2011 Lamprey River Symposium

The Fourth Annual Lamprey River Symposium will take place on the campus of the University this Friday – January 7, 2011. Details have been posted on the website of the Lamprey River Hydrological Observatory, including a full agenda. Come and learn more about the problem of nitrogen pollution in the Lamprey River and the Great Bay Estuary!

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Gulf of Maine Plan Could Create Thousands of Jobs

Projects aimed at ensuring the future ecological health and economic productivity of the Gulf of Maine could create thousands of new jobs, according to a new plan released by the Gulf of Maine Habitat Restoration and Conservation Initiative. The U.S. Gulf of Maine Habitat Restoration and Conservation Plan also serves as a reminder of economic benefits that the Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire already derive from the Gulf’s natural resources. “The Gulf of Maine is one of most productive ecosystems in the world, supporting commercial and recreational fisheries with a combined annual value to the US economy in excess of $1 billion and providing upwards of 26,000 jobs,” it notes.

The plan is the result of a collaborative effort by state, federal, and non-government organizations to quantify the needed investment in five broad issue areas: fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, invasive species, climate change, and long-range planning, science, and communications. It estimates that an initial investment of $3 billion dollars over five years is needed to get the job done. During that time, the natural resources of the Gulf of Maine will support economic activities generating more than $5 billion for the U.S. economy. It’s an investment that’s worth making.

 

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Event: Supporting Sustainable Fisheries

Portsmouth, NH – On December 15th, the Gundalow Company will host a moderated panel discussion that will include Bob Campbell of Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative; Will Carey from Little Bay Oyster Company; Carolyn Eastman of Eastman’s Fish Market; Ken LaValley from UNH Cooperative Extension; Sara Zoe Patterson of Seacoast Eat Local; and Roger Woodman, a commercial fisherman using 19th Century methods.

Panelists will discuss what current issues face our local fisheries, how their organizations are addressing these challenges and what consumers can do to ensure the long term health of our fisheries. The program is the last in the four part Contemporary Coastal Issues series that has been examining local water quality issues and exploring ways we can all reduce our impact on our local watershed.

Contemporary Coastal Issues programs are funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act in conjunction with the NH Coastal Program and NH DES.

Hope to see you there!

Supporting Sustainable Fisheries

Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Time: 7:00 pm

Levenson Community Room

Portsmouth Library

Contemporary Coastal Issue events are free and open to the public. For more information call (603) 433-9505 or email.

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New grant to study sources of nitrogen pollution in Great Bay

DURHAM, N.H. – Rising levels of nitrogen are threatening New Hampshire’s Great Bay, with algal blooms, reduced eelgrass coverage, depletion of dissolved oxygen, and reduced native oyster production all linked to the increase of nitrogen pollution. A new grant to University of New Hampshire researchers aims to pinpoint the major sources of nitrogen throughout the Great Bay watershed, ultimately informing nitrogen-reduction policies that will deliver the “biggest bang for the buck,” says the principal investigator.

“The nutrient dynamics of Great Bay are complex, and we need to fill gaps in our basic understanding of how high nitrogen sources in the watershed are delivered if we are to reduce the nitrogen in the bay,” says lead researcher Bill McDowell, professor of natural resources and the environment and director of the New Hampshire Water Resources Research Center at UNH.

With the $600,000, three-year grant from the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative (a partnership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and coastal states), McDowell and UNH research scientist John Bucci will aim to identify hotspots of nonpoint source nitrogen (that which comes from diffuse sources like runoff) throughout the watershed. They will sample more than 250 sites in tributaries of the Lamprey, Exeter, Swampscott, and Cocheco rivers throughout southeastern New Hampshire and into Maine.

Nonpoint sources of nitrogen include fertilizer from agricultural crops as well as homeowner lawns, septic systems, manure, rain running off impervious surfaces like parking lots and the atmosphere. The study will look for chemical signatures that help track nitrogen back to various sources. “Which of these sources, and under what conditions, are the most efficient at delivering nitrogen into small streams?” says McDowell, who has studied the Lamprey River watershed extensively for more than a decade. He says that models from that system indicate that human population density is the best predictor for high nitrate concentration.

The research also will determine the effectiveness of the tributaries at removing nitrogen before it reaches major rivers or the bay. In the Lamprey watershed, says McDowell, only 14 percent of the nitrogen that gets delivered into the river basin makes it into the river.

Ultimately, this project will inform management strategies that target reducing nitrogen in Great Bay. One component of the grant will involve working with local stakeholders and watershed associations in the Great Bay region. “Our goal is to be honest brokers of information trying to lay out the scientific basis for any management decisions,” McDowell says.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state’s flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

Originally posted online by UNH Media Relations

Related media coverage:

Grant will seek pollution source in NH’s Great Bay – Boston Herald

New grant to address Great Bay’s pollution ‘hot spots’ – Foster’s Daily Democrat

UNH’s grant money may be ‘saving grace’ for Great Bay – The New Hampshire

$600K grant helps study nitrogen pollution in estuary, bay – Seacoast Online

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Earmarks and the Great Bay Estuary

Daniel Barrick’s article touching upon the role that federal earmark spending has played in funding Great Bay conservation and coastal research in New Hampshire has sparked a flurry of related media coverage. According to the article, retiring Senator Judd Gregg used the earmark process to secure more than $100 million in federal funding used to protect wetlands around Great Bay and build a coastal research center at UNH. Senator-elect Kelly Ayotte opposes earmarks, but will hopefully work to find other ways to provide the funding needed to save this estuary in decline.

Learn more:

Tallying Gregg’s earmarks for N.H. – Concord Monitor

Gregg built legacy of earmarks – Concord Monitor

Will Choice Bacon Still Come Home? – Foster’s Daily Democrat

NH Earmarks on the table – Manchester Examiner

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NH Coast launches 1st Annual Holiday Rain Barrel Sale

Portsmouth, NH – Looking for a green gift for the gardener or tree hugger in your life? The New Hampshire Coastal Protection Partnership is offering a $75 holiday gift package that includes an eco-friendly rain barrel and a one-year membership in the local nonprofit organization. The rain barrels are made locally by NH Coast’s staff and volunteers using recycled plastic food grade drums.

“Rain barrels are a great way to go green this holiday season,” says Project Coordinator David Anderson. He hopes that the sale will help to raise public awareness about a few of the lesser-known environmental benefits of rain barrels, such as their ability to help reduce run-off pollution. Stormwater run-off is a major source of water pollution in the Great Bay watershed. Rain barrels help to address this problem by containing stormwater before it can run-off.

Homeowners can also use rain barrels to save energy and reduce carbon footprints, according to Anderson. “Nationwide, about four percent of U.S. power generation is used for water supply and treatment,” he explains, quoting a 2006 Department of Energy report to Congress. “Rain barrels are a zero energy, emissions free source water that can be used for a variety of landscaping purposes.”

Proceeds from the holiday fundraiser will be used to help support NH Coast’s popular free rain barrel program. Last summer, the group hosted free “Make your own rain barrel” lessons at a number of local farmers’ markets and public events as part of a program funded by a generous from the Lamprey River Advisory Committee. Participants took home a total of 25 free rain barrels. When the program resumes next year, the group hopes to give away 100 free rain barrels.

To order one of NH Coast’s holiday gift packages, contact Dave at (603) 617-0679 or info@nhcoast.org, or visit www.nhcoast.org. Packages can be picked up at the Oyster River Middle School Holiday Bazaar in Durham on November 30^th from 4 to 8 PM or in Portsmouth at the buyer’s convenience. Local delivery is available to those living in or nearby Portsmouth. General donations and business sponsorships are also welcome.

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Event: Engaging Citizens to Protect Our Waters on November 17

Portsmouth, NH – This Wednesday, November 17th, the Gundalow Company will play host to Candance Dolan of the Hodgson Brook Restoration Project and the Southeast Watershed Alliance for a presentation on Engaging Citizens to Protect Our Waters:

“Based on her experience with the Hodgson Brook Restoration Project, which utilizes volunteers to protect the coastal watershed and decrease the flow of pollutants into the surface waters, Candace will discuss citizen-based projects, such as rain gardens and vegetative buffers, that are already making a positive impact.”

Date: Wednesday – November 17, 2010

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: Gundalow Company Headquarters – 60 Marcy St. in Portsmouth, NH

Get connected with the Gundalow Company on Facebook and Twitter

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Remote control airplane aids horseshoe crab research in Great Bay

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found a new way to stay dry while studying the underwater life of spawning horseshoe crabs in the Great Bay Estuary. They attached cameras to a remote control airplane and zip line to get a birds eye view of the crab’s mud flat habitat.

Watch video of the approach in action recorded by graduate student by  Wan-Jean Lee

Read more about the project in Foster’s Daily Democrat

 

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Great Bay climate change study in Foster’s Daily Democrat

A new research project led by University of New Hampshire Professor Cameron Wake will examine the local impacts of climate change on Great Bay and the surrounding communities. The project is the focus of an informative piece found in Tuesday’s edition of Foster’s Daily Democrat:

New study to examine impact of  of climate change on Great Bay region

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Gundalow goes solar!

Portsmouth, NH – The Gundalow Company just added a modern touch to the Captain Edward H. Adams. Jack Bingaman of SEA Solar Store in Dover recently installed a solar electric system on the historically accurate gundalow replica. The system will supply clean, renewable energy to help power the vessel’s pumps. It’s sure to enhance the Gundalow’s ongoing efforts to protect the Piscataqua Maritime Region through education and action!

Want to learn more?

Greening a gundalow: SEA Solar Store helps give a vessel a 21st Century makeover – a Green Alliance blog by Jim Cavan

Visit the Gundalow Company’s website or follow their work on Facebook and Twitter

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What are you doing to help Save Great Bay?

Send your stories, news, and event info to info@nhcoast.org for publication here!

The Save Great Bay blog is funded in part by a grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.