Conservation News Brief

Annual Lamprey River Cleanup Goes Well

The annual Lamprey River Cleanup was well attended and went very smoothly on May 1st. Just shy of 50 people showed up at 10AM at Wiswall Dam and patrolled the banks below Wiswall Dam and Packers Falls collecting trash and debris. The evidence of the high water earlier this spring was evident with scoured shorelines and downed trees, and in many cases the trash was located high up on the banks.

In addition to the loyal band of GBTU members attending, large groups from the Sigma Nu fraternity of UNH and Newmarket Chameleon Club attended and worked hard. Sigma Nu also donated a generous supply of drinking water, which came in handy on the warm spring day. The result of these combined efforts was a sizable pile of refuse that the town of Durham removed the day after the event. The Durham Public Works Department also supplied a key to the gate to allow for easier trash removal by the attendees.

Dawn Genes, the Executive Director of the Lamprey River Watershed Association also attended, and informed the crowd of the effort underway to have more of the Lamprey River and its tributaries included under the state's River Management and Protection Program.

Participants were rewarded with a meal of hotdogs, hamburgers with all the fixings, and cold drinks, all generously donated by the newly opened Roundabout Diner, located at the Portsmouth Traffic Circle. The meal was expertly prepared by talented grill technician, Mark Favorite, GBTU's newest board member.

Participants were also given a sticker of the new GBTU logo which sports a beautiful brook trout on it. GBTU logo patches were also available as a souvenir of the event.

GBTU would like to thank all those who participated and generously donated to make this river cleanup possible.

Oyster River Designation

GBTU has come out in favor of Oyster River Designation under the state's Rivers Management and Protection Program. Comprehensive and coordinated watershed planning is essential to protect intact cold water habitat and recognize the problems that will require restoration and reconnection in the watershed. GBTU strongly supports these efforts. You can view the GBTU letter of support for Oyster River Designation by following this link.

Cocheco River Local Advisory Committee Update

Chair: Rick Healey - chelu@metrocast.net
Contact Information: 36A Railroad Ave
Gonic, NH 03839
(603) 332-0370

Meetings: Fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm at the Rochester City Hall, Conference Room, Rochester

Secretary: Jonathan Mitchell (GBTU Representative) - jmitchell490@myfairpoint.net

2009 State of the Estuary Report Worrisome

The Piscataqua Regional Estuaries Partnership published its 2009 State of the Estuary Report recently. The report, which is published every 3 years follows key indicators of the Great Bay and Seabrook-Hampton Estuaries health. Many of these key indicators show signs of worrisome degradation with few bright spots. You can view the report by following this link http://www.prep.unh.edu/get-involved/eu/eu/eu791109.htm.