Protecting Hampton Harbor Watershed Project, Degnan, T

The purpose of this project was to provide significant educational efforts promoting land and water resource protection for two communities within the Hampton Harbor Watershed. The project was to include educational efforts aimed at promoting the NHEP Management Plan’s action items for protecting critical land and water resources, to provide sustained technical assistance that involved resource prioritization, support for public relations campaigns for open space bond campaigns, and the preparation of funding applications for important shoreland protection projects for the communities of Hampton and Hampton Falls. The project focus area was not defined, as much of the open undeveloped acreage in both communities was the main focus for protection efforts, which includes several hundreds of acres. The Protecting Hampton Harbor Watershed Project offered sustained assistance to the two conservation commissions, and was successful in helping to advance the implementation of two significant land and resource protection projects within the Hampton Harbor Watershed. Although no permanent protection project was completed in full during the length of the Protecting Hampton Harbor Watershed Project, significant education and outreach efforts have been achieved and two significant land protection projects are in process. In fact, with the assistance of this shoreland protection project, one landowner with significant holdings in both communities is participating in a permanent protection project currently underway. The educational efforts on land protection, conservation options, resource prioritization, funding opportunities, and the public relations information to support the passage of local open space bonds brought much enthusiasm into both communities. Both communities became very active and successful with their resultant actions, each with somewhat of a different twist. Moreover, the motivation for permanent protection efforts has been securely established in both communities, and both have a renewed sense of the importance of permanent stewardship of natural resources

Invasive Species Management and Buffer Outreach on Goss Farm, Rye, NH

The Goss Farm was permanently protected in November of 2010 with assistance from the USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) and is located directly adjacent to the Awcomin Salt Marsh, in Rye, New Hampshire. The Town of Rye Conservation Commission owns the land, and the RCCD holds the conservation easement on the property. The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) provided $9,930 in funding assistance to support the Rockingham County Conservation District in its partnership capacity with the Rye Conservation Commission and other natural resource agencies to complete outreach, to plan and complete integrated pest management control practices, and to establish a 100 foot shoreland buffer at the Goss Farm. All objectives originally proposed through the PREP funding request have been met and conservation practices and outreach efforts have exceeded initial expectations. This is in part due to the community commitment as well as supplemental funding sources that are supporting additional conservation practices. Through PREP’s assistance a 100 foot wide shoreland buffer was established in which a 2 foot by 3 foot sign is now located. The sign communicates the importance of shoreland buffer functions, and serves as a mechanism to further promote natural resource outreach and educational efforts at the site. During 2011 eight workshops were offered and over 75 people attended, with a significant component occurring on-the-ground at the Goss Farm. Local school groups attended on-site workshops and similar efforts will be offered in the spring of 2012 that will include native shoreland buffer plantings. After receipt of proper permits, invasive species were controlled using a variety of IPM control methods within the established shoreland buffer as well as other areas on the site. An initial Goss Farm Management Plan, 2011 was prepared and included an invasive species management component, and is expected to be updated annually. Local farmers are currently being interviewed to farm a portion of the site, and community gardens and a school plot are being defined for Goss Farm for the spring of 2012

River Road New Castle Marsh Restoration Recommendations

PREP’s 2009 (YR 13) workplan allocated $30,000 of EPA 320 funds for restoration project funding (Workplan ID 09-D-2).$9,500 of this allocation went to the Rockingham County Conservation District (RCCD) to fund planning work on two separate salt marsh restoration projects: 1. Stuart Farm (Stratham, NH) 2. River Road Marsh (New Castle, NH

Cooperative Project to Control Invasive Plants in the New Hampshire Seacoast Region

The purpose of the Cooperative Project to Control Invasive Plants in the New Hampshire Seacoast Region is to coordinate with a variety of natural resource agencies and organizations and initiate an innovative collaborative effort to combat invasive species in the seacoast. Those partners include the University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Estuaries Project, the New Hampshire Coastal Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Rockingham County Conservation District, New Hampshire Audubon, the Town of Rye, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership. These groups all have a common interest in protecting existing habitat and restoring degraded habitat for the benefit of aquatic life, migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, and other plants and animals, as well as to reestablish beneficial ecological functions of both upland and aquatic habitats in the seacoast region of New Hampshire. The main objective of the Cooperative Project to Control Invasive Plants in the New Hampshire Seacoast Region was to restore degraded wetland and adjacent upland habitats through the control of invasive, non-native plants. This goal included the following specific items: 1) to identify and develop management plans for individual properties, and to select eight sites for monitoring and evaluation; 2) to advertise for and select an invasive species control contractor for individual projects; 3) to develop a scope of service for each property; 4) to oversee contracted work, review and approve invoices with assistance from Project Partners; 5) to complete payment requests to all funders; and 6) to monitor and evaluate contracted work on individual properties, and the overall project. To date, the scope and objectives of the Cooperative Project to Control Invasive Plants in the New Hampshire Seacoast Region are complete. RCCD considers this conservation project to be successful, and as with all new undertakings, there are many things to be learned along the way. In accordance with the management plans and conservation practices selected, the results of the Cooperative Project to Control Invasive Plants in the New Hampshire Seacoast Region have been satisfactory. For New Hampshire, this new venture could not have taken place without the diversity of Project Partners bringing together considerable expertise and resources, and the RCCD is pleased to be collaborating with such an impressive group. As additional phases of the overall conservation project expand there are recommendations to assist future endeavors. It is anticipated that through continued conservation practices to restore degraded habitats, other seacoast communities and private landowners will want to join the Project Partners in this collaborative effort against non-native, invasive plants. In fact, additional Conservation Commission members in the seacoast region and others from communities outside the region have already requested information on how to obtain assistance to eradicate invasive plants. Additional phases of the overall habitat restoration project to control and manage invasive plants by using a combination of mechanical and chemical practices will likely bring additional Project Partners. A broader assemblage will only benefit the overall goals of the project, as cooperation on a broad scale is undoubtedly one of the best ways to control non-native, invasive plants

Wetlands Assessment, Inventory, and Prime Wetlands Designation Project in the Taylor River Watershed, Town of Hampton

The purpose of this project was to provide significant educational efforts on wetlands functions and values, prime wetlands designation, on-the-ground inventory findings, wildlife habitat, and New Hampshire\u27s Prime Wetlands laws and rules for the two communities located within the project focus area. The focus area for this project was the Taylor River Watershed, which comprises the Taylor River as it flows through both Hampton and Hampton Falls, a bit of Ash Brook and Old River as it flows through Hampton, and Grapevine Run as it flows through Hampton Falls. This project assessed over 152 wetland areas containing approximately 620 acres. This project included a comprehensive wetland resource assessment of an area that was originally roughly defined as shown on Map 1 (Appendix A). A NH Certified Wetland Scientist was hired by the Town of Hampton to complete an inventory of wetlands along the Taylor River corridor, and to identify individual wetland areas as well as wetland complexes that were potentiallysuitableforprimewetlandsdesignation. Oncethatassessmentwas completed, four distinct areas were chosen as potential candidates for prime wetlands designation, and a functions and values assessment was conducted on each candidate. The Wetlands Assessment, Inventory, and Prime Wetland Designation Project in the Taylor River Watershed project offered substantial education and outreach to both conservation commissions, residents, and municipal officials, and was successful in helping to advance the continuation of evaluating additional wetland complexes within each community. No warrant articles were prepared for town meeting for either community, and there were no prime wetlands application submissions to the NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) completed during the length of this project. However, conservation commission members became educated on prime wetlands designation, and both communities have jointly proceeded to complete the wetlands assessment for the remainder of each community. In fact, with the assistance of this project and as a follow up to a formerly funded project by the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) on shoreland protection, there are landowners along the Taylor River in both communities that are interested in participating in permanent protection efforts. The educational efforts on wetland functions and values, the importance of protecting prime habitat, and on NH RSA 482 and Chapter Wt 700 of the NH DES Administrative Rules regarding the law and rules has brought much interest on this topic in both communities. Both communities are jointly moving forward with prime wetland inventories for the remainder of wetlands in each community, with additional support from the NHEP in 2005. Due to this advancement, it was decided by both communities that another year of educational initiatives was important, and as there is the possibility of redelineating existing prime candidate boundaries, no warrant articles were prepared for 2005. Completing full wetland assessments and determining additional prime wetlands candidates were recognized as being critical for each community, with the provision that it include substantial educational opportunities. All of the outcomes from the Wetlands Assessment, Inventory, and Prime Wetland Designation Project in the Taylor River Watershed project have given both communities a renewed sense of the importance of stewardship, understanding and documenting, and protecting these critical natural resources