Stakeholder Input and Meeting Summary Report

The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Estuary Program, which is a joint local/state/federal program established under the Clean Water Act. PREP’s goal is to protect and restore the Great Bay Estuary watershed and Hampton-Seabrook Estuary watershed. The organization receives its funding from the EPA and is administered by the University of New Hampshire. PREP will complete its update of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) in early 2010. The first CCMP was released in 2000 when the organization was the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP). The NHEP management committee and a CCMP project team guided development of the 2000 CCMP. This working group was made up of agency representatives, university researchers, municipal employees and board members, representatives of environmental organizations, and other interested parties. A brief update of the plan was published in 2005. The purpose of the 2010 CCMP update is to focus organizational efforts on the most pressing current issues and to anticipate needs that may appear over the next decade. The plan update is engaging members of the 42 New Hampshire communities and the 10 Maine communities that lie within PREP’s focus area. The Maine communities were added to the organization’s service area on January 1, 2008. Figure 1 shows the PREP communities and watershed boundaries; the watersheds for the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary, the Great Bay Estuary, and NH’s Atlantic coast are included in the focus area

Hampton Harbor Clam Data: Density, Green Crab Abundance and Neoplasia Incidence

Showing Data Through 201

Aimhigher Associates scheme : patterns of participation during the first year

"This report provides the first national analysis of the Aimhigher Associates scheme focussing specifically on the background characteristics of those who participated, either as learners or as Associates (mentors). The analysis covers activity during the 2009-10 academic year, the first year the scheme was launched nationally" -- front cover

Insects Associated with Michigan Bumblebees (\u3ci\u3eBombus\u3c/i\u3e Spp.)

(excerpt) Studies of insect associates of bumblebees are not new. For example, Tuck (1896, 1897) reported over 50 species of insects associated with nests of British bumblebees. Sladen (1912) discussed nest associates and parasites of European bumblebees, and Plath (1934) published similar data for American bumblebees. Postner (1952) published more detailed data. He listed over 60 taxa of insects associated with bumblebees near Erlangen, Germany

Great Diversity of Insect Floral Associates May Partially Explain Ecological Success of Poison Ivy (\u3ci\u3eToxicodendron Radicans\u3c/i\u3e Subsp. \u3ci\u3eNegundo\u3c/i\u3e [Greene] Gillis, Anacardiaceae)

Little is known about insect floral associates of poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans, Anacardiaceae), despite the species’ ubiquity and importance in nature and society. Poison ivy’s pollination syndrome and results from prior studies suggest that the plant is not specialized for any particular pollinator type; however, a systematic survey exploring this hypothesis has been lacking. For this study, insect floral associates of Toxicodendron radicans subsp. negundo from a central Iowa site were observed during the flowering season of 2005. Thirty- seven distinct insect floral associates were observed: 8 coleopterans (beetles), 7 dipterans (flies), 2 hemipterans (true bugs), 19 hymenopterans (ants, bees, wasps), and 1 lepidopteran (butterfly). Hymenopterans appeared to be the most important contributors to poison ivy pollination on a per species basis; however, coleopterans and dipterans were also frequent associates. Poison ivy’s ability to utilize a diverse assemblage of insect pollinators may partially explain its ecological success in varied habitats

Letter from Marino Recio to Geraldine Ferraro

Letter from Marino Recio, of Marino Recio Associates, to Geraldine Ferraro.https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/vice_presidential_campaign_correspondence_1984_international/1369/thumbnail.jp

Optical Brightener Study of Spruce Creek

Elevated bacteria levels in the Spruce Creek Watershed have led to shellfish bed closures in the Spruce Creek Estuary and impaired waters listings by the State of Maine. Since 2005, the Town of Kittery, Spruce Creek Association and numerous partners have assessed the local waters to attempt to determine the sources of bacteria impairment. Stormwater outfalls and residential septic systems have been identified as potential sources of impairment. To help address these concerns, the Town of Kittery received a grant in 2009 through the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership to further investigate potential bacteria hotspots. Project staff worked with Federal, State and local partners to identify potential hotspots through targeted fecal coliform testing and testing and analysis for optical brighteners. Spring and autumn testing revealed elevated levels of bacteria which has led to immediate repair of a school septic system, and further assessment of a residential neighborhood