Save Great Bay

 

Welcome to Save Great Bay.

Rain Harvesting: Be Part of the Solution 12/8/09

6:30 pm, December 8, 2009
Levenson Room, Portsmouth Public Library

For every inch of rain that falls on a 1,000 square foot roof, 600 gallons of rain runs off the roof. Learn how to trap some of this water by using rain barrels for later use in the garden.  Use drip irrigation to grow healthier plants, control weeds, save water, and energy. And when your barrel is full keep it from adding to stormwater runoff by creating a rain garden.

This free public program will be presented by Sharon England, MSE, owner of SkyJuice New England (a rainharvesting company), Maine Master Gardener, educator, and long time organic gardener and Mary GIlbertson, co-author of the UMCE Bulletin #2702 “Landscapes for Maine:  Adding a Rain Garden to Your Landscape”, President of York County Maine Master Gardeners, certified permaculture designer, and Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC).  

As a follow-up to this program, organizations and municipalities are encouraged to consider a rain barrel program, to offer local residents education about problems with run-off and an opportunity to purchase and install rain barrels. 

 

Report: Pollution down in NH

“A new report says carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels in New Hampshire have declined by 14 percent between 2004 and 2007, reducing a decades-long trend.”

Read the short article summarizing the report here.

A more in depth description of the findings are described in a press release from Environment New Hampshire, a local chapter of Environment America who authored the report.

The report can be accessed at:

Too Much Pollution: State and National Trends in Global Warming Emissions from 1990-2007

Learn about America’s Poisoned Waters 11/22/2009

7 pm; November 22,2009
Strawberry Banke Museum’s Tyco Visitor’s Center

The Gundalow Company will host a free showing of “Poisoned Waters” at 7 p.m. Sunday at Strawbery Banke Museum’s Tyco Visitors Center.

This PBS Frontline documentary by producer Hendrick Smith draws on interviews with scientists, fishermen, farmers and whale watchers to tell a story about pollution in our nation’s waterways.

A volunteer reception will be held before the film at 5:30 p.m. in the Tyco Center. Join for food and fellowship to celebrate and recognize volunteers who contributed more than 1,500 hours to help another successful season for the nonprofit Gundalow Company.

Volunteers are vital to the Gundalow Company. Opportunities exist for classroom educators, onboard greeters, guides and deckhands. For information, call 433-9505, e-mail education@gundalow.org or visit www.gundalow.org.

New Great Bay Oyster Research Report

2009 Water and Watershed Conference, Concord N.H., November 20th and 21st

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) invites watershed stakeholders to attend the annual 2009 New Hampshire Joint Water and Watershed Conference – Focusing on Water Resources: 2020 Vision, on Friday and Saturday, November 20th and 21st, 2009 from 8:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, N.H.  The registration deadline is Friday November 13, 2009. Find out more about the conference and how to register by reading the DES press release.

Concurrent tracks will be held on topics including Stormwater, Climate Change, Water Infrastructure, Watershed Management, and Land Use/Land Conservation, all topics germane to Great Bay.

Exeter Public Works Partners with EPA’s WaterSense Program

Exeter Public Works Partners with EPA’s WaterSense Program to decrease indoor and outdoor water use through high efficiency products and simple water saving practices.  Find out more in the  press release.

$3 million in federal funding to help Great Bay

The Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership receives $3 million in federal funding to protect land around Great Bay. Read the article on Seacoast online.

DES, Town of Raymond and SNHPC Collaborate to Consider River Erosion Hazard Ordinance Zoning

The full press release can be accessed here:

DES, Town of Raymond and SNHPC Collaborate to Consider River Erosion Hazard Ordinance Zoning

“The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES), the Town of Raymond Planning Board and the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission (SNHPC) are working together to develop new zoning ordinances using recently mapped fluvial (river) erosion hazard zones.

Subsequent to the major flood events New Hampshire experienced from 2005 to 2007, DES has embarked upon a river assessment program to allow identification of lands adjacent to rivers that are most susceptible to erosion damage from rivers during high water events. The damage frequently takes the form of streambank failures, directly impacting properties and infrastructure located too close to a river. River scientists have developed tools that allow river segments to be field assessed so that areas particularly susceptible to fluvial (river) erosion damage can be determined and mapped. These mapped areas are called fluvial erosion hazard zones.

The Town of Raymond Planning Board is now using this information to consider the possibility of a fluvial erosion hazard zoning ordinance that would apply in those areas that have been delineated through the river assessment process.”

New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions 39th Annual Meeting, 11/7/09

November 7, 2009; 8:00 am – 3:30 pm

Rundlett Middle School; South St; Concord, NH

The 39th annual meeting of the NHACC features a combination of concurrent sessions and fieldtrips.

to view descriptions of these, please click on the link below:

NHACC invite

Price per person (includes lunch):

NHACC members: $40 ($45 after October 30)
Others: $50 ($60 after October 30)
Walk ins: $60

Contact Information:

NH Association of Conservation Commissions
54 Portsmouth Street
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 224-7867
www.nhacc.org, info@nhacc.org

Conservation Roundtable, Part II: Wildlife and Water: Land Use Planning and Conservation, 12/3/2009

December 3, 2009; 7-9 pm

Bear-Paw Office; Deerfield, NH

Thoughtful planning of the location, density, and design of development within the Bear-Paw region can minimize harmful impacts while allowing for a reasonable level of growth – and complement regional land protection efforts. Cynthia Copeland, Executive Director of the Strafford Regional Planning Commission, and Rachel Kelly, a Planner with the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission, will discuss land use planning tools available to NH communities for wildlife and water protection and how they can be implemented.