 The Great Bay Dialogue has changed its name to the Great Bay Initiative to better reflect the action & effort taking place. There are many new resources on the website & new action team meetings will be reconvening in the Fall.
Visit the website for
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NH Coastal Adaptation Workgroup Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative
Let's Connect! 
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Photos
Wanted!
Do you have an eye for capturing nature at her finest?
Do you know how to capture the Seacoast Lifestyle?
Do you love to show off to your friends & family your keen photographic eye?
Submit a photo on PREP's Facebook wall & we may choose it to be featured in an upcoming issue of Downstream.
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Think Blue Exeter!
Exeter has gone to the DUCKS! Exeter has launched a new educational outreach program about the harmful effects of stormwater pollution. Keep an eye & an ear to local TV & radio for the ducks & THINK BLUE EXETER!
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| Is Water Worth it To You?
Join in EPA's 40th Anniversary Celebration and take part in the "Water is Worth It" Video Project.
Submit a 15-second video clip explaining the important role water plays in your life.
This is your chance to tell the US why our water in the Seacoast matters to you!
Follow this link for more info & to fill out the entry form.
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Welcome!
Welcome to the August issue of Downstream, Your Estuaries Partnership News. We're smack dab in the middle of the "Dog Days of Summer". There are a lot of different origins to the name "dog days" ranging from the ancient Greeks to the The Old Farmers' Almanac but one thing's clear - it's hot, it's humid and it's dry - it's also the best time to enjoy a cold beer or a slurp a tasty bivalve.
This month's Downstream features both of these favorite summer treats! First we look at the valuable oyster restoration work happening around Great Bay and learn that oysters aren't just for slurping (though at the Newmarket Old Home Days & Oyster Festival on August 11th you can get a belly full)! Then we announce an exciting new partnership with Smuttynose Brewing Company because you can't have a tasty beer without clean water!
Whether you're slurping a beer, paddling a kayak or soaking up the sun at the beach we all can agree that life in the summer on the Seacoast cannot be beat! And we thank all of you who work tirelessly to protect and preserve the places we love. Take a minute and snap a photo of the places around here you love and share it with us on our Facebook page. And as always, thank you for reading and caring!
 Jill Farrell Community Impact Program Manager
The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) If you have any recommendations on how we can improve our newsletter, or have any news you would like to share, please e-mail us and we'd be happy to incorporate your ideas into a future issue. |
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Could Oysters be Part of the Solution to Great Bay Pollution?
Ray Konisky and Kara McKeton of the New Hampshire chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are leading a growing effort to restore the American Oyster to the Great Bay estuary. Oysters were once plentiful throughout the bay and its river mouths but in more recent times have seen a sharp decline in numbers.
Oysters are not just a tasty item on restaurant menus, adult oysters can filter up to 20 gallons of water per day which removes excess algae and nutrients. Their reefs create excellent habitat for baby fish, crabs and other familiar estuarine creatures. Over the past 40 years, oysters have suffered from disease, overharvest, and impacts from development. When oyster populations were still healthy in 1970 they covered about 900 acres of the estuary, and by some estimates
they were able to filter the estuary's entire volume of water in just 4 days. The oysters in a few reefs that remain today may take close to a year to filter that amount.
This restoration effort is about more than just restoring the benefits of a healthy oyster population; it's also about reconnecting people to the landscape and a lost part of our cultural heritage. Shellfish have been an important food source for humans along the East coast throughout history, to both its original inhabitants, and the settlers who came later. Residents of the Great Bay estuary can still enjoy oysters and clams at restaurants and buy them from the grocery store, but they are likely not from our waters and that makes it all the easier to forget what we've lost. Ray Konisky says that most of the oyster restoration volunteers he works with can remember a relative who could go out their backdoor and collect oysters or clams for a meal. Oysters used to be a common cultural connection to our waters; they are currently threatened, but it is easy to help restore them.
TNC is training citizens around Great Bay to be oyster nannies! TNC's Oyster Conservationist program (OC), which started in 2006, engages volunteer citizens in an effort that connects them to the local ecosystem they are helping to restore. Their efforts are also creating the scientific information that helps to make the restoration project effective. Baby oysters grow best when they are attached to adult oyster shells and have water moving over them in a natural environment. People who live by or have access to the bay or part of a tidal river can volunteer for the program. They are given training and a cage of oyster shells with baby oysters (called "spat") attached that they can grow in their backyards.
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A volunteer walks out to install an oyster cage in a tidal river. The rope contraption is for retrieving the cage during high tide.
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Volunteers receive their training and their cages in early spring and monitor the spat as they grow through 10 weeks. This only requires about an hour per week to clean the cages, count the spat, and keep records on a sheet. But Ray Konisky says that people really get into raising their oysters, going to extra lengths like making sure the shells stay clean. In the first few years, around 15 families and individuals volunteered for the program. Then it started to grow quickly and this year there were 39 sites where volunteers were raising oysters. Each week volunteers record the number of spat that grow and survive in their cages, and this can tell scientists - and citizens - a lot about the health of places around Great Bay, and which places need restoration most. This year's oysters will be added to a reef restoration site at the mouth of the Squamscott River. This report talks about the success of the 2011 efforts, the importance of the work and the process the program uses, and has a map of all the recent sites where volunteers raised oysters.
Do you want to be an Oyster Nanny? Or know someone with a dock, mooring or water access that might? Contact the Oyster Conservationist coordinator, Kara McKeton, via email or by phone at (603) 659-2678 ext. 15.
Want to know more about why Oyster Reefs Matter to you? Explore this great interactive graphic from TNC!
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Smuttynose Brewing Co. & PREP partner for Clean Water
PREP and Smuttynose Brewing Company have teamed up to raise public awareness and action for clean water initiatives across the Seacoast.
Through PREP's new "Clean Water Partnership Program," Smuttynose Brewing Company will provide support and marketing assistance to further PREP's water monitoring, evaluation, research, restoration and outreach initiatives.
"The Piscataqua Estuary is Smuttynose's exclusive water source," said Peter Egelston, Smuttynose's Founder and President, "we need to preserve and improve the health of this vital resource, not only for our products, but for everyone in our community. A partnership with PREP couldn't have made any more sense to us."
In addition to advancing PREP's core programs, Smuttynose will co-host PREP's Clean Water Music Series, 2nd Annual King Tide Photo Contest this fall and serve as a sponsor for the State of Our Estuaries Conference in December 2012.
"As a convener, PREP is focused on bringing the community together to find solutions that will allow us to protect and preserve the Great Bay and the Hampton/Seabrook estuary," explained Rachel Rouillard, PREP's Director. "Though this partnership, Smuttynose Brewing Company has demonstrated leadership and concern for the health and well- being of our community and environment."
PREP's "Clean Water - Tasty Beer" logo will begin to show up at restaurants and pubs around the Seacoast in the form of coasters and pint glasses thanks to Smuttynose's support. So next time you're at your favorite Seacoast spot and see a coaster or glass let us know!
 | | Smuttynose's Minister of Propaganda, JT Thompson & PREP's Jill Farrell are all smiles while touring the Smuttynose Brewery this week. |
Theresa Walker, PREP Management Committee Chair said "We are thrilled with this first of its kind partnership with Smuttynose Brewing Company. Together we will be able to provide valuable opportunities to increase education and action among citizens of the seacoast, and meet our shared goals for cleaner water and a healthier Great Bay."
Cheers to Smuttynose! Clean Water - Tasty Beer!
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Watershed WatchOur Watershed Watch feature is dedicated to sharing our partners' latest research and reports. If you have, or know of a report you would like us to feature in an upcoming issue of Downstream, please contact us and we will be happy to include it.
New Hampshire Public Radio's The Exchange: The Future of Great Bay
On Monday, July 23rd NHPR's program The Exchange featured a focus on Great Bay. The program had a variety of guests including Peter Wellenberger, Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper; Dean Peschel, Environmental Consultant for the Great Bay Municipal Coalition; and Jonathan Pennock, Associate Professor of Natural Resources and the Environment at UNH. There were also numerous guests calling in to discuss the current debate over the pollution into Great Bay and the path going forward.
Hotspot of accelerated sea-level rise on the Atlantic coast of North America By: United States Geological Survey
Published in: Nature Climate Change June 24, 2012
 | | Sea Level Rise Differences for 60-yr time series at gauge locations across North America. |
Rates of sea level rise are increasing three-to-four times faster along portions of the U.S. Atlantic Coast than globally. Since about 1990, sea-level rise in the 600-mile stretch of coastal zone from Cape Hatteras, N.C. to north of Boston, Mass. -- coined a "hotspot" by scientists -- has increased 2-3.7 millimeters per year; the global increase over the same period was 0.6-1.0 millimeter per year.
Read the full report from Nature Climate Change here. Interstate Water Report
By: New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission
 June 2012's edition features reports on success stories and challenges at treatment plants using solar power, review of Charles Fishman's book The Big Thirst, updates on the Northeast Voluntary Turf Fertilizer Initiative and more. And to learn more about NEIWPCC visit their website. |
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PREP's Clean Water Champion
Paul Stacey, Research Coordinator from the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
PREP's Clean Water Champion is a monthly feature that profiles
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Paul & His Daughter Drinking some Tasty Beer at Oktoberfest in Germany
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people and partners working to make a difference around our watershed. This month we're featuring Paul Stacey. Paul's a recent transplant to our region but he's certainly no newbie to the important work of watershed protection. Paul's been working on these issues for 35 years most recently in the Long Island Sound area and his knowledge, humility and expertise is invaluable as we all chart a course forward in our region.
PREP: How long have you been a champion for clean water? Paul: My earliest, and happiest memories of growing up in Connecticut always seemed to involve water. I loved to play out in the rain, and design and construct dams in the street gutters in front of my house using whatever "native materials" I could find. While I enjoyed fishing the streams of Connecticut and shores of Cape Cod and Rhode Island, it was never really about the fish. I was much more interested in turning over rocks and digging in the sand to see what lived there, and how the forces of water shaped the aquatic life I found. My dad grew up on a small farm on the banks of the Quinnipiac River. On visits to that long-abandoned property to cut wood he would tell me how he used to swim in the river, though it was quite polluted at that time (1920's and 1930's). It wasn't any better in the 1950's and 1960's, and I understood, and accepted, that the water was "polluted", which seemed like an irreversible condition. We had enough sense to avoid swimming in the river, but I think that planted the seeds of change in my mind - what can be done about pollution? PREP: How'd you get started in protecting clean water?
Paul: I feel like I've always been in tune with the environment, but not so in tune with how to be a success in life. Going into college in 1968 I was totally clueless except for parental pressures to make a living when I finished, and social pressures of the times to make the world a better place. I'm sure I spent as much time at demonstrations as I did in some of my less favored classes. After collecting my Psychology degree, I decided I'd much rather work with fish and wildlife than people, got married and took my wife to the wilds of Utah and Colorado where I studied wildlife and fisheries biology. But my life
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Paul, the little fisherman, ice fishing in Connecticut
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kept taking Gumpian turns that put me in the right place at the right time - a summer internship with the American Fisheries Society; Graduate School at Colorado State University where I studied nuclear power plant impacts on stream invertebrates; a job at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences that put my feet in dozens of rivers throughout the United States (including studies of Three Mile Island nuclear plant - after the accident) and had a close working relationship with Ruth Patrick; and into a position with the Connecticut DEP to kick off the beginnings of the National Estuary Program with the Long Island Sound Study. And now, I'm starting over again here at Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. I couldn't have planned a lifetime career better, and count my blessings every day!
PREP: What's your favorite thing to do with or on water?
Paul: Watch it. I love to watch the rain and am actually disappointed if I go on a vacation and I don't have a rainy day or two. The hydrologic cycle is really a marvel of Nature, and just watching water fall from the sky, run off the land, sink into the ground and emerge into streams, and feed the whole ecosystem from plants to animals and back again. It's almost inconceivable in its elegance of design and functionality. Yes, I still like to make dams in the street and on the shore, too.
PREP: What's been your proudest moment as a clean water champion?
Paul: It's impossible to put a superlative on a continuing and dynamic process. I am happiest when someone asks me for my advice, and I can actually help them. I have always tried to be thoughtful and respectful of alternative points of view. Even though I'm always bursting with questions and ideas (sometimes without much utility or merit, I'm afraid), I have found that being a good listener, and mediator, has always been the most productive means to an end. Though I really don't look back to count my success, or dwell on my failures, I was very pleased to be recognized by my peers in the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators on our 50th anniversary in 2011 with their highest honor - the Environmental Statesman Award. It made me feel like I was doing something right through the years to communicate and implement good science. What's one simple thing you would tell somebody to do to protect the places around the Seacoast they love? Paul: I'm starting a one man, unofficial campaign to "Do Less for Great Bay". The less we do to change the landscape, the better off the Great Bay Ecosystem will be. And, we will save money by minimizing our impact with less paving and fertilizers during construction, and even more money when we don't have to fix those problems that we caused by unwise development practices. PREP has a great concept and program aimed in that direction. Maybe someday we can look at the Stormwater Center and wonder why that research was necessary at all (Sorry, Rob!). So, I tell people to make the right thing to do for Great Bay, the customary thing to do for Great Bay and our society and economy will benefit as well.
To Join Paul's One-Man campaign or to learn more about the research at GBNERR shoot him an email.
For more information on the GBNERR visit their website
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Partner Focus: Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance Brings Our Headwaters Students to the Sea
This Spring students from the headwaters communities of Wakefield, NH and Acton, ME connected to the sea with visits to the Gundalow Company's new boat Piscataqua. Both schools were blessed with perfect weather on May 23rd for the 6th grade from Wakefield's Paul School and June 8th for Acton Elementary's 5th and 6th grades.
With support from the Dorr Foundation, Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance (AWWA) enriched the schools' science curriculum by engaging the students in a series of classroom activities focused on watershed science, biodiversity and animal adaptations through the " AWWA in the Schools - Watershed Science for Our Future Community Leaders" program. Of particular interest to the students were the live macroinvertebrates brought into the classroom for hands-on study.
According to Kelly "Even though it did kind of creep me out a little, it still was achully [sic] pretty cool".
Meagan - "I really loved seeing my friend Jenna's face when she pulled out the crayfish. She named him Bob."
The culminating event included setting sail on the Piscataqua to learn about marine communities and human impacts to the Great Bay estuary where waters of their hometowns, Wakefield and Acton flow, experience the history of gundalows, and to investigate the inhabitants of the tide pools along the river's edge. The excitement and engagement of the students was palpable and all went home with a new appreciation of the connections between the headwaters and downstream.
"I learned so much, like how pollution affects fish..." Brooke
Thanks to AWWA's Publicity Manager, Jeanne Achille for sharing this great story and photos with PREP!
Follow along with AWWA's awesome Youth Conservation Corps Summer Work Projects on their Facebook Page. At last count they've got 77 Best Management Practices like infiltration steps, dripline trenches and erosion control measures in the ground! WAY TO GO AWWA!
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The Clean Water Community Calendar
As the Community for Clean Water, one of PREP's goals is to keep you informed on the latest outings, conferences, workshops and FUN happening around our watershed so that you, your family, friends & neighbors can get involved!
Below is our run-down for August. If you have, or know of an event that you would like us to feature in an upcoming issue of Downstream, please contact us!
8th Annual Great Works Land Trust Lobster Roll Social
Date: 8/4/12
Time: 4:00pm
Where: Beach Plum Farm, Ogunquit
Great Works members are invited to attend this fun afternoon. Bring a salad or dessert to share and GWRLT will provide the lobster rolls. This year there will be a special tribute to Joe Littlefield who donated Beach Plum Farm to GWRLT in 1998.
$15 per person. Reservations required. Call 207-646-3604 or email.
Bacteria Source Tracking Workshop: Methods for Identifying Illicit Discharges in Your Town
Date: 8/8/12
Time: 8:30am - 12:00pm Where: NHDES Coastal Office, 222 International Dr., Suite 175, Pease Tradeport, Portsmouth At this workshop you'll learn how to identify illicit discharges that affect the health and safety of your community. Several methods will be presented including: Canine Scent Detection (AKA poop sniffing dogs!), Microbial Source Tracking, bacteria sampling, camera inspection and more. There will also be a panel discussion with representatives from the US EPA and ME and NH municipalities with info on the new draft permit requirements for discharges and examples of how they have addressed them. Space is limited to 60 participants. PLEASE RSVP BY AUGUST 3rd. PREP's Clean Water Music Series - Raising Scarlet Date: 8/10/12 Time: 9:00pm - 12:00am Where: The Press Room, Daniel Street, Portsmouth, NH  Come dance to the swinging, rockabilly sounds of Raising Scarlet while learning a little more about what you can do to protect the places we love. Our first concert with Raising Scarlet was a blast, the dance floor was packed so the band is "Playing for the Bay" again and donating this gig! This band is not to be missed!
August 11th
10th Annual Woods, Water & Wildlife Festival
 Date: 8/11/12
Time: 10am-3pm
Where: Branch Hill Farm, 307 Applebee Rd., Milton Mills
A family-friendly celebration of the natural world hosted by Moose Mountains Regional Greenways. The day will have a variety of hands on activities including a rain garden installation with AWWA, NH Fish & Game "Let's Go Fishing" event, Discovery Walks, Hay Rides to the Salmon Falls River, petting zoo, an Amazing Corn Maze and so much more!
Festival admission is $5/person or $10/family and free to ages 12 & under. For more info visit the Festival Website or call MMRG at 603-978-7125. August 11th New Hampshire Oyster Fest Date: 8/11/12
Time: 8:00am - 11:00pm Where: Main St. & Water St., Downtown Newmarket, NH
Events and music all day to promote oyster restoration. Lamprey Healthcare 5K race, Live Music on 2 stages, Oyster Tent, Beer Garden, Fireworks over the Lamprey River. Free Parking in the Municipal Lot adjacent to the Public Library, 1 Elm St. August 17th PREP's Clean Water Music Series - The Sidewalk Boys Date: 8/17/12 Time: 7:00pm-10:00pm
Where: The Governor's Inn, 78 Wakefield St., Rochester, NH "Half folk, half raggy blues & half crazy" is how the Sidewalk Boys  describe themselves. The Sidewalk Boys will entertain while PREP helps educate and promote the efforts to protect our watershed. C'mon out and join us! The Clean Water Music Series is presented by Smuttynose Brewing Company.
August 25th Mount A's Volunteer Work Day Date: 8/25/12 Time: 9:00am - 1:00pm Where: Mount Agamenticus, Cape Neddick, ME Join the Conservation Trail Crew & other volunteers to help the landowners maintain water quality, wildlife & sustainable trails. Work on a project to protect forest and wetland habitat near Mount A. All ages and skill levels are needed & welcomed.
August 31st
Mount A's Nature Walk Series: Moonrise Meander
Date: 8/31/12
Time: 5:00pm -7:00pm
Where: Mount Agamenticus, Cape Neddick, ME
Enjoy a dusk hike to appreciate the quiet summer surroundings. See if you can spot some of the nocturnal animals as they come out to feed and frolic. Make it back up to the summit to catch a glimpse of the rising Blue Red Moon on the Atlantic coast and learn how it earned this nickname.
Reservations Required. $5 donation requested for each hike. To sign up please call the Conservation Coordinator at (207) 361-1102 or email Robin@Agamenticus.org
Thursdays in August on the Gundalow Piscataqua
Join the Gundalow Company aboard the new vessel the Piscataqua this season for live music & special presentations during their Thursday sunset sails. Thursdays, June through September, will feature either live, local music or a speaker on environmental issues or cultural and maritime heritage. The Thursday evening sails in August run 6:00pm - 8:00pm Click here for tickets & info. |
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