteen wetlands were proposed for designation. These wetlands total 1,908 acres and provide key wetland wildlife habitat, link to undeveloped upland habitat, and represent the largest and best functioning wetland systems in the City. The City will complete the Prime Wetlands Designation process later this year. Read Report

 

Back to Table of Contents

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Community Technical Assistant Program Application Deadline is 9/28/07
	Learn about CTAP Download Application

 

NHEP Offices Move to Nesmith Hall at UNH
New Address:
	New Hampshire Estuaries Project University of New Hampshire, Nesmith Hall, 131 Main Street Durham, NH 03824

NHEP Seeks Project Coordinator
The NHEP is seeking a Project Coordinator to support implementation of the Management Plan for New Hampshire's estuaries. Duties include developing and managing projects related to priority areas of the plan and managing many of the program's community assistance and outreach initiatives aimed at improving local stewardship of coastal watershed resources. Priority areas include stormwater management, buffer protections, land conservation, and habitat restoration. Apply for the position with UNH Human Resources Employment Services.

PRESS RELEASE - National Estuaries Day: A Time to Appreciate Vital Seacoast Natural Resources
Saturday, September 29, is National Estuaries Day and opportunities abound around the Seacoast for people to appreciate local estuaries and to learn what is being done to protect these valuable natural resources. The Great Bay Estuary is the focus of three guided tours; two by boat and one by bus. In the morning, . . . (more)

NHEP Accepts Proposals for Local Grants Program Until October 1, 2007
	Download Request For Proposals Current Local Grant Projects Past Local Grant Projects

 

V.I.P. Great Bay Tour Registration Ends September 14, 2007
	Read Full Sized Flyer Register On-line* NOTE: Only a couple of spots left on both boats. Please register and if no room is available, you will be placed on a waiting list. * Only open to planning board members, conservation commissioners, and other municipal planning officials in the 42 coastal watershed communities.

Back to Table of Contents

UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

9/19/07 - V.I.P. Tour of Great Bay Estuary for Municipal Planning Officials, 9:00am - Noon, Portsmouth Fishermen's Pier
Registration is required. Register on-line, by email at Contact.NHEP@unh.edu, or by calling 862-3403.

9/29/07 - V.I.P. Tour of Great Bay Estuary for Municipal Planning Officials (National Estuaries Day), 2:00 - 5:00pm, Portsmouth Fishermen's Pier
Registration is required. Register on-line, by email at Contact.NHEP@unh.edu, or by calling 862-3403.

10/03/07 - NHEP Management Committee Meeting, 9:00am - Noon, Seabrook Station Education Center, Seabrook, NH Directions
For details, contact Jennifer Hunter.

10/17/07 - NHEP Public Outreach and Education Team (POET) Meeting, 9:00am- 11:00am,
Location TBD
For details, contact Dave Kellam.

Back to Table of Contents