Estuaries Update #73: Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

May 2009, #73

Featured Item

The last meeting in the Land Use and Habitat Protection series will be held on May 21, at the Wells Reserve from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. At this meeting the action plans for this theme will be prioritized.

Email Dave.Kellam@unh.edu to register.

April PREP Activities

New Publications

Stakeholder Meeting: Water Quality #3
4-1-09: This was the final stakeholder meeting for the Water Quality theme and 18 people participated in the discussion that helped prioritize action plans for the 2010 CCMP.

Town of Barrington Natural Resources Inventory: A Reference

This report, developed through PREP's Community Technical Assistance Program, identifies many ecosystems that are valuable and worthy of further consideration for future study, preservation and/or active management. Current zoning ordinances and land use regulations provide some protections, however, the report recommends that the Town consider several additional approaches to maintain and protect its rural character and special resources for the benefit of current residents, visitors, wildlife, and future generations. Read Report

Eelgrass Distribution in the Great Bay Estuary for 2008

Eelgrass in the Great Bay Estuary in 2008 was found only in the Great Bay and Portsmouth Harbor. In 2008 there was a continued loss of eelgrass biomass in the Estuary. Virtually all the eelgrass in Little Bay and the Piscataqua River has died. Eelgrass in Great Bay itself experienced an increase in distribution from 2007 to 2008, primarily from the re-seeding of bare areas that had been de-vegetated by nuisance algae in previous years. However, Great Bay showed a decrease in eelgrass biomass in 2008. Portsmouth and Little Harbors experienced a slight decrease in both distribution and cover in 2008 with the offshore beds in Portsmouth Harbor showing the greatest loss. Despite the slight increase in eelgrass distribution in Great Bay Estuary due to the increased seed recruitment in Great Bay, the loss of percent cover and biomass in Great Bay and in Portsmouth Harbor again this year (2007 – 2008) indicates the continuing adverse water quality conditions in the Estuary. Overall, the Estuary has lost 66% of its eelgrass biomass since 1996. Read Report

Town of Sandown Wetland Evaluation Report

Through PREP's Community Technical Assistance Program, West Environmental, Inc. (WEI) prepared this report to document the evaluation of 36 wetlands within the Town of Sandown, New Hampshire. The field work for this evaluation was conducted from February to July 2008 and included the verification of aerial photo interpreted wetland boundaries and functional assessments. The purpose of this wetland evaluation was to gain a better understanding of the wetland resources within the Town of Sandown and to identify wetlands that qualify for Prime Wetland Designation. Read Report

New Hampshire Estuaries Probabilistic Monitoring Program in 2008

This report documents the data collected for the National Coastal Assessment in New Hampshire's estuarine waters during the 2008 field season. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the University of New Hampshire (UNH) partnered on this project. EPA provided the study design and field protocols. UNH collected the samples and field data at designated sites in the estuary. NHDES performed the quality assurance checks. Funding for this sampling effort was provided by the PREP, NHDES, and the New Hampshire Coastal Program. Read Report

Announcements

Your Water, Your Wallet, Your Watershed – Why Working Together Across Town Boundaries Makes $ense For Protecting Our Water - Saturday, June 13, 2009, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
This conference will address key topics of concern to residents in the Lamprey River watershed including stormwater, land use planning, water quality and quantity, public health, community identity, culture and heritage. Participants will include municipal planning officials, regional planning commissioners, members of the scientific community, developers/realtors, members of non-governmental organizations and other interested individuals. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be available for a variety of fields. This conference is a collaborative effort by the Lamprey River Watershed Association, Coastal Training Program of the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Lamprey River Advisory Committee, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership, and the New Hampshire Water Resources Research Center. The conference will be held at the Nottingham Town Hall on Saturday, June 13, 2009, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Registration is free. Refreshments and lunch will be provided. To register, contact Dawn Genes at the Lamprey River Watershed Association at dawn.genes@lrwa-nh.org or (603) 659-9363. Registration ends June 5th. See Description and Agenda

Documentary The Squamscott River: Exeter's Connection to the Sea
Take a trip down the beautiful Squamscott River to Great Bay as this homegrown movie by Kyle S. Glowacky, Mike Lambert, and Don Clement explores the historical and ecological significance of the river. The film’s 25-minute duration mirrors the amount of time it takes to travel the river by boat from its start at Exeter Falls to where it empties into Great Bay. The movie showing is free at the Wiggin Memorial Library on Wednesday, May 13, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The library is located at 10 Bunker Hill Ave, Stratham, NH. Go to www.WigginML.org for details.

PREP Supports Municipal Registration Fees for Stormwater Center Workshops
In 2009, the UNH Stormwater Center is conducting a series of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) workshops at its field facility on the Durham campus. PREP will pay registration fees for municipal staff and Planning Board and Conservation Commission members for the 52 Maine and New Hampshire communities in the PREP focus area. Register at Stormwater Center’s website. Confirm eligibility by contacting PREP.

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CTAP Meeting in Fremont
4-6-09:Staff outlined options for a wetland buffer outreach project that will be completed through the Community Technical Assistance Program (CTAP) .

Hampton Falls CC Meeting about CTAP Project
4-9-09:PREP staff attended a Hampton Falls Conservation Commission meeting to discuss a Community Technical Assistance Program (CTAP) wetland buffer outreach brochure that will be published in late May.

Great Marsh Symposium
4-11-09:Staff attended the Great Marsh Symposium in Newburyport, MA and presented a talk about PREP and a summary of the findings from the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary Restoration Compendium conducted by Alyson Eberhardt and David Burdick. The southern portion of the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary is in Massachusetts, and PREP has shared interests with conservation efforts being undertaken in the "Great Marsh" region along the northern Massachusetts coastline.

PREP POET Meeting
4-14-09:The PREP Public Outreach and Education Team (POET) met in the Seacoast Media Group offices to review PREP outreach activities and to discuss and prioritize outreach related action plans that have been proposed during the CCMP update process.

NROC Quarterly Meeting
4-14-09:Staff attended the quarterly meeting of the Natural Resources Outreach Coalition(NROC) and discussed future potential roles for the group on addressing challenges from nutrient pollution and climate change. NROC will work on environmental planning projects with the communities of Greenland, Brentwood, and Deerfield in 2009.

Stakeholder Meeting
4-15-09:The second stakeholder meeting for the Land Use and Habitat Protection theme of the CCMP update was held at the Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center in Greenland. Thirty people participated in the meeting to develop action plans.

ME Source Water Protection Workshop
4-15-09:Staff attended the Southern Maine Source Water Protection and Collaboration Workshop hosted by the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. The workshop covered methods of source water protection, relevant research results, example success stories, funding sources, and how Maine's instream flow rules are being applied.

Hearing on HB102
4-16-09:PREP submitted testimony to the Senate subcommittee in support of amendments to HB102 that would extend the NH Rivers and Management Program to tidal rivers.

Erosion & Sediment Control RFP Issued
4-20-09:PREP released a Request for Proposals(RFP) to conduct a comprehensive review of erosion and sedimentation control programs affecting construction activities in the Piscataqua Region watershed.

Eye on Estuaries
4-20-09:Swimming Against the Current: Multiple challenges face a declining river herring population.

New Durham CTAP Meeting
4-21-09:The New Durham Planning Board is working with CTAP provider Appledore Engineering to update the town's stormwater management regulations. At the April Planning Board meeting the Board agreed with Appledore's recommendation to develop a new stormwater ordinance, and listened to a presentation about stormwater research results from James Houle of the UNH Stormwater Center.

Maine Land Conservation Plan Expert Meeting #2
4-23-09:The second meeting of technical expert stakeholders convened to review GIS maps generated by Maine's Beginning with Habitat staff showing the results of the co-occurrence models based on the weighting scores that the group determined at their first meeting. The group agreed that the general direction of the model output looked very good, and decided to make minor adjustments to some of the input data layers and associated weighting scores.

Durham CTAP Meeting
4-27-09:PREP staff met with a subcommittee of the Durham Conservation Commission to initiate a CTAP project to develop stewardship plans for four town conservation properties.

Public Meeting on SB168
4-28-09:PREP staff attended a public meeting on NH Senate Bill 168. The bill creates a regional alliance that municipalities can join to cooperatively address wastewater, stormwater, and planning issues.

Living Resources and Habitat Restoration Stakeholder Meeting #3
4-29-09:This was the final stakeholder meeting for the Living Resources and Habitat Restoration theme and 12 people participated in the discussion that helped prioritize action plans in the 2010 CCMP.

Restoration Partnership Meeting
4-30-09:The group discussed plans to integrate a signing ceremony formally kicking off the Restoration Partnership coalition with the upcoming Great Bay Estuarine Research Reserve's 20th anniversary celebration. The group also provided updates on current and planned restoration projects, improved collaboration with partners in Massachusetts, and funding opportunities.

Upcoming Events

	5-11-09: PREP Technical Advisory Committee 1 - 3 p.m., location NHDES Coastal Office, Pease Tradeport, Portsmouth
	5-21-09: Stakeholder Meeting: Land Use and Habitat Protection #3 9 a.m. - Noon., location Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. Wells ME - wiki
	6-13-09: Your Water, Your Wallet, Your Watershed – Why Working Together Across Town Boundaries Makes $ense For Protecting Our Water 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., at Nottingham Town Hall, Nottingham, NH. Register at dawn.genes@lrwa-nh.org
	6-25-09: PREP Management Committeee Meeting 9 a.m. -12:00 p.m., at Seabrook Station, Seabrook, NH
	8-26-09: VIP Tours of the Great Bay Estuary 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., location UNH pier in Newcastle. Registration begins in June.
	9-12-09: VIP Tours of the Great Bay Estuary 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., location UNH pier in Newcastle. Registration begins in June.
	10-16-09: 2009 State of the Estuaries Conference 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., location Great Bay Gallery, Somersworth, NH.

To learn more about any meeting, publication, or future event, submit your question to our Contact Us web page.