Marine Biology Commons^™

Stratham (Nh) Well Survey, Theresa Walker, George Miller

PREP Reports & Publications

At Town Meeting in 1996, Stratham residents authorized the establishment of a Water Commission in response to the proposal of the first commercial large volume groundwater withdrawal within the Town. The Stratham Board of Selectmen appointed members to the Commission in the spring of 2002 and charged the Commission with monitoring current water issues and forecasting the future water needs of the community. With no municipal water and sewer system, Stratham’s 7,500 residents and numerous commercial and industrial sites rely on wells to supply water. Very little data existed on these existing wells, making it difficult for the Water Commission …

Nhep Year 8 Workplan, New Hampshire Estuaries Project

PREP Reports & Publications

No abstract provided.

Water Quality Outreach, Phyllis E. Duffy

PREP Reports & Publications

The Town of Exeter was interested in creating an education program for nonpoint source pollution. Exeter was not designated as a small municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) with the first group of Seacoast towns, but realized we had some of the same concerns and may be designated in the future. We partnered with other seacoast towns to create a video on storm water runoff. The video is an excellent tool for storm water education. We wanted to supplement the video with a hands-on activity. Storm drain stenciling created an excellent opportunity to get the public involved. The grant provided …

Squamscott Project Stratham Ad Hoc Conservation Bond Subcommittee To The Conservation Committee, Tracy Degnan

PREP Reports & Publications

Through the Stratham Ad Hoc Conservation Bond Subcommittee to the Conservation Committee (Ad Hoc Committee) the objectives under the Squamscott Project were to educate the citizens of Stratham on conservation options and estate planning, and to create a natural resource prioritization and criteria ranking for critical areas in town in need of protection efforts. The Ad Hoc Committee contracted with the Rockingham County Conservation District to assist with these efforts and to provide assistance with the preparation of funding applications to leverage the existing open space bond fund.

Squamscott Project Newfields Open Space Committee, Tracy Degnan

PREP Reports & Publications

Through the Newfields Open Space Committee (NOSC) the objectives under the Squamscott Project were to educate the citizens of Newfields on conservation options and estate planning, the goals and objectives of the NOSC, and to finalize a natural resource prioritization for critical areas in town in need of protection efforts. The NOSC contracted with the Rockingha m County Conservation District to assist with these efforts, and to provide assistance with the coordination of conservation projects and the preparation of funding applications to leverage the existing open space bond fund.

Restoration Strategies For Oysters And Soft-Shell Clams, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

No abstract provided.

Ambient Water Quality And Shellfish Tissue Monitoring In New Hampshire Estuaries 2001 And 2002, Natalie Landry

PREP Reports & Publications

The Department of Environmental Services received funding from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) to conduct monitoring activities in 2001 and 2002. The monitoring activities involved water monitoring in tidal tributaries and estuarine waters and tissue monitoring of mussels, clams and oysters. These monitoring activities were a direct result of recommendations made by the NHEP Technical Advisory Committee and the Monitoring Plan and were completed with the overall purpose of improving the understanding of water quality trends and the concentrations of toxic contaminants in shellfish tissue. The Department of Environmental Services, in cooperation with the University of New Hampshire Jackson …

Nh Department Of Environmental Services Shellfish Program Activities, January 2002 – June 2003, Chris Nash

PREP Reports & Publications

This report summarizes the activities of the NHDES Shellfish Program for the period of January 2002 to June 2003. The NHDES Shellfish Program conducts a number of activities to minimize the health risks associated with consuming shellfish, and to continue to comply with National Shellfish Sanitation Program guidelines. Basic program functions included program administration, routine water quality monitoring (more than 700 samples collected at over 70 sites in 2002), “red tide” monitoring at two sites (49 weekly samples in 2002), pollution source identification and evaluation (233 properties inspected, and 106 new potential pollution sources identified in 2002), and a number …

Protecting Wildlife And Significant Habitat In Coastal New Hampshire, Nature Conservancy

PREP Reports & Publications

The Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership (“Partnership”) consists of organizations and agencies that are committed to protecting the important habitats of the Great Bay area. The Nature Conservancy has contracted with Dea Brickner-Wood of Blue Sky Associates to serve as the Coordinator of the Great Bay Partnership. The Great Bay Coordinator provided services to the overall operations of the Partnership, as outlined in this report.

Environmental Indicator Report: Land Use And Development, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

During the fall and winter of 2001-2002, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) developed a suite of environmental indicators to track progress toward the NHEP’s management goals and objectives. These indicators were fully described in terms of their performance criteria, statistical methods, and measurable goals in the NHEP’s Monitoring Plan, which was most recently updated in March 2003 (NHEP, 2003). The next step is to use these indicators to produce an updated “State of the Estuaries” report by mid-2003. The TAC decided to break this task into three sections: shellfish indicators in the fall of 2002; water …

Environmental Indicator Report: Species And Habitats, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

During the fall and winter of 2001-2002, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) developed a suite of environmental indicators to track progress toward the NHEP’s management goals and objectives. These indicators were fully described in terms of their performance criteria, statistical methods, and measurable goals in the NHEP’s Monitoring Plan, which was most recently updated in March 2003 (NHEP, 2003). The next step is to use these indicators to produce an updated “State of the Estuaries” report by mid-2003. The TAC decided to break this task into three sections: shellfish indicators in the fall of 2002; water …

Tracking Bacterial Pollution Sources In Hampton Harbor, Stephen H. Jones, Natalie Landry

PREP Reports & Publications

Fecal-borne microorganisms impact many shellfish-growing waters in coastal New Hampshire. Watersheds are often subject to fecal contamination by a variety of sources and efforts to improve water quality are often limited because of lack of information on which contaminant sources are most significant. Ribotyping and other microbial source tracking methods are useful new tools for providing information on the sources of fecal-borne bacterial contaminants in surface waters. New Hampshire has areas of abundant oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and clam (Mya arenaria) resources, the latter being most important in Hampton Harbor. In this study, Escherichia coli isolates (bacteria colonies) were obtained from …

Tracking Bacterial Pollution Sources In Stormwater Pipes, Stephen H. Jones

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) conducted two rounds of wet weather sampling in the Hampton Harbor watershed during 2002. Samples were collected from stormdrains, tributaries, and harbor stations for bacteria and flow in order to calculate bacteria loads. This information was needed to prioritize pollution sources as part of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study of bacteria in Hampton Harbor (Trowbridge, 2003). Two of the 16 monitored stormdrain pipes were selected for microbial source determination using ribotype profiling. Stormdrain pipe selection was based on the bacteria loading data from the first wet weather sampling that occurred …

Shellfish Outreach Project, Dyanna I. Smith

PREP Reports & Publications

The purpose of the Shellfish Outreach project was to disseminate educational information to the greater seacoast community on the value of aquaculture, status and opportunities in shellfishing, and hands-on local conservation strategies in an exciting visual and experiential manner.

The entire project was designed to combine three primary methods of distributing information to the public: traveling programs, curriculum design, and field experience. Audiences for all three programs were to receive maps, updated shellfish-related information, and/or details promoting environmentally sound aquaculture practices. Subject matter covered during these programs was designed to focus on basic shellfish biology and natural history, the history …

Growing Greener Initiative, City Of Dover, Nh

PREP Reports & Publications

Using funds from this grant, the City of Dover Open Lands Committee worked in conjunction with the Planning Department and Conservation Commission to plan, promote and present a series of workshops. These workshops were designed to educate decision- makers and residents about the economic, aesthetic, and environmental benefits of open space. In addition, the Dover Open Lands Committee developed two brochures and a display to publicize the Open Lands Committee and to encourage further citizen participation.

Field Evaluation Of Wet Weather Bacteria Loading In Hampton/Seabrook Harbor, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

During 2002, in and around Hampton Harbor, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) conducted two rounds of wet weather sampling of stormdrains, tributaries, and harbor stations for bacteria and flow in order to calculate bacteria loads. This information was needed to prioritize pollution sources as part of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study of bacteria in Hampton/Seabrook Harbor.

Age And Growth Estimates Of The Winter Skate (Leucoraja Ocellata) In The Western Gulf Of Maine, James A. Sulikowski, Michael D. Morin, Seung H. Suk, William Huntting Howell

Biological Sciences

The northwest Atlantic population of thorny skates (Amblyraja radiata) inhabits an area that ranges from Greenland and Hudson Bay, Canada, to South Carolina. Despite such a wide range, very little is known about most aspects of the biology of this species. Recent stock assessment studies in the northeast United States indicate that the biomass of the thorny skate is below the threshold levels mandated by the Sustainable Fisheries Act. In order to gain insight into the life history of this skate, we estimated age and growth for thorny skates, using vertebral band counts from 224 individuals ranging in size from …

Stormwater Management Bmp Report And Website: Innovative Stormwater Treatment Technologies Bmp Manual, Steve Couture

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) received money in 2001 from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) to create a manual and a website of Innovative Stormwater Treatment Technology Best Management Practices. The money was used to partially fund an intern position dedicated to the project and printing of the manual. The result of this project is an accessible resource to assist communities and developers in the selection of the best available stormwater treatment retrofits

State Of Our Estuaries 2003, New Hampshire Estuaries Project

PREP Reports & Publications

New Hampshire’s estuaries are dynamic, complex systems that greatly influence the Seacoast’s economy, communities, quality of life and environment.To understand how these systems function and to gauge their relative health, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) tracks key environmental indicators and evaluates their status against a set of management goals. This report communicates the status of 12 of the 30 environmental indicators tracked by the NHEP. For each indicator it provides the reader with the associated NHEP management goal, explanation of supporting data, and some of the NHEP supported activities that help achieve the management goal.

Shellfish Population And Bed Dimension Assessment In The Great Bay Estuary, Brian Smith

PREP Reports & Publications

This final report details a study funded by the NHEP over the course of 2001-02. The NHF&G Department was funded to delineate oyster bed size and density, monitor oyster disease, and examine the density of clam concentrations in the Great Bay Estuary.

Community Conservation Assistance, Frank Mitchell

PREP Reports & Publications

The Community Conservation Assistance Project had the following goal and objectives: Goal: Sustain and protect open space lands identified by communities and land trusts as critical to water quality and biodiversity through voluntary land conservation. Objectives: 1. With the SPNHF and other partners, establish a seacoast office for the Center for Land Conservation Assistance. 2. Provide education to various audiences in the seacoast region. 3. Create a library of relevant materials 4. Develop and compile publications 5. Establish with the SPNHF and other partners and participate in the first annual NH Land Conservation Conference 6. Evaluate program effectiveness 7. Coordinate …

Environmental Indicator Report: Water Quality, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

During the fall and winter of 2001-2002, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) developed a suite of environmental indicators to track progress toward the NHEP’s management goals and objectives. These indicators were fully described in terms of their performance criteria, statistical methods, and measurable goals in the NHEP’s Monitoring Plan published in May 2002. The next step is to use these indicators to produce an updated “State of the Estuaries” report by the spring of 2003. The TAC decided to break this task into three sections: shellfish indicators in the fall of 2002; water quality indicators in …

Juvenile Clam Mortality Study At Three Intertidal Flats In Hampton Harbor, New Hampshire, Brian F. Beal

PREP Reports & Publications

Soft-shell clams, Mya arenaria L., represent an important recreational fishery along the New Hampshire coast. Intertidal flats in the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary are among the most heavily harvested. As recently as the fall of 1998, the sandy flats in this area supported more than 900 clammers, who, on weekends, easily harvested their 9.5-liter limit (Varney, 1999). Recently, however, quantitative benthic surveys have suggested that the abundance of adult clams (> 50 mm shell length, SL) has dwindled on the three estuarine flats (Brown’s Flat, Common Island, and Middle Ground). Clammers support this contention and many have been disappointed at the relative …

Shellfish And Water Quality Monitoring Activities That Support The New Hampshire Estuaries Project, Stephen H. Jones, Richard Langan

PREP Reports & Publications

No abstract provided.

Developing Impervious Surface Estimates For Coastal New Hampshire, David G. Justice, Fay A. Rubin

PREP Reports & Publications

Future population growth and the corresponding increase in development in the coastal zone of NH are widely recognized as major threats to the integrity of coastal systems and their watersheds. The potential impacts associated with the expansion of developed land, and specifically with increasing amounts of impervious surfaces – rooftops, sidewalks, roads, and parking lots - may include significant changes in water quantity, degradation in water quality, and habitat loss. Because asphalt, concrete, stone, and other impenetrable materials effectively seal the ground surface, water is repelled and is prevented from infiltrating soils. Instead, stormwater runoff flows directly into our surface …

Saving Special Places: Community Funding For Land Conservation, Brian Hart, Dorothy Tripp Taylor

PREP Reports & Publications

In New Hampshire communities, there is a groundswell of interest and activity in conserving land. New Hampshire currently has more than forty-five land trusts. There are conservation commissions in all but a handful of towns. Many of them are engaged in conserving their special natural lands. Over half of the towns in the state have conservation funds fueled by the Land Use Change Tax. There have been 62 applications for land conservation projects to the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program since its inception in 2000. New Hampshire voters are appropriating significant taxpayer funds to conserve undeveloped land. Twelve communities, …

Laboratory Analyses Of Water And Shellfish From Coastal Waters And Watershed Of New Hampshire, Jayne S. Finnigan

PREP Reports & Publications

The Department of Health and Human Services-New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories (DHHS-NHPHL) has participated in providing laboratory analyses as part of the National Estuary Program since it’s inception in New Hampshire in 1995. The NHPHL has continued to carry out various actions dealing with the monitoring program as listed in the NH Estuaries Project Management Plan.

The NHPHL implemented selected actions from the NH Estuaries Project Management Plan and Year Six workplan to help address the environmental problems affecting the state’s estuarine systems.

Wildlife Habitat Gis Modeling Study, Society For The Protection Of New Hampshire Forests

PREP Reports & Publications

This technical report is part of a larger study entitled Protecting Wildlife and Significant Habitat in Coastal New Hampshire, an initiative of the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership (GBRPP), funded by the New Hampshire Estuaries Project. The fieldwork component of the study was implemented by the Audubon Society of New Hampshire (ASNH) and the N.H. Fish & Game Department Non-game and Endangered Wildlife Program (NHF&G) in 2002, in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy of New Hampshire (TNC). This report focuses on the GIS mapping and predictive habitat modeling developed by the Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests (SPNHF) in …

Evaluation Of Monitoring Programs For The Nhep Monitoring Plan, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

The objective of this report is to evaluate the monitoring programs for indicators in the NHEP Monitoring Plan (NHEP, 2002) to determine if sufficient data are being collected for each indicator and to identify any datagaps. The outcome of this report is a list of recommended changes to monitoring programs and a list of follow-up research projects. These recommendations will be considered to develop the workplans for NHEP monitoring funds in 2003.

Stream Assessments And Water Quality Monitoring In The Cocheco River Watershed 2001 Project, Cocheco River Watershed Coalition

PREP Reports & Publications

The purpose of the project is to gather data and information through volunteer water quality monitoring and stream surveys in the Cocheco River watershed. The data will be analyzed and disseminated for use in watershed management planning by the Cocheco River Watershed Coalition with the watershed communities.