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Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative
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NH Coastal Adaptation Workgroup
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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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Street Team Needed!
PREP needs some street team volunteers to help us out with promotion & staffing for our upcoming events!
Could you represent PREP at the Clean Water Community Table at an event?
if you're interested in volunteering for PREP! |
 The Great Bay Dialogue has changed its name to the Great Bay Initiative to better reflect the action & effort taking place. The effort will be reinvigorated in 2013, to be linked into the updates, visit the website.
Visit the website for
more information |
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Welcome to Your Estuaries Partnership News!
April showers bring May flowers - isn't that how the saying goes? Well, April showers also bring snow melt, rain runoff and water pollution. This month we're looking at the issue of stormwater - which is the result of those April showers combined with the salt from the snow melt and the oil from a leaky car on the parking lot and a cigarette butt tossed out a window. Stormwater runoff is a big issue when it comes to pollution in our waterways but there's a lot of things we can do to help slow it down and soak it in.
This month's feature is on the efforts of the Southeast Watershed Alliance working on the issue of stormwater standards for our 42 New Hampshire municipalities. And on April 4th in Stratham and on May 3rd in Portsmouth you can learn all about rain gardens so you can learn how to soak up the stormwater on your property, check out the Community for Clean Water calendar for more details. For a do-it-yourself resource, check out NH Dept. of Environmental Services' New Hampshire Homeowner's Guide to Stormwater Management it's a phenomenal guide full of practical information to help you be part of the solution.
Water is all around us, whether it's showering on our gardens in April, we're swimming in it in a few months, drinking it in the form of beer or coffee or watching it flow down our street into a stormdrain, the cleaner we can keep that water the better for all of us.
From all of us at PREP, thank you for reading and most importantly for caring,
 Jill Farrell Community Impact Program Manager
The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) |
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Feature Story
Stormwater Standards for 42 NH Towns
It's widely understood that in areas with faster rates of development the spread of the impervious surface is increased. Impervious surfaces are areas that don't let water infiltrate into the ground like parking lots and roofs. 
Because water can't infiltrate it runs off and it picks up all the dirt, litter, oils and pollutants with it and this results in elevated levels of pollution into our waterways - this is stormwater pollution. Not only is stormwater a pollution concern but it can also lead to flooding and failure of town bridges, culverts and roads. Stormwater is recognized as the main cause of pollution for up to 83% of the waterways in NH that fail to meet standards for clean water.
Our communities are increasingly confronted by the challenges of managing development and allowing for economic growth while also protecting the environment and planning for increasing frequency of extreme storm events which all combine to stress local waters, municipal roads, bridges and buildings and public health and safety. In response to these challenges the Southeast Watershed Alliance (SWA) through grant funds provided by the NH Coastal Program, part of the NH Department of Environmental Services, contracted the Rockingham Planning Commission and the UNH Stormwater Center to develop updated stormwater management standards to provide a consistent and effective level of management that each of the 42 towns in the coastal watershed could adopt as either a zoning ordinance and/or land development regulation and that could meet the needs of both the community and the environment.
The goals of this effort is to effectively and efficiently:
- Control non-point source pollution from future development and land conversion through the use of filtration, like tree box filters and infiltration practices like gravel wetlands.
- Mitigate and reduce runoff and non-point sources of pollution from existing development through redevelopment guidelines.
- Manage the quality and quantity of water resources.
This effort is a great step in the right direction to addressing the main cause of our region's pollution problem. Our communities should be encouraged to adopt these standards and move towards a more resilient and healthier watershed.
The model stormwater management standards are available here
For more information about SWA & their great work click here.
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Watershed Watch
Our Watershed Watch feature is dedicated to sharing our partners' and others 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.
National Rivers & Streams Assessment, 2008-2009
By: US EPA
EPA just released the results of the first comprehensive survey looking at the health of thousands of stream and river miles across the country, finding that more than half - 55% - are in poor condition for aquatic life. In the Northeast, only 17.2% of the rivers and streams are in 'good' biological condition. The primary source of the degradation is from nitrogen and phosphorus pollution and habitat destruction or degradation.
"This survey suggests that, although many actions are underway to protect our rivers and streams, we need to address the many sources of pollution - including runoff from urban areas, agricultural practices and wastewater - in order to ensure healthier waters for future generations."
Read the Fact Sheet here.
Check out the full Draft Assessment here.
New Hampshire Lives on Water
By: NH Water Sustainability Commission
In April 2011, Governor John Lynch established the Water
Sustainability Commission to identify strategies and management measures for ensuring that the quality and quantity of New Hampshire's water resources in 25 years are as good or better than they are today. The 14 member Commission released its final report in December 2012. The report urges that NH undertake a long-term approach to addressing its water issues.
"When it comes to water, the Commission found that delaying action will cause problems to become bigger over time. Bigger problems cost more money to fix. If we don't maintain, upgrade and replace our water supply, wastewater and stormwater systems and our dams in a timely manner we are likely to find ourselves dealing with major failures and expensive repairs that will hurt our people and our economy." - John Gilbert, Commission Chair.
Read the Full Report here
Read the Press Release about the Report here
VIDEO: The Story of Change: Why Citizens (Not Shoppers) Hold the Key to a Better World
By: Annie Leonard
The woman who created the well-known documentary "The Story of Stuff" has started a new chapter, one focused on the solutions to the problem. To answer the question, "What Can I Do?"
 | | Short Video: The Story of Change |
This video champions the idea that citizen activism is the key to solving many of our environmental challenges, particularly the climate change crisis. It focuses on reengaging our citizen muscles and working beyond just our consumer choices within our democratic structure to bring about true, lasting and widespread change. Annie was interviewed by Lauren Feeney from The Bill Moyers Show and shared the background to this newest video and how citizens hold the key to solving our climate crisis.
You can take a quiz on what kind of change maker you are here.
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PREP's Clean Water Champion
Michelle Daley - University of New Hampshire
PREP's Clean Water Champion is a monthly feature that profiles people and partners working to make a difference around our watershed. This month we stayed local and caught up with Michelle Daley, Research Scientist at the NH Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) here at UNH. Michelle has been conducting extensive research in the Lamprey River watershed as part of the Lamprey River Hydrologic Observatory for many years and is active on the Lamprey River Advisory Committee. More recently, Michelle has been at the forefront of the research on nitrogen in the Great Bay Estuary through her involvement with the Nitrogen Sources and Pathways study. Working with the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve the project's goal is to provide a clearer understanding of which sources of nitrogen pose the greatest threat. Michelle serves on PREP's Technical Advisory Committee and is a shining example of commitment, knowledge and integrity in the field of environmental science.
PREP: How long have you been a champion for clean water?
Michelle: I have been a champion for clean water ever since I was exposed to a freshwater resource management course in my undergraduate years here at UNH (a little more than 15 years ago).
PREP: How'd you get started in protecting clean water?
Michelle: As a kid I really enjoyed spending time outside on my grandparents dairy farm and having family picnics by the brook. Those years fostered my appreciation for animals and the environment. At first I thought I wanted to become a vet, but when I realized I wasn't cut out for performing surgeries, I decided that I was better suited for a career in environmental science.
PREP: What's your favorite thing to do with or on water?
Michelle: My favorite thing to do is drink it....I drink it every day. But I also really like to hike by it, swim in it and canoe or kayak on it.
PREP:What's been your proudest moment as a clean water champion? Michelle: My proudest moment was when the entire Lamprey River and all its major tributaries were designated as protected rivers under New Hampshire's Rivers Management and Protection Program (RMPP). This designation was supported by all 14 towns that share the watershed and was the first time in NH that a watershed approach was taken when nominating a river into the RMPP.
PREP: What's one simple thing you would tell somebody to do to protect the places around the Seacoast they love?
Michelle: Remember that a bunch of small actions can have a big impact. If you make small positive changes where you live, maybe use less or eliminate fertilizer, maintain your septic system, install a rain garden, support land conservation, test your private well water and support wastewater and stormwater infrastructure improvements, you and the generations after you can enjoy cleaner water.
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State of Our Estuaries Resources Available!
 
How about this fantastic new poster to hang in your Town Hall or Library?
and we'll get you what you need to help spread the word! |
 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 April. If you have, or know of an event that you would like us to feature in an upcoming issue of Downstream, please contact us!
Thursday April 4th
NH Surfrider Flatbread Community Fundraiser
All Day
Flatbread Pizza Co., 61 High St., Hampton, NH
Gather your friends and family for dinner at the new Flatbread Pizza Co. when the NH chapter of the Surfrider Foundation will be the featured non-profit for Community Fundraiser Tuesday. Pizza proceeds from that night will go to support their Rise Above Plastics campaign.
Small Steps, Big Rewards: Save Money & Save the Bay
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Stratham Municipal Center, 10 Bunker Hill Ave., Stratham
The Stratham Conservation Commission invites residents and the public to an evening of presentations and discussion. The program agenda includes:
State of Our Estuaries indicators by PREP's Community Impact Program Manager, Jill Farrell.
Septic Maintenance Tips and Tools by Stratham Planning Board member and Bedford Design Consultants PE, Bob Baskerville
Rain Garden Presentation by Stratham Planning Board Member and Ironwood Design Group Landscape Architect Jeff Hyland
Clean Water Friendly Lawn Care by UNH Cooperative Extension Professor Julia Peterson
And a demonstration on ways to control pet waste by the Conservation Commission
There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion
Audubon Society Seacoast Chapter Great Bay Field Trip
8:00am - 9:00am
Meet at McDonald's in Newington, 49 Gosling Rd., Next to Fox Run Mall.
Bird the varied habitats of the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge and other Great Bay birding hotspots. Now that spring has arrived it's a very active time to get out and there.
Wednesday, April 10th
Seacoast Science Cafe: Going Underground - How Soil Beneath our Feet Affects Climate
6:00pm; Doors open at 5:00pm
The Portsmouth Brewery, Jimmy LaPanza Lounge,
56 Market St., Portsmouth, NH
The Seacoast Science Café provides a unique opportunity for researchers to talk with Seacoast residents about the science that directly impacts our lives. The casual environment encourages people to join the conversation, even if they don't know much about the topic right away. Everyone is welcome, and no tickets or reservations are necessary. So grab a pint, a bite & join in the discussion.
Wednesday, April 10th
12 Months of Migration on the NH Seacoast
7:00pm - 9:00pm
The Seacoast Science Center, 570 Ocean Blvd., Rye
Join Steve Mirick, past Seacoast Chapter president and recent Goodhue-Elkins award recipient, in this presentation about bird migration in New Hampshire. Steve will first talk about migration in general including the amazing advances in how we are learning about bird migration. Steve will then "fly" through a year of bird migration along the NH Coast. Along the way, he will share some of the specific results that he and his wife Jane have accumulated in the last 10 years of "Migration Watching" along the coastline.
Saturday, April 13th
Trout Unlimited Fly Auction
5:30pm
Roundabout Diner Function Room, Portsmouth Traffic Circle
Support the Great Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited and join this great event. Live and silent auction items include salt and freshwater guided trips; photography, fly collections, casting lessons, restaurant and retail gift certificates and more.
Admission is $25 and includes dinner & 6 Bucket Raffle Tickets and can be purchased by clicking here.
Coastal New Hampshire Climate Summit
8:30am - 4:30pm
Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center at the Great Bay Discovery Center, 89 Depot Rd., Greenland, NH
Hosted by the NH Coastal Adaptation Workgroup, the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and the NERRS Science Collaborative, this is an annual discussion and collaborative forum among scientists, agencies, municipal leaders, watershed organizations and concerned citizens about the impacts of climate change in coastal New Hampshire and Maine.
$20 registration fee includes lunch, limited to 100 participants.
Green Alliance Citizen Learning Seminar: Local Air & Water Quality Roundtable
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Green Alliance Offices, 75 Congress St., Suite 304, Portsmouth
Join presenters from the Conservation Law Foundation and the Great Bay Stewards to learn about efforts to protect and clean up the Great Bay Estuary and the ongoing battle for a coal-free NH. Learn from local representatives of the national "Bag It" campaign about the pollution of our environment from plastics. Refreshments and discussion will abound.
Saturday, April 20th
Seacoast Science Center's Whale of a 5K Trail Race & Fun Run & Earth day Beach Clean-Up
9:00am - 2:00pm
Seacoast Science Center, 570 Ocean Blvd., Rye
In honor of Earth Day, the SSC is hosting an all-day celebration. Kicking off at 9am is the Whale of a 5K Trail Race and Kids Fun Run and then following the run there'll be a beach cleanup.
Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation Benefit Event
8:00pm
Blue Ocean Music Hall, Salisbury Beach, Salisbury, MA
Tickets are $25.00 and can be purchased online here.
Beach Cleanups with the Blue Ocean Society:
9:00 am - North Hampton State Beach
10:00 am - Ordiorne Point State Park
11:00 am - Piece Island in Portsmouth
11:00 am - Salisbury Beach, MA
NH Surfrider Beach Clean-Up
3:00pm
Meet at Zapstix Surf Shop, Seabrook Beach
Wednesday, April 24th
Water, Weather, Climate & Community Series: Building Resilience Through Better Floodplain Management
Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center at the Great Bay Discovery Center, 89 Depot Rd., Greenland, NH
Join the NH Coastal Adaptation Workgroup (NHCAW) in the 6th of a series of community conversations about climate and preparedness for sever weather events.
This workshop is designed for community volunteer boards and committees, municipal staff, community organizations, businesses, and homeowners. Previous workshop attendance is not required. Learn what communities can do to minimize risks to people and property within floodplains. Find out more and see a draft agenda HERE. There is no charge for the workshop, but space is limited. A light dinner will be provided. Please register by April 19 to Steve.Miller@wildlife.nh.gov or 603-778-0015. Include your name, affiliation, contact information, and any special accommodation needed. Friday, April 26th
Wild & Scenic Film Festival
7:00pm
The Music Hall, Portsmouth
This year's Festival is themed "A Climate of Change" and is filled with moving and beautiful environmental and adventure short films. The Festival brings together filmmakers and environmentalists from all over the world and illustrates the Earth's beauty, challenges facing our planet and the work communities are doing to protect the environment. It also serves as an important fundraiser for PREP's partner Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire.
Tickets to the Festival are $10.50 and can be bought in persona The Music Hall box office or Click HereSaturday, April 27th
Coastal Conservation Association of NH Annual Banquet & Fundraiser
5:30pm
Roundabout Diner, Portsmouth Traffic Circle
Guess who's this year's Conservationist of the Year from CCANH?
 | | CCANH's Conservationist of the Year! |
PREP's own Coastal Scientist PHIL TROWBRIDGE! We couldn't think of anymore more deserving! Please join us as we celebrate Phil's honor and support a great local organization.
Tickets are $45.00 and can be purchased online at CCANH's website or mail order.
Wednesday, May 1st
NH DES's Annual Drinking Water Source Protection Conference
8:30am - 4:00pm
Grappone Center, Concord, NH
This conference has become the largest drinking water source protection event in New England and is the only statewide event focused on how to protect local sources of drinking water. This year policymakers, scientists, water supply managers and local officials will present their work and views on a range of topics that involve sustainability, climate change, studies of commonly found contaminants, land use planning and case studies that include "how to" details to successfully implement community-based source water protections. This has always been a "sell out" event so register early.
Information, Registration & Full Agenda HERE
Friday, May 3rd
An Introduction to Rain Garden Design & Installation
8:30am - 3:30pm
Great Bay Community College, Rm. 123-124, 320 Corporate Dr., Pease Tradeport, Portsmouth, NH
This workshop will cover the benefits of rain gardens, how to complete a site analysis, design, plant selection and maintenance. Presenters will be Jillian McCarthy, NH Department of Environmental Services, Stormwater Coordinator; Dr. Cathy Neal, UNHCE Specialist, Landscape Horticulture; Julia Peterson, NH Sea Grant/UNHCE Specialist, Water Resources; Candace Dolan, Hodgson Brook Restoration Project Coordinator. The afternoon will include a visit to previously installed rain gardens and hands on practice installing a new residential rain garden.
Registration Deadline is April 29, 2013.
To Register contact Candace Dolan via email cjdolan@ccsnh.edu or Call 603-559-1529
Information, Registration & Full Agenda HERE
STATE OF OUR ESTUARIES ROLL OUT EVENTS:
If your club, organization, neighborhood or group would like to host a State of Our Estuaries Roll Out Event in 2013, please e-mail us and we'll be in touch to organize a date!
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