Stewardship Plan for the 5 Corners Reserve, Lee, NH

The 20.7–acre Lee Five Corners Reserve (Reserve) is located north of Route 4 and west of Snell Road in the northern “Five Corners” region of Lee, New Hampshire. The property is accessed at the end of Old Concord Turnpike, which leads northwest from Snell Road near the intersection of Route 155 (Map 1). The gravel access road continues through the Five Corners Reserve and onto a Town of Durham parcel that houses a public drinking water well. An iron gate that blocks public access to the Durham well site is located on the Five Corners Reserve. A small parking area is located along the east side of the access road, just before the gate

Higgs boson search at ATLAS

The status of the ATLAS Higgs boson search using about 5 fb^-1 of data recorded in 2011 is summarized. Proceedings from Physics at the LHC 2012 (Vancouver).Comment: 6 pages. Proceedings from Physics at the LHC 2012 (Vancouver

Newmarket Open Space Conservation Plan

Open spaces – forests, fields, wetlands, floodplains, salt marshes, rivers and streams – are integral to our community. These lands and waters that thread through our neighborhoods are a scenic reminder of our history, when people made their living by working the land. Yet we still depend on these open spaces for our health and our wellbeing. These places provide many “services” such as clean air, flood control, filtering pollutants and purifying drinking water, natural pest control, plant pollination, cooler summer temperatures, and areas for relaxing, exercising and recreating. Collectively these can be thought of as a “natural services network” – a minimum framework or backbone of open spaces that offer these services to all of us regardless of age, income, or points of view. New Hampshire is transforming from a largely rural state to a mostly urban and suburban one. This trend will continue at a rapid pace as the State is expected to grow by 358,000 people (or more than 28%) from 2000 to 2025. Most of this growth will occur in the four southeastern counties, with the Town of Newmarket in the heart of this growth area. The major land use trends include loss of unfragmented forestland, lack of protected lands around public water supplies and aquifers, and loss of intact wetlands and wildlife habitat (SPNHF 2005). Many communities, including the residents of Newmarket, have acknowledged these changes and the need to conserve special places and ecosystems by supporting land use planning tools, natural resource inventories, conservation funds, and stewardship of lands. Since 2001, 83 New Hampshire towns have passed open space bond issues or appropriated funds for land acquisition worth more than $135 million (NH Center for Land Conservation Assistance). In 2002, Newmarket residents overwhelmingly passed a$2 million land acquisition bond. Landowners in our community have generously donated interest in land or easements to ensure that conservation values are protected in perpetuity. This support for land and water conservation that benefits all of us is a tribute to the community land ethic in our region. The Town of Newmarket boasts a rich diversity of natural habitats and associated plants and animals. The Lamprey and Piscassic Rivers, Great Bay Estuary, and Tuttle Swamp, to name just a few, all contribute to the sense of place and allure of the town (Map 1). Balancing the preservation of open space with responsible development, long maintained as a priority by Newmarket citizens, business owners and town officials, is necessary, as growth and all its requisite accompaniments present increasing challenges. Recent concerns about the availability of drinking water for Newmarket residents and businesses as well as the floods of 2006 reflect these challenges. As Newmarket continues to grow, so will concern over loss of natural areas, recreational opportunities, and the quality of life that residents have long enjoyed. Maintaining a network of rivers and wetlands, forests and fields throughout Newmarket for the health of the land and people requires vision, support, and action. In 1991, the Town of Newmarket hired the Smart Associates to prepare a Natural Resource Inventory and Conservation Plan. This was the beginning of efforts by the Conservation Commission to conserve important lands identified in the “Smart Report.” In the fifteen years that have elapsed since the Smart Report, Newmarket has undergone many changes, highlighting the need to revisit the current state of natural resources within the community. The Open Space Commission and Conservation Commission have led recent efforts to identify and protect conservation and recreation areas. The Planning Board and staff have led in creating effective land use planning tools that conserve open spaces while allowing orderly and thoughtful development. Together, Newmarket Open Space Conservation Plan Page 7 of 94 these boards applied for a grant from the NH Estuaries Project (NHEP) Technical Assistance Program in 2006 to develop an Open Space Plan. The NHEP awarded the grant of $6,200 to Ibis Wildlife Consulting to work with the Town of Newmarket to prepare this Plan

Stewardship Plan for Garrity Reserve, Lee, NH

The 16.02-acre Garrity Reserve lies on the west side of Garrity Road in the northeast region of the Town of Lee, New Hampshire (Map 1). The Garrity Reserve is identified on the Lee Tax Map as Map 9 Lots 3- 0 and 3-1 (Appendix A). The parcel has just over 790-feet of frontage on Garrity Road. There is no parking on the property; visitors park on the opposite side of Garrity Road, alongside the Gluke cemetery. The property is bordered by a residential subdivision to the west and rural residences to the north and south. A large portion of the property was a former sand and gravel pit operated by the Town of Durham. The two entrances to the pit are gated and the “roads” into the pit are overgrown. The remaining land is upland white pine forest. A few pockets of wetland are found at the bottom of the pit, resulting from the excavation. Early successional species including gray birch and aspen, along with white pine and pitch pine are growing in the previously excavated area. Invasive species, including multiflora rose and Japanese knotweed, heavily infest the northern entrance road and the north slope of the pit. Piles of asphalt and a large boulder pile remain. A portion of the northern slope of the pit is laden with debris, similar to an old farm dump. The steeper areas of the un-reclaimed pit are exposed sandy slopes

Fighting Back: Crime, Self-Defense, and the Right to Carry a Handgun

Ten years ago this month, a controversial "concealed- carry" law went into effect in the state of Florida. In a sharp break from the conventional wisdom of the time, that law allowed adult citizens to carry concealed firearms in public. Many people feared the law would quickly lead to disaster: blood would literally be running in the streets. Now, 10 years later, it is safe to say that those dire predictions were completely unfounded. Indeed, the debate today over concealed-carry laws centers on the extent to which such laws can actually reduce the crime rate.To the shock and dismay of gun control proponents, concealed-carry reform has proven to be wildly popular among state lawmakers. Since Florida launched its experiment with concealed-carry in October 1987, 23 states have enacted similar laws, with positive results.Prior to 1987, almost every state in America either prohibited the carrying of concealed handguns or permitted concealed-carry under a licensing system that granted government officials broad discretionary power over the decision to grant a permit. The key feature of the new concealed-carry laws is that the government must grant the permit as soon as any citizen can satisfy objective licensing criteria.Concealed-carry reform reaffirms the basic idea that citizens have the right to defend themselves against criminal attack. And since criminals can strike almost anywhere at any time, the last thing government ought to be doing is stripping citizens of the most effective means of defending themselves. Carrying a handgun in public may not be for everyone, but it is a right that government ought to respect