Newington Conservation

Seeds

2012-01-18T01:05:00.006-05:00

Here are my seed orders for 2012. All my seeds are heirlooms, no GMOs, mostly organic and from farms that sued Monsanto over their use of GMOs.

From Baker's Creek:

Caspian Pink Tomato
Black from Tula Tomato
Tigerella Tomato
Five Color Silver Beet Chard
Petit Gris de Rennes Melon
Ronde De Nice (summer squash)

From Adaptive Seeds:

	Lettuce, Soulie
	Tomato, De Berao Braun
	Hot Pepper, Szegedi 179 Paprika
	Tomato, Uralskiy Ranniy
	Cucumber, Mideast Peace
	Melon, Sweet Freckles
	Sweet Pepper, Liebesapfel
	Campanula, Dinner Bells
	Cauliflower, Leamington Winter Giant

From Seed Savers Exchange:

Bean, Climbing French , Packet 50 seeds

Bean, Sultan's Golden OG, Packet 50 seeds

Sunflower, Torch , Packet 100 seeds

Flower, Persian Carpets Zinnia, Packet 100 seeds

D. Landreth Seed Co (oldest seed company in the US):

Chervena Chujski (bulgarian red pepper).
Mervielle des Quartres Saisons Lettuce (wonder of the 4 seasons).
Coczella di Napoli (zucchini).

Left overs from last year that I will start again:

Tropeana Tonda Onions (loved these mild pinkish onion which could be used fried or raw for salads)
Franish Marigold (open pollinated of french marigold and danish Ildkongen marigold).
Bozeman Watermelon (early variety was ripe mid-august - fantastic).
Grune Perle (green pearl) curley Parsley
Genovese Basil
Blaugruner Farinto Leeks.

Knights Brook Closing, Part I.

2012-01-03T15:38:00.003-05:00

On Friday December 23, 2011, the Town of Newington's Conservation Commission acquired a conservation easement on behalf of the Town to protect 38 acres of the Knight's Brook prime wetland in partnership with the NH Department of Transportation.

The project was required as mitigation for wetlands impacts due to the expansion of the Spaulding Turnpike. The NH DOT provided about 90% of the funding with the Town contributing the remainder and receiving a conservation easement in return that ensures the easement area will be permanently protected.

Signing on behalf of the Town are Selectmen Jack O'Reilly and Conservation Commission member Nancy Cauvett. Also in the photograph are the David Hislop and FX Bruton who served as the attorney for the Conservation Commission.

Garlic (July)

2011-08-18T23:28:00.003-04:00

Garlic was the first plant to come up this year and also one of the first to be harvested in late July. Being a hot July, the significance of the harvest and the approach of fall seemed remote but now it's two weeks from the start of school and the nights are getting cold even if the days are still hot.

Elsa and Josie really enjoyed pulling them up ~ and it's great to let them harvest a plant they can't really damage by pulling the wrong way at things they can't reach etc.

The two varieties shown here are from New Roots Farm in Newmarket (who make the most phenomenal hot-dogs from their own cows) and Meadow's Mirth Farm in Stratham (who grow the best potatoes anywhere). Both are excellent.

Mockingbirds

2011-07-23T09:17:00.004-04:00

I was watering the trees between the Newington Public School and the Fire Department when I noticed some mockingbirds in the flowering pear tree by the side entrance. You can see both adults in the three in this first picture.

In the second picture you can see four chicks with their beaks open. They seemed pretty stressed. It was still about 98 degrees, down from 102 earlier in the day. You can see their mouths open ~ hopefully because they are hungry and not due to dehydration.

Top Sunflower

2011-07-19T22:12:00.002-04:00

Title says it all. I am six foot two inches tall, so this has to be at or above 10 feet. Tall in any case.... you can see some stupice tomatoes to my left as well.

Garden goes crazy!

2011-07-16T22:26:00.011-04:00

With all the heat and occasional rains of late, the garden has really taken off. I looked back at the pictures I posted in June and it has been a total transformation since then.

For one, the sunflowers are now pushing ten feet or more high. These are close to the tallest in the garden, but the highest ones are already starting to bend under the weight of the seeds as the flowers mature.

That is good news for all the leafhoppers (aka "Hoppies") that live up on the higher leaves and are now out of the kids' reach. Catching hoppies has become one of their favorite pastimes, and I have noticed a slight decline in the populations as the kids are not afraid to pluck them right off the leaves, as long as there are no ants protecting them. They then provoke the hoppy to jump, usually onto the ground or some other plant for which they are not suited. I don't know if they can find their way back or not.

Tomatoes have started which, as I have written before, is the most anticipated moment in pretty much any garden, especially a northern one. Here is Josie with the first two taken on Friday, along with the first onion of any substance, as well as a cucumber and zucchini number.... I am not sure at this point. Probably about the 12th zucchini of the season from two plants. We had zucchini latkas for breakfast in an effort to diversify. It was a simple recipe of 2 grated zucchinis, 2 eggs, a little flower with salt pepper and parsley. I was pretty pleased with the results but I think I was in the minority. Leila's not a big parsley fan and the kids are suspicious of everything that is not drenched in maple syrup.

Right behind the first tomato in terms of excitement is our first watermelon shown here with Elsa's foot (size 10) for comparison. This is really taking off and I think the next rain storm is going to cause spectacular growth on all the melons. Their shoots are growing about 18 inches a day after each rain storm. I am watering about once or twice a week as needed which has close to the same effect. I like to water on Saturday or Sunday depending on the weather because it takes me about an hour to get everything done. It's a labor of love in any case.

Melon garden!

2011-06-23T23:24:00.006-04:00

Here are some photographs of the new melon garden, taken on my iPhone (sorry). Apologies in advance for the image quality.

On the left are the italian zucchinis I've linked in earlier posts. I have nothing but great things to say about this variety. At first I thought the leaves had some type of powdery mildew but that is not the case.... they are just wacky heirlooms that have a very striking pattern. Even better is that they started flowering and bore fruit when they were only half this size. The kids love the large flowers and keep asking to pick up the ones that have fallen off... unfortunately that means walking on the bed itself which I really discourage. I think they understand.

Here on the right are my charentais musk melons which are doing much better than I dared hope with the cold spring we experienced. I think a lot of the credit goes to the cold frame keeping them warm when the nights in May were dropping to 40 degrees. I estimate it added 10-20 degrees during the day depending on how open I left it, and about 5-10 at night by trapping the air against the ground. These melons have tendrils that will wrap and climb around the chervena chushka peppers. If the peppers grow high enough it should not matter but at the rate the melons are expanding they better hurry. This is my second year growing these and I am really looking forward to harvesting them in mid-August if all goes well.

The watermelons have started to flower (1 or 2) but that is about all I can report. I have never grown them before so I am being cautiously optimistic. The seeds themselves took a month to germinate and I almost through them out several times before they did. If patience is the secret to gardening... I am doomed.

Ironically, the cucumbers are behind all of the warm weather plants. I have no good explanation for this but the plants appear to be doing well. It may be that they set fruit early and it has slowed their development. It is a russian variety (Bushy) so it is hard for me to believe it is weather related. A dahlia I thought had died came up on the left.... and on the right.

Tomatoes and Sunflowers

2011-06-23T00:38:00.003-04:00

Hosting a picture here for a discussion on Seed Savers Exchange forum.

Gardening in hi-res

2011-06-18T21:36:00.010-04:00

Most of my gardening pictures are uploaded to Facebook. Unfortunately, Facebook is more about tagging friends and less about image quality, so I always feel disappointed because many of the rewards of gardening can be found closer to the microscopic level. Take sunflowers for example. They tower like giants but running along the stems or the veins of the giant leaves can be found tiny ants, metallic yellow and green flies, and other insects. The leaves themselves form intricate polygons that resemble those formed by frozen permafrost in the arctic. How can you tag that? Or even explain it in fewer than 400 characters or whatever it is that Facebook allows.... And why exactly does Facebook want us to be so succinct? Sure it is not to improve our semantics and critical thinking.

Not that gardening is measured only by the millimeter. Each day I have been watching the peas grow taller, the cucumber family (Bushy Cucumbers, Charentais and Zucchinis) spread across the mulched bed. In a couple of weeks the brown bed will be covered by a thick, prickly green canopy of leaves. The Zukes look to be putting on quite a show. This is the first time I have grown this heirloom variety and it has 8 inch flowers and 14 inch leaves (above) that scream look at me, look at me, look at me now! [It's fun to have fun but you have to know how]. Zucchini don't strike me as very subtle... you pick them when they are small and if you wait a couple of days too long, you end up with something you'd rather play cricket with than eat. But small is good, and I am really looking forward to frying these in chick pea batter with ranch dressing or something equally decadent. Much better than fries, any day of the week.

Both my Blue Capucijner peas and my Blue Lake beans should be towering high right now, but the woodchuck has had other plans. He sneaks under the fence and pulls them down from the trellis, wantonly stripping the vines of all their shoot and leaves. After a week of shock, they are starting to rebound but it will set me back three weeks and make the peas for Josie's birthday a meager harvest.

But they are blue (or purple)! Perhaps it does not take so many when you are purple. It will be interesting to see. If they are any good at all, I am saving the seeds for these. I love the idea of being able to find the peas immediately... no searching through a tangled mess of green.

Tomatoes are best known for the flavor and not their appearance, of course. The measure of any gardener is usually not how large, but how early you have them. All across the internet we see the virtues of cold frames, or walls of water, or greenhouses, or stone walls facing south proclaimed to bring forth the sacred fruit while the ordinary languish in the cold damp May nights in the 40s. I admire the innovation inspired by the tomato. No other vegetable has inspired so many to think outside the box, or return again to the soil after failure. When cabbage worms ate my broccoli, "no matter" I thought. I can buy that at the farmers market. But not the tomato! When the tobacco hornworm caterpillar came I promised my children great rewards for each one they found. I planted marigolds to repel them, dahlias to trick the moths into laying their eggs in the wrong location. Mulched to reduce risk of blight. So here they are, my Stupice, in high resolution!

No clue what this is....

2011-06-17T22:06:00.002-04:00

It is the thinnest creature I can recall seeing. Use the chicken wire for comparison. Anyone know what this is? It was right next to the peas and beans. Very odd.

Everybody must get stones....

2011-06-17T21:39:00.007-04:00

The latest chapter in the Newington Public School landscaping project is the installation of a river run stone swale to capture runoff from the Fire Department parking lot that was washing bark mulch down the hill. We also put in a line of boulders from the Newington Town Forest above the trees to prevent future plow or snow dumping damage from a bucket loader during the plowing of the Fire Department.

The work never completely ends though. We still need to install tree gators on the western red cedars to ensure they get enough water during the summer that will need to be filled this summer. The sprinkler system for the lawn should also be set up again. In addition, one of the red swamp maples will have to be replaced in a different location. It was located in a swale and the water was simply too much for it to survive the first spring.

We have come a long way since March 2010 when all of the trees that were planted when the school was built blew over. We hope you like what has been done so far.

Spring Garden Tour By Elsa!

2011-06-07T22:11:00.009-04:00

Spring is nearly over and the warm hot weather this week may be with us for keeps. That's great news for the cucumbers, tomatoes and melons but not so much for the CAPUCIJNERS BLUE POD HEIRLOOM PEAS -aka POIS A CROSSE VIOLETTE (scroll down). Today, as I promised over the weekend, the peas have surpassed Elsa in height. They should grow over the top of the trellis which is only 5 feet, to be 6-8 ft high. It's a dutch variety that should have blue or purple flowers and pods, depending on your point of view.

The Cucumbers ("Bushy") also appeared today for the first time. You can see some tiny cukes forming behind the flower. This variety is good for both slicing and pickling. I would love to start pickling this year but I have a feeling my heart won't be in it once strawberries are in season and I will be canning jar after jar of jam. Elsa and her sister blew through about 25 pints of it since last fall. Go figure.

Garlic is doing very well but I just read a scary story via Seacoast Eat Local that garlic bloat nematode has been shipped to Exeter NH which is only 3 towns over from Newington.... It sounds like a dreadful pest that will destroy tomatoes, alliums and other plants, overwintering for up to four years.

Speaking of strawberry jam though, things are looking really good for the strawberries I got from Agway last year and planted in one of my raised beds. I normally shy away from anything that is not a local heirloom but I have been impressed that Agway sells many of the same varieties that respected organic growers sell. I don't know what their policy on GMO is and should ask the next time I go there. It will be exciting to have our own strawberries for Josie's birthday in a couple of weeks however. That will be a first for me.
Above you can see the fenced in bed where I put all of the woodchuck's favorites.... Detroit red beets (nearest), parsley, Spinach, and Bietola a costa fine chard (back). The supplier of the chard is Adaptive Seeds. I also got Ildkongen Marigolds from them, which can be seen in the front. They are a great company, shipped exactly what I ordered in one or two days... answered questions almost immediately. Not all seed suppliers do that. They are also one of the organic farms brought suit against Monsanto over its use of GMOs.

Elsa is not a fan of GMOs, I am sure. It will be interesting to see where she goes with her beliefs. Here she is in any case, standing in front of the Stupice and Peche Jaune tomatoes. The Stupice started flowering last week but I have not checked to see if any flowers have set.

It is hard to believe that I have a six year old that knows more about the cretaceous than I do.

The last photo below, was taken along Mountain Dream, the fanciful phrase the kids use to describe my neighbors driveway after I planted wildflowers there a few years ago. The idea was to move away from the green wasteland of lawn and actually support wildlife and conserve water. It has been a great success. Here, you can see the wildflowers are playing host to a horde of caterpillars that will then be consumed by the bluebirds or bats. As long as they don't eat tomatoes or melons, I am fine with that.

Enjoy your spring! It will be over too soon.

PDA Seeks Grant to Cut Trees in Newington Historic Center

2011-05-15T07:57:00.002-04:00

The subject line says it all. Town officials met with the PDA just over a week ago to discuss PDA plans to obtain an FAA grant to "manage" trees including those shown in this picture along the edge of the cemetery. PDA officials would not say how far down they planned to cut trees or what they actually proposed. After pressing, they indicated that if the land owner refused consent, they could do so without land owner consent.

Twenty years and millions of dollars at its disposal and the PDA has never cut down trees on Town land. It is troubling that the PDA is willing to spend federal government money to do this project but not its own.

The Town has asked for the PDA's grant application and its data on tree penetrations. The PDA agreed to provide this information but has not done so yet. More to come....

Weeding out!

2011-05-15T01:09:00.004-04:00

Thanks to everyone who helped weed the beds at the Newington Public School on Saturday.

We had six adult volunteers, plus a number of assistants: the Grubes, the Muellers, Jane Hislop, Jane Kendall and Sharon Brown.

PHOTO: Bed above between the school and the fire department needed the most weeding. Two inches of mulch should be added next week. A swale will be added to address drainage from the parking areas above the school.

Also a big thank you to the Newington Fire Department for letting us use their grill and picnic table. Everything looks great and another layer of mulch should keep the weeds down significantly.

All of the beds were weeded out in about 3 hours including lunch which was grilled organic hot dogs, fruit popsicles and potato chips.

PHOTO (above): Daffodils were relocated throughout the beds for next year. The results met with audience approval.

May 14: Spring Cleaning & Grill Extravaganza

2011-05-05T11:41:00.011-04:00

Spring is here and it is great to see some life come back to the Newington Public School Landscaping after all of the time, money, and effort invested by many last year. I am pleased to report that other than some winter burn (see below) for which a full recovery is expected, things look great.

PHOTO: The Chanticleer Flowering Pear, Pyrus calleryana var. Chanticleer is in full bloom. Stop by and take a look.

Unfortunately, there is some weeding and other work that needs to be before mulch is delivered to the beds the week of May 16, 2011. Dandelions, grasses and other weeds have started to work their way up through the beds. They need to be removed with small hand tools before the mulch is delivered which will help maintain the beds and the appearance of the school.

PHOTO: The Dwarf Inkberries, Ilex glabra var. Compacta, were adversely impacted by the unusually cold winter and deep snow. Weeds coming through the mulch needs to be removed!

Ms. Guare has already brought the kindergarden class out and weeded around the sugar maple tree and did a fantastic job avoiding the Lilly of the Valley, but in order to get this done before LJH Landscaping arrives, I'd like to organize afternoon a group to go out on Saturday May 14 to help get things ready.

I would like have the Conservation Commission hold a "Weeding Day" on Saturday May 14, 2011, and offer food and drink, to feed any volunteers willing to help out. I think if we had 4-8 volunteers, it could be done in an afternoon. All are welcome, and the more people that come, the more time we can spend by the grill, rather than in the dirt. This will be a BYGT (bring your own garden tools) event.

PHOTO: Horsechesnut, Aesculus carnea var. Briotii, leafing out by the driveway to the school.

Please email me if you are interested in helping out so I can plan who will be there etc. Or even better yet, RSVP on Facebook.

Hope to see you there!

Justin Richardson

Fox Point & Onions

2011-04-17T22:27:00.002-04:00

The Newington Selectmen held a meeting at Fox Point on Sunday to discuss the location of the proposed pavillion. The site of the former Mott House was selected. Right next to where the building once stood were onions growing. The house was last occupied in 1980 so I picked one of the onions on the off-chance it might be an heirloom or unusual variety since the land has likely been a farm for the last several centuries.

If anyone happens to know more about these onions please let me know.

Knight's Brook in Winter

2011-03-01T01:08:00.007-05:00

These pictures are taken of Knight's Brook which winds its way slowly from ground-water discharges from the boiling springs aquifer through the Frink Farm on its way toward Little Bay.

I am putting these photos here because the DOT is looking to purchase conservation easements and/or land around Knight's Brook as mitigation for wetlands impacts (12 acres) from the expansion of the Spaulding Turnpike. The Commission voted this month to propose to jointly acquire a conservation easement with the DOT in exchange for using its conservation fund to help acquire the land or easements.

The photo above was looking from a field toward the woods on the Hislop property. This one is taken on the Brook itself which has a good flow even though it is the dead of winter.

It is a small watershed but the area around the Library, meeting house and the Old Town Hall is a large sand and gravel aquifer which releases water slowly throughout the year. The consistent flow makes the brook valuable from a water quality and habitat perspective.

Not that I would suggest drinking it.... there are beavers, muskrats and other animals that use the water and the aquifer itself is contaminated due to the former military base. The Town dump is also opposite its headwaters. It's unknown what impact that may have on Knight's Brook.

The land also has recreational opportunities and there are numerous trails that can be used, at least when it is not impounded by beavers which is frequently a problem.

There is a network of trails maintained by individual property owners. One of the more difficult questions will be how much and what types of public access are appropriate.

Preservation of Knight's Brook

2011-02-22T22:39:00.003-05:00

The Newington Conservation Commission will discuss the DOT's proposal to preserve lands around Knight's Brook on Thursday February 24, 2011 at 6 PM at the Town Hall.

The DOT has made offers to two of the three land owners to acquire a conservation easement over 38 acres (+/-) of the Hislop property shown on the plan, and to purchase the Saba property (26 acres) in fee simple.

I have prepared a proposal to use the Town's Conservation Fund to help DOT's project to move forward in exchange for naming the Town as a beneficiary on the conservation easement acquired by DOT. This would mean that the property could not be developed or used for non-conservation purposes without the consent of both DOT and the Town.

The Town supports the DOT's efforts as long as the negotiations are voluntary and do not use eminent domain.

Part of the discussion involves prices for real estate and will therefore be non-public.

Spring Garden Plans

2011-02-10T22:46:00.006-05:00

It's February and I've ordered seeds .... I will have more than I need and let me know if you are interested. Note: The seeds from Amishland sound very interesting but I had to wait for a 20+ day back order to get them. Be mindful of that if you order your own.

Tomatoes

1. Blondkopfchen

2. Stupice

3. Brandywine

4. Peche Jaune

Peppers

5. King of the North

6A. Maria Nagy's Translyvanian (for paprika).

6B. Chervena Chushka (sweet Bulgarian pepper).

Beans

7. Blue Lake Pole Beans

8A. True Red Cranberry (gift from a Seed Saver I met online, link is to Seed Savers Exchange description).

8B. WIENLANDERIN POLE BEAN - swiss pole bean - Link to Bean Section.

8C. CAPUCIJNERS BLUE POD HEIRLOOM PEAS - See Link above.

8D. STORTINO DI TRENTO (Italian Marbled Shrimp Bean) - See Link above.

Onions (Allium family)

9. Onion Tropeana Tonda

10. Garlic: Meadow's Mirth and New Roots (2 local farms) planted last fall (no extra).

11. Leek, Blaugruner Farinto

Cukes & Melons

11. Charentais.

12. Bushy OG Cucumber.

13. Zucchini Alberello di Sarzana

14. Bozeman Watermelon (ripens in 70-80 days!!!)

Misc.

15. Detroit Dark Red beets

16. Spinach, Bloomsdale OG

17. Genovese basil

18. Parsley Grune Perle

19. Bietola a Costa Fine Chard

20. Ildkongen Marigolds

Dahlias and Springtime!

2011-02-08T12:02:00.008-05:00

I have been thinking about the new garden I made last year and watching spring approach with every drip off of the icicles outside the window.

The colors of summer are hard to recall looking out the window today. I am putting up some dahlia pictures to brighten your day and because I got offered some heirloom seeds from a collector in NH and these are about the only things from my garden that might be valuable in return.

Large pink dahlias, smaller dwarf red varieties below. The pinks are from a local farmer at the Portsmouth farmers market. The two dwarf varieties were from a local greenhouse but probably commercial in origin. These were saved in the root cellar (yes we have one!) and re-planted last year. The large pink ones will be moved out into the open so they don't lean and fall over due to the sun being on one side.

Another view.

I got these from the Portsmouth farmers market and saved them. Really looking forward to splitting them and placing them prominently.

Snow and sleet? What's that? I will put these closer to the house because the flowers are lighter in weight and think they will contrast nicely.

Same farmers market source.

Some are pure red as well. I can't remember if these are mixed in the same boxes of peat with the red-and-white variety above. I'd have to check in the root cellar.

Another photo

2011-02-03T23:17:00.005-05:00

Using this blog to host pictures on seed savers exchange.

TEST

2011-02-01T23:25:00.000-05:00

Test post. That's a tobacco horn worm caterpillar.

Landscpaing Plan!

2010-09-27T21:53:00.003-04:00

This is landscaping plan for the Newington Public School that identifies the species that were planted and their locations.

You will need to zoom into the legend near the top center to see the species provided. There are abbreviations where each tree or shrub is located on the plan.

Equinox & Newington Public School Landscaping

2010-09-21T23:22:00.005-04:00

Hello everyone!

September is winding down, the equinox has come and gone and fall is upon us. This means that this weekend, absent scheduling issues or a sharp change in the weather, I plan to dismantle the automatic watering system, and return all the borrowed hoses etc.

Luke Hydock of LJH Landscaping will be removing the tree gators in the next week or two and re-loan them to the Town in the spring. At that time, the Town will need to resume watering of the new lawn, trees and shrubs, but I expect the watering will be much less frequent than it was this year.

There will be some weeding and additions to the mulch that will need to be done to maintain the shrub/tree areas. I have asked LJH to give us an estimate for that so it can be included in the budget for the Town, Commission or School as appropriate.

I want to thank again everyone that contributed sprinklers and equipment used for watering. There are abbout 1450 feet (!!!!) of hose connecting six sprinklers on an automatic watering system and two or three individual hoses for watering the trees and shrubs not reached by the automated system.

Off the top of my head (i.e. just a guess), the following people or groups donated hoses.

Newington School Board: 300 (3 x 100) feet plus some sprinklers and a wand.
Library: One 75 (?) ft hose plus a sprinkler (returned when I realized it was broken).
HDC (Old Town Hall): One or two hoses, plus a splitter/valve.
Gail Pare: One (Two?) 100 ft hoses.
Peggy: One or two hoses (100 ft ea?).
Town: 300 ft (3 x 100).
Gail Klanchesser: 2 (?) 50 (?) ft hoses.
Conservation: 1 75 ft hose, 2 automatic timers, 4 (?) sprinklers
Fire Dept: 2 (?) hoses, 75 ft (one for washing the trucks, the other may have been outside).
Me: 2 75 ft hoses, 2 sprinklers, spray nozzles, brass valves.

Looking forward to spring and seeing everything in bloom.

-Justin

Blast off: Landscaping complete!

2010-08-27T22:18:00.003-04:00

The Newington Public School Landscaping project is now complete! In order to reduce the costs, we did not require the contractors to be responsible for watering once the work was complete, so I spent the entire day setting up two sprinkler systems to water hydro seeded areas twice per day in six different zones, as well as most of the shrubs. The trees themselves will be watered twice per week by means of tree gators which are bags filled with water that drain out over the course of the day.

Some of the trees, the elms in particular, will likely lose their leaves in the next week. This is shock due to being relocated, made worse by the drought we have been experiencing. However, I am informed by the contractor, LJH, and our landscape designer, Woodburn & Company, that this is ok and the trees will bounce right back in the spring.

There was a change to the project to raise up the flowering pear tree by the side entrance. It turned out to be a low spot and the rains earlier in the week flooded the area and caused the tree to pitch over. By raising it and placing stones, the area should be greatly improved. It may be advisable to improve the drainage so that runoff does not collect there. Fortunately, flowering pair is relatively salt tolerant.

I'm very pleased with how things have turned out. I'm sorry I don't have pictures of the completed project but I hope to get some posted soon. Also, I'd like to thank the many people that helped along the way, and in particular: Jane Hislop for her early work organizing this and gathering information on trees, contractors etc.; Gail Klanchesser for her work helping me interface with the school and school supporters; all of the Conservation Commission for reviewing the various designs, meeting at odd times, reviewing proposals, etc.; the Planning Board for their work approving nearly half of the funding ($10,000); the Selectmen & Bea Marconi for their patience and support on the project; Tom Morgan for his continuing support and guidance and various members and supporters of the School (David Mueller, Krista Bellmare, Dennis Mayo, Linda Loewy & Jane Kendall). Also a number of you donated materials such as hoses and sprinklers including the Langdon Library, Gail Klanchesser, the Town (Rick), Gail Pare, the School District.

It's late and I have a horrible feeling I have left some people out. But congratulations to all of you! The total project will cost about $25,000 but without your help it would have been much more. I hope the project will benefit the Town when all of us our gone and our children come back to visit the school and wonder who planted all those trees many years ago.

Justin

Landscaping Progress!

2010-08-20T11:47:00.005-04:00

These pictures show the project status as of Thursday evening. I ran a traditional sprinkler at one end and it appears it covers only about 1/6 (or less) of the area that will need watering.

The school district has bought 300 feet of hose, and it looks like we will need all of it and then some! We also have to water the trees in the front (filling gators 2x per week) and the side entrance. I am looking into buying a 4 way timer and splitter that may take care of watering the hydro seeded area.

This was the view looking down the driveway. The trees along the entrance are red maples, horse chesnut and valley forge american elm.

The girls were very excited, but perhaps more by their new (used) bicycles than by the trees.

These were the trees remaining to be planted. Western red cedar (on the right) and white spruce (on the left). Some others are shown that I won't try to identify but there may be a sugar maple or flowering pear.

Looking forward to seeing what it looks like at the end of the day.

-Justin

Newington Public School Landscaping

2010-08-19T12:50:00.005-04:00

The Landscaping of the Newington Public School has begun. The picture to the left shows the shrubs waiting in the shade to be planted. The truck belongs to Luke Hydock of LJH Lanscaping, the landscape contractor from Rochester New Hampshire that was awarded the bid by the Town. The Conservation Commission received a total of 8 bids ranging from 18k to 35k for the project.

The Commission compared the lowest three and recommended LJH's proposal based on a combination of LJH's low price, and its excellent experience and performance on other projects. They've done a great job so far.

This photo shows part of the area behind the school where trees and shrubs are to be planted. There will be a row of evergreens (spruces and others) high up with shrubs and plants (e.g. Lily of the Valley) at the lower levels. The trees were selected for a number of aesthetic (and educational) characteristics, but will not grow as high as the blue spruce that blew over in March.

These are the trees. A sugar maple will be planted outside the kindergarden. Red maples and others will be planted along the driveway entrance that can tolerate wet conditions. Several other species are included on the landscape plan.

Speaking of wet conditions. The photo on the left shows one of the holes in which the trees will be planted after soil improvements are made. You can see an impenetrable clay layer that is present in the lower areas that is filling with ground water. All of the tree roots will need to establish themselves in the upper layers where there is oxygen and (better) drainage. The wet conditions eliminated a lot of other trees from consideration because they would not survive in these soil conditions.

Mountain Dream 2!!!

2010-06-25T17:03:00.001-04:00

Ok here is one more of the new garden!

Mountain Dream!!!

2010-06-25T16:59:00.003-04:00

Just a picture .... its been a while but I don't have time for updates.

Turkey!

2010-04-14T22:35:00.002-04:00

Bretton Woods Canopy Tour!

2010-04-14T12:25:00.002-04:00

This was taken during a break from the NH Bar Meeting in 2009 at the Mt. Washington Hotel / Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.

Stormwater Zoning Amendments Pass

2010-03-10T16:23:00.004-05:00

Thanks to everyone that came out to vote for the changes to Newington's Zoning Ordinance. Elimination of the exemption for parking lots from the wetlands setback will help protect surface waters, habitats and reduce nitrogen inputs into the Great Bay Estuary.

Look forward to seeing you at Town meeting on Saturday.

GSM Realty Trust Property

2009-12-21T22:06:00.006-05:00

This won't be my most interesting post as I am using Google's blog as a way to share video and photos with Mark West of West Environmental, the Conservation Commission's wetlands consultant concerning a development proposal which we have asked to review and provide recommendations to the Commission. However, I thought it might help illustrate some of the projects I am involved in on behalf of the Newington Conservation Commission.

This particular project involves a property owned by GSM Realty Trust located on Gosling Road between the two older power plants, the coal & wood fired Schiller Station, shown above, and the oil fired Newington Station which has the largest stack in Town and is clearly visible from the Mall.

It is located near the Piscataqua River, but is cut-off to a large extent by the Boston & Maine Railroad tracks that run along the river. Town Planner Tom Morgan reports that there may be a strip that has access. The photo above is looking south toward Schiller Station in Portsmouth.

GSM Realty Trust proposes to clean up the site for future development. There will be some significant earth moving, including the substantial removal of an earthen containment dike that was constructed when the property was used as a former oil tank farm. It has also been reported that soils were brought on to the site from the former Pease Air Force base.
One of the reasons the project concerns the Conservation Commission is its proximity to the Piscataqua River. As shown above, drainage from disturbed soils and wetlands flows or seeps through soils and into a box culvert, shown below, that discharges directly into the River.

The video and photos show that, notwithstanding the history of the property, the water quality appears to be good, although I am not aware of any tests for contaminants that may be present from the soils on the property, or from emissions from the coal and oil fired power plants that are literally a stones throw away.

A number of pipes, an oil water separator, and other vestigial remains from the use of the site as a tank farm that will need be removed to restore something resembling natural drainage. On December 14, 2009, the Planning Board also adopted storm water regulations with assistance from the Conservation Commission, the Piscataqua Region Eastuaries Partnership and the UNH Stormwater Center, that will ensure that the use of the property does not result in nitrogen and other contaminants. Invasive species such as purple loosestrife, phragmites and other species that are already present will need to be addressed.

This video shows that there are surface waters flowing in some of the wetland areas which under Newington's zoning ordinance means that a 100 foot setback must be observed for any structures such as detention basins, buildings etc., or a variance or special exception must be sought.

Not very exciting stuff, but important none-the-less.

Preservation of Knight's Brook

2009-11-13T21:52:00.005-05:00

Representatives of the NH Department of Transportation came to the Newington Conservation Commission's meeting on November 12, 2009 to discuss its proposal to acquire conservation easements around Knight's Brook in Newington as mitigation for expansion of the Spaulding Turnpike.

An earlier proposal under consideration was to acquire property on Great Bay in Newington. However, cost and other issues were prohibitive. As a result, a second alternative to acquire 60 to 70 acres of land around Knight's Brook is being considered. The plan shown above (click on it for a larger version), shows that three properties or portions thereof are being considered.

If the current discussions move forward, the NHDOT will purchase easements that would protect 60 to 70 acres as open space and then give the Newington Conservation Commission the right to manage those areas for conservation purposes. The Commission has proposed use of its own funds if the conservation areas could be expanded at a reasonable cost.

Town Forest Sign is UP!

2009-11-06T20:53:00.003-05:00

The sign denoting the Town Forest opposite the old town hall is now in place. Local contractor John Bean out of Rochester NH did a great job and it looks very well.

The Conservation Commission will be meeting on Thursday November 12 at 6:30 PM to discuss a number of projects that remain to be completed for the Town Forest. First, a map will likely need to be prepared showing the location of trails and other features on the Town Forest and other public lands. There is an extensive network of trails branching off New Road that date back to the days when the Pease Air Force Base was active. There is some indication that the area was used for snow machines and cross country skiing.

Second, the Commission will also consider what rules and regulations should apply to the Town Forest and other lands managed by the Conservation Commission. One proposal to consider, especially as an interim measure, would be to make all Town-wide rules adopted by the Selectmen related to Town property applicable to conservation lands.

The third issue to consider in my mind is what to do with the many rocks and stones that have been stockpiled on New Road. The road is completely blocked at its beginning which is definately a deterrent to entering the Town Forest. This has been discussed with the Historic District Commission, the regulatory body that reviews proposals within the Historic District, and there appears to be support for moving the rocks to make a simple stone wall along New Road with the rocks that are currently there. They are far too large to be lifted by hand. It is unfortunate that they were not placed more carefully initially because they completely block the road resulting in the need to move them even though there is no real plan or need for their use at this time.

Stop by and check out the sign the next time you are at the Langdon Library, and, feel free to take a walk down New Road. It opens up after you pass the rocks and continues at least a mile beyond Arboretum Drive.

Signs of the times...

2009-09-30T22:15:00.007-04:00

My apologies for the lack of updates. Unfortunately, being a volunteer, I am either too busy to write any updates, or there is not anything to say because I have not been busy at all. Well, several projects that have been in the works for many months are now moving forward. Here are just a few:

1. Town Forest Sign. The Conservation Commission has obtained permission from the Selectmen and the Historic District Commission to place a Newington Town Forest at New Road opposite the Old Town Hall. Building Inspector Charlie Smart prepared specifications for the installation and the Commission is soliciting one or more bids to place the sign adjacent to New Road. Another alternative would be to have the Town road crew do the installation.

Unfortunately, in bringing the sign to the necessary meetings, one of the two signs was dropped and broke (see above). The two signs cost the Town a total of $3,400, so the loss is unfortunate. Repairs may be possible but expensive.

2. Prime Wetlands & Pease Development Authority. On September 15, 2009, the Town of Newington filed a Petition for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief in Merrimack County Superior Court. The Petition asks the Court to find that the State of New Hampshire is required under State and Federal Law and the terms of its deed to recognize the prime wetlands designation previously approved by the NH Department of Environmental Services on six prime wetlands on the lands it acquired from the United States.

I've tried to convert the petition into a JPG file so that google blogs allows me to upload it to this site. To do so I first coverted it to a TIFF, then saved it as a JPEG. Your JPEG viewer probably may have a "next page" feature that allows you to see all 7 or 8 pages.

3. Fox Point. The Conservation Commission proposed to the Selectmen that the Town convey a limited conservation easement on the Town-owned lands on Fox Point. The Selectmen voted to recommend that the Commission prepare an easement for their review which would then be subject to either public hearings before the Selectmen and Planning Board, or a vote at Town meeting in March 2010. The goal is to allow the current management by the Town Selectmen to continue but to protect the property from development.

4. Conservation Easement Acquired at Tricky Cove. The Conservation Commission obtained an easement protecting one of its prime wetlands at Tricky Cove at Little Bay. The property is relatively small and there are no plans to develop recreational access or trails, but rather to maintain the shoreland in its natural state. Part of the conservation easement covers property privately owned land. There will also be land conveyed to the Town that will be subject to the conservation easement. Much of the credit for the protection goes to the Planning Board and Tom Morgan, the Town Planner.

Our Next Meeting is Thursday October 8, 2009 and we typically meet the second thursday of the month at 6:30 PM at the Town Hall. Please come by and show your support.

-Justin Richardson, Chairman
Newington Conservation Commission

In Search of Upland Sandpipers

2009-07-31T23:47:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday July 29, Diogo Godoi, a wildlife technician with the NH Audubon Society surveyed fields on Fox Point for upland sandpipers with Dorene Stern and I on behalf of the Newington Conservation Commission.

Upland sandpipers are present on the Pease Development Authority runway, but there have been no other sightings of upland sandpipers in New Hampshire and it is on the State's list of endangered species. I understood that the PDA was interested in whether the species is present in other areas so that those living on the runway might be re-located to other suitable habitat.

Fox Point has some favorable characteristics in that I have observed bobolinks and other grassland species there. However, Fox Point, unlike the Pease runway, has a tremendous number of predators such as coyotes, foxes, raccoons and others. It is, after all, Fox Point. We learned from Mr. Godoi that of the 140 or so sites that he surveyed, no upland sandpipers were found at any locations in NH.

Town Forest & the New Road

2009-07-23T22:47:00.006-04:00

On Wednesday Morning I stopped by the Old Town Hall to pick up the Newington Conservation Commission's Town Forest Sign. It is a 5 by 3 foot sign styled after the existing sign's at both the old and new Town Halls. Established circa 1710, it is the oldest Town Forest in the United States.

There is a road, likely established years before the PDA or even the Pease Air Force Base was established, called New Road. It runs through the Newington Town Forest from the Parsonage opposite the Old Town Hall, until it dead-ends at one of the enormous ditches constructed by the Air Force when the base was created. I believe New Road is approximately 4,000 feet to one mile in length. Its remnants can still be seen as a faint line if you look at aerial photography or satellite images of Newington, running more or less in a straight east-west direction from the parsonage to the area north of the "North ramp".

Walking its length is quite an experience. One begins at a late 17th century, or early 18th century parsonage, skips around some boulders rescued by the planning board from developed sites for future town walls, and enters an open woodland of pines and hardwoods growing on the sands typical of elevated areas in Town.

At first, it seems little more than a pleasant open woodland. However, in a short distance one crosses the former boundary of the Pease AFB, then Arboretum Drive and gradually one enters denser and denser woodlands. On the day I walked New Road, the humidity became more and more intense the deeper I entered the forest, reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkein's description of the Old Forest: hot, oppressive, and containing a hidden power.

Crossing Arboretum Drive, however, its hidden power is revealed. It gradually transforms from an open, almost tame woodland, to a secluded, savage and impenetrable fortress of leaves, branches and clinging wet tentacles, reaching over New Road as if to bury it in a memory more ancient than the years counted by men.

There are, however, roads and trails almost too numerous to count waiting for those willing to explore. One does not need to enter the savage wilderness to see it here. It lies open to view to any brave enough to venture therein.

Walking this old "New Road" you might discover something new about yourself and your perception of the world where the protection of signs, streets, brick and pavement disappear step-by-step.

Man from outer space lands in Newington

2009-05-25T20:25:00.006-04:00

On an otherwise quiet memorial day, a visitor from outer space landed in Newington today and was seen briefly on Old Post Road before disappearing.

Local reactions to the visitor from outerspace ranged from disbelief to excitement. "What the ..." said Leila Richardson of Newington, initially, but she later added "The kids seem to like him and with that helmet thing he probably doesn't snore."

Others seem less surprised and more interested in whether they might turn these unusual events to their advantage.

"Spray him!" shouted one on-looker holding a garden hose, later identified as Miss Elsa, also of Newington. "You're a poopie head!" another exclaimed.

The extra-terrestrial visitor disappeared moments later, promising to return in late October. "I am space man. I will capture the hose people and eat their sunflowers!"

Shouts of "Yikes!" and "Escape" were heard around the pool but nobody was sure what to make of this.

Stormwater and Great Bay

2009-02-23T10:49:00.004-05:00

The Newington Conservation Commission meets jointly this evening with the Planning Board and the UNH Stormwater Center to discuss amending Newington's site plan regulations to address pollution from storm water runoff in the Piscataqua River and the Great Bay estuary.

Storm water runoff is likely the leading cause of pollution in Great Bay and in New Hampshire in general, which has caused declines in the health of the Great Bay estuary. The problem is significant: According to one indicator, eel grass populations have declined by 97% in recent years.

The problems caused by Storm Water pollution are well documented. Below is an excerpt from the Conservation Commission report which will be published in the 2008 Town Report:

Stormwater Pollution.
Stormwater runoff from urbanized (i.e. paved) areas is the leading source of non-point pollution in New Hampshire.[1] Stormwater causes pollutants and particulate matter containing heavy metals, hydrocarbons (oil and grease) and organic waste to flow directly to surface waters with little or no treatment. It also increases temperature, nutrient, turbidity and bacteria levels and reduces dissolved oxygen. Studies cited by the NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) indicated that surface water quality declines sharply when as little as 10% of a watershed is covered by impervious surfaces.[2] In sections of Newington’s commercial and industrial zones, such as in the Paul’s Brook Watershed, imperviousness already exceeds 40%.

In August of 2008, the NHDES determined that water quality in the Great Bay estuary, and in particular the Piscataqua River and Little Bay, is impaired due to the loss of eelgrass habitat due to high nitrogen and turbidity levels.[3] In addition, 2.6 square miles of tidal estuary in New Hampshire does not meet Class B standards due to stormwater pollution.[4]

Amendments to site plan regulations effect only commercial and industrial development, and should not impact residential development in Newington.

The Planning Board is the agency that will adopt the final regulations and has the final authority to approve any regulations. However, the Planning Board has asked the Conservation Commission to take the lead in developing the proposed regulations. Any person wishing to comment on storm water issues should contact the Newington Conservation Commission or come to our meetings, normally held the second thursday each month.

NOTES:

[1] See e.g., Nonpoint Source Management Plan, Table 2.3, Page 2.2.4 (October 1999).
[2] See e.g., Best Management Practices to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution: A Guide for Citizens
and Town Officials, Page 9 (January 2004); NH Estuaries Project State of the Estuaries 2006; Deacon et al., Effects of Urbanization on Stream Quality at Selected Sites in the Seacoast Region in New Hampshire, 2001–03.
[3] Methodology and Assessment Results related to Eelgrass and Nitrogen in the Great Bay Estuary
for Compliance with Water Quality Standards for the New Hampshire 2008 Section 303(d) List, NHDES WD Doc R-WD-08-18 (August 2008).
[4] 2004 Section 305(b) and 303(d)Surface Water Quality Report, Table 3-5, Page 3-10 (March 31, 2004).

Vacancy!

2009-01-26T22:01:00.003-05:00

The Newington Conservation Commission has a vacancy due to the departure [sob] of Erin Baird, an alternate member, and Michelle Lozuaway. We are seeking one permanent member to replace Michelle and as many alternates as may be interested.

Conservation members must be Newington Residents and willing to attend our monthly meetings the second Thursday of each month. It is hoped that interested persons will also help out with the Commission's other activities. The Commission is responsible for protection of Newington's natural resources under RSA 36-A, and also manages a conservation fund for the acquisition of land and easements in the Town for conservation purposes. In addition, the Commission reviews and comments on applications to dredge and fill in or adjacent to wetlands and waters in Town.

In 2009 we expect to complete a number of conservation projects including: (a) develop a management plan for the Newington Town Forest; (b) develop site plan regulation to address storm water pollution in the Great Bay Estuary; (c) complete landscaping improvements on publicly owned lands in Town; and (d) finalize a survey of threatened and endangered species habitats.

If these or other conservation projects interest you, please send me an email expressing your interest in joining the Commission, and feel free to attend one of our monthly meetings normally at 6:30 PM the second thursday each month.

-Justin Richardson, Chair

Newington Conservation Commission

Fresh Local Bayside!

2008-12-20T21:47:00.007-05:00

Those of you in Newington or the Seacoast may remember Currants, the phenomenal restaurant at the Great Bay Marina. Currants was fun, delicous and a great place to meet people in town. You could get a great cup of coffee by the water, take the kids to see the ducks, eat lunch made from locally grown ingredients, and meet people that might live down at the end of your road that you'd never have time or occasion to meet in the bustle of day to day life. Sadly, Currants closed two or three years ago and suddenly Newington took one step closer to being just another town that people passed by on the spaulding turnpike.

The great news is that a new restuarant, Fresh Local Bayside, opened today. Its owners, Josh and Michelle live right down the street from me. We are truly luckly to have them and their restaurant in Town.

I know little about Josh and Michelle before they moved to Newington, except that they both worked at Limbergh's crossing in Portsmouth. They also ran a concession out of a bright orange truck called the Fresh Local Truck which served lunch on state street in Portsmouth with local ingredients.

They are really just getting started, and today their menu was not at full capacity. But for breakfast they offered three varieties of eggs benedict (classic, florentine and irish), buttermilk pancakes, omeletes. But despite the limited menu, their talent already shines. The home-made corned beef hash with the Irish eggs benedict was phenomenal; the buttermilk pancakes were served with dried cherries and real maple syrup were spot on. This restaurant already looks promising on its first day, and stands to improve significantly as time goes on.

Check it out when you can. It is located at the Great Bay Marine (directions) and is currently open Saturrdays and Sundays from 8-3 pm.

Updates from all walks of life

2008-11-30T22:31:00.005-05:00

It feels like I have not had a moment to gasp for air since my last update here.

So here are a few newsorthy items since July:

The NH Public Utilities Commission approved Nashua's petition to acquire Pennichuck Water Works. On a personal level, the decision gives some meaning to the last five years of my life, in which I have married, bought a house, had two children, the oldest of which is already in pre-school. Those are impressive milestones.

I captained a seacoast ultimate summer league team named "the Squalodons of Krill". This was my first foray as a captain. By nature, I am analytical: more critical than inspirational. It was challenging, to say the least, to try to educate and lead a team when much of your training involves analyzing other's mistakes. I am happy to report that we ended our season, not with a winning record, but with the ability to say that we played close to our best even when significantly outmatched.

The Newington Conservation Commission applied for a grant from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project to address stormwater runoff in the Great Bay Estuary, which is contributing to rapid loss of eelgrass and other aquatic life in the bay.

I travelled around the state presenting a lecture and article entitled The Shoreland Protection from a Municipal Lawyer's Perspective as part of the Local Government Center's 2008 municipal law lecture series, in cooperation with Arlene Allen from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

Seeing this list reminds of a recent conversation I had with a friend. "So what's new and exciting?" I asked, expecting to hear about football, a hunting trip, or some other item of interest. Instead, I got details about his latest spreadsheet he had been working on. Five minutes later, I managed to interupt and pose the question as to how he saw a question about new and exciting events to be a chance to seguay to the details of a spreadsheet. We laughed but only because he and I know eachother too well, and this post could be my spreadsheet.

Summer

2008-06-02T12:02:00.005-04:00

The garden is almost completely planted, the flowers are up, and Seacoast Ultimate summer league starts this week.

A family of foxes has literally moved in next door to our house. They have four pups. I managed to take a picture of them in the grass recently.

What's not to love about summer?

Everying is going down (FTP)

2008-02-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a long time since I updated. I literally took the month of December off, and January was spent with the family, the flu, or re-inventing my legal career after the last 4 years working on essentially one case.

This post is not a reference to the stock market, or at least it is not intended as such. But rather I have switched FTP service providers which means that all of the PDF files linked from this site will be unavailable very soon. If you come to this site and can't find a document that is linked, try emailing me at jcrlaw at gmail and I will send you the document.

On February 13th, the Newington Conservation Commission meets again at 6:30 PM at the Town Hall. The agenda and package are available at the Plannind Department or electronically upon request. Hope to see you there.

-Justin Richardson

Nashua & Pennichuck Water Works

2007-11-19T12:41:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, I am a lawyer for the firm of Upton & Hatfield and have spent the last 4 years representing the City of Nashua in its efforts to acquire the Pennichuck Water Works.

The case went to trial during the month of September before the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission. There were some 15,000 pages of exhibits and over 25 witnesses. On November 16, 2007, we submitted a 75 page brief outlining the City's case that is hosted on the City's web site: http://www.gonashua.com/. A copy of the brief and can be downloaded here.

I won't promise that it's as exciting as Harry Potter. However, those interested in utility, water supply or municipal government issues may find it interesting.

Gratuitous Pictures of the Kids

2007-11-06T20:47:00.000-05:00

I've been woefully inadequate in updating this blog with anything beyond the day to day details of the Newington Conservation Commission's minutes and dealings with the PDA. In my defense, the last two months have disproved the theory that there are only 4.3 weeks in month.... when push comes to shove, I've discovered its possible to work 260+ hours in a single month.

Unfortunately, I'm not prepared to advance this blog just yet. However, some pictures of kids at the Newington September-fest may start to turn the tide.

Balloon time at Fox Point during the puppet show; and "Joser" pointing at a horse while Elsa waits in line in the background with the "big girls".

Commission Meeting November 8, 2007

2007-11-06T01:24:00.001-05:00

The Newington Conservation Commission will meet again on November 8, 2007. The package and agenda can be downloaded here. We meet at 7 PM at the Town Hall in Newington, NH.

Unfortunately, the PDA has now completed its legal maneauverings to have the prime wetlands designation for all wetlands on the PDA-owned property invalidated. This places the burden on the Conservation Commission to either appeal the NHDES permit for the 100 Arboretum Drive project adjacent to prime wetlands, or simply recognize that the PDA has no wetlands protections in place.

I won't discuss the NHDES reasoning in detail here as the matter is likely to end up in the courts. However, there are significant flaws with the NHDES's reasoning. Unfortunately, the PDA is extremely well connected both legally and politically, and it is likely to take an independent court such as the NH Supreme Court to resolve the issue.

-Justin Richardson, Chairman
Newington Conservation Commission

Agenda and Package October 25, 2007

2007-10-22T23:40:00.000-04:00

A copy of the Newington Conservation Commission agenda and package for October 25, 2007 can be downloaded here. We meet at 7 PM at the Town Hall in Newington, NH.

The meeting will hopefully allow us to catch up on a number of items we have post-poned for far too long due to lack of follow up and time during our once-a-month meetings, including: development of stormwater regulations; use of the air mitigation fund to improve air quality in Newington; town-wide curbside recycling; updates to landscaping plan guidelines, wetlands definitions and other matters.

Hope to see you there.

-Justin Richardson, Chairman
Newington Conservation Commission

Conservation Commission Agenda for October 11, 2007

2007-10-10T00:42:00.001-04:00

It's late, I'm tired, so just the agenda and package today without comment.

It's 5 MB total, and several items could not make the final list because of the number of projects.
You can download it here.

Conservation Commission Meeting October 11, 2007

2007-10-08T23:30:00.000-04:00

My apologies for the delays this week. It's entirely excusable in my opinion, as I have been involved in a trial the entire month of September. As some of you may know, I represent the City of Nashua in its efforts to acquire the Pennichuck Water Works. There was a recent editorial in the Nashua Telegraph supporting the City's efforts here. To say I have been working "day and night" on this would be an understatement.

I was unable to complete the agenda and package this evening (10-8-2007) but I hope to have the agenda and package live tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Our meeting looks to be a busy one. Most noteworthy, the PDA appears set to challenge the prime wetlands designation approved by the NHDES in January 2006.

Hope you enjoy the picture below from the Town's annual Septemberfest.

-Justin

Correction and Update

2007-09-14T22:35:00.001-04:00

My last post identified the small whorled pogonia as the endangered species adjacent to the Farley White project. In fact, it turns out the species is the bulbous bittercress, pictured below.

I understand that at a recent planning board meeting, the PDA indicated it intends to disregard the prime wetlands designation, leaving the Conservation Commission with little choice but to seek to uphold its designation.

Under RSA 12-G, the PDA adopts its own zoning regulations and projects are reviewed by the Newington Planning Board but under PDA regs and not those of the town. The PDA has no wetlands regulations in place. When I last checked a year ago, the word wetlands is mentioned a total of two times in its site plan and subdivision regs. There are no buffers, setbacks, or other requirements related to wetlands on PDA property.

The Commission meets again the second thursday in October.

-Justin

Conservation Commission Meeting on September 6, 2007

2007-08-29T21:51:00.000-04:00

The Commission will meet on September 6, 2007 at 7 PM at the Town Hall.

There are two relatively minor wetlands projects on the agenda, and an expansion of an existing commercial facility on Pease located on Arboretum Drive. The project is not without controversy: it is adjacent to a wetland on Pease that the NH Department of Environmental Services approved as a prime wetland. Unbeknownst to the Town, the PDA subsequently obtained a letter from its attorney at the NH Department of Justice stating that the prime wetlands designation was an invalid local land use control on the PDA property. The Commission is not convinced and, if an agreement cannot be reached, the dispute could end up in the legal system. A copy of the letter is contained in the package that can be downloaded here. [The package is 5 MB this month, my apologies].

The wetland in question contains an endangered plant species, the small whorled pogonia, [EDIT: This is incorrect, see subsequent post.] so the question is not merely academic. However, based on a preliminary look at the plans, it apears that the parking lots are located outside the 100 foot buffer for prime wetlands. According to the project engineer, the only portions of the project within the buffer are stormwater management facilities and they are located 25 feet from the wetland. This needs further review, but hopefully the project can move forward without any impact on the pogonias.

Further information is contained in the package. Feel free to come to the meeting. Unfortunately, I am in a trial for the entire month of September beginning on the 4th, so I am unlikely to be there.

-Justin

Newington Cons. Commission Agenda for August 2, 2006

2007-07-30T23:00:00.000-04:00

It's late so I won't spend much time elaborating on the Newington Conservation Commission's agenda for August 2, 2007.

You can download the agenda and the information package here. The agenda looks fairly busy.

Of particular note, the Commission will consider taking steps to have the Town adopt regulation of discharge of stormwater pollution. This is the leading cause of non-attainment with the State's water quality standards and a major source of pollution in Great Bay and the Piscataqua River. Representatives from both the New Hampshire Estuaries Project and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Coastal Program will be present for the discussion.

Please come to our meeting at the Town Hall at 7 PM on August 2, 2007 to learn more.

Back from Vacation

2007-07-30T10:05:00.000-04:00

My apologies for the lack of updates this month. I managed to get away from the office and the computer for a good part of July.

First I'll share some vacation pictures and, later today or tomorrow, provide the agenda and package for the Newington Conservation Commission's August 2, 2007 meeting that are being finalized today.

The picture on the left was taken at the mouth of the Saco River near Biddeford Pool, Maine.

On the right are Elsa and Josephine enjoying their second and first boat trips. Their friends Julian and Vivian (green hat) came along for the ride as well. Elsa asked repeatedly "Can we go fast again Daddy?". I was forced to oblige :)

Elsa at the helm, Julian on the watch!.

My apologies to those of those of you with boating experience that otice a major safety violation. In my defense, we were at least at anchor (not that it matters) and I did not realize the life vest was off until I was looking back at the pictures.

Did I mention that blackberries were in season?

Enoy!

-Justin

July 5, 2007 Conservation Commission Agenda

2007-06-28T22:19:00.000-04:00

July 5th, 2007 looks to be a short meeting for the Newington Conservation Commission due to vacations and some project postponements.

However, two new projects are on the agenda. The first to consider a landowner request that the Town acquire a 6 acre parcel of land on Great Bay in lieu of it being sold for development. The second project involves a preliminary proposal to add a deck on an existing home near Great Bay.

The more interesting discussions relate to proposal discussed at our June meeting. These include:

Development of storm water regulations to help control non-point source pollution. According to the NH Department of Environmental Services stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces is the leading cause of non-attainment with the State's water quality standards established under the Clean Water Act.

The Commission is considering working with the New Hampshire Estuaries Project, the NHDES and other resource agencies to adopt controls on stormwater pollution in Great Bay and the Piscataqua River. According to one study by the NHDES Coastal Program, the commercial and industrially developed areas around Paul Brook in Newington had both the highest levels of imperviousness in the watershed and turbidity (i.e. silt) levels of the 10 locations evaluated on the Seacoast.

Silt laden stormwater shown here discharging into Little Bay below Exit 4 in July 2006, is the leading cause of non-point pollution in New Hampshire.

The surface of silt particles in stormwater often traps metals, oils, and other pollutants and carries them to surface waters, resulting in their concentration in aquatic life, increased water temperature, nutrient levels and reduced oxygen.

Technologies are being evaluated at the UNH Stormwater Center that can reduce the impact of stormwater pollution significantly.

The Commission will also continue its discussion of using the state's Air Pollution Mitigation Fund for projects in Newington, expansion of recycling, and other items.

The Commission's Agenda and information package for the meeting containing some of the relevant documents can be downloaded here.

The meeting begins at 7 PM and is open to the public. Please feel free to come by and share your thoughts on these or other matters.

Weekend in Dixville Notch

2007-06-25T10:01:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend at the Balsams resort in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire for the Annual Meeting of the NH Bar Association.

The layout of this post is likely going to be screwed up. It's a HORRIBLY implemented aspect of google's blog editor. But in any case, here are some pictures and notes from the trip.
This picture of a bull moose was taken in Dummer New Hampshire from Route 16, just south of Cambridge. The poor moose had hundreds upon hundreds of deer flies on him at any given moment. His back side appeared to be boiling with flies. Ouch!

Unfortunately, both children were fast asleep at this point in our journey, and we did not dare wake them up to see the Moose, some 6-10 feet from the car.

This is the Flume Brook cascades in Dixville Notch State Park. It is a small waterfall adjacent to Route 26 south of the Balsams.
As you can see, Elsa is completely unaware that a picture is being taken. :)
There was a larger network of trails here, but as my main goal for the morning was "Moose Hunting" with Elsa, we explored only the first quarter mile along the brook.

"Moose Hunting along Cascade Brook/Falls." On the opposite (west) side of the road in Dixville Notch, there is a slightly larger Cascade Brook that also has some impressive but small waterfalls that cascade down through a box ravine. The website linked above to Dixville Notch State Park reports that the trail is closed due to flood damage. However, the trail was open when visited and we did not observe any flood damage.

This picture shows the lower cascades in the background. We are standing some 50 feet above the brook at this location as the box ravine drops precipitously on both sides. It is a fantastic spot both to look at and to take in the smell of the spruce-fir woodland. We had the entire location to ourselves the entire time we were there. Unfortunately, Elsa is beginning to grasp the fact that the Moose may be hiding.

On Saturday we travelled to the Colebrook New Hampshire to the Beaver Brook Falls Natural Area. It is a spectacular waterfall, particularly during spring snowmelt or high water levels. The picture here was taken during moderate flows but is still impressive.
By itself, this is one of the most spectacular, easily accessed waterfalls in the state. There is very little in terms of trails to explore but if you are in the area or just passing by, it is worth the detour. The falls can be reached only a couple of hundred feet from the parking lot.

Later this week, I'll be posting the Newington Conservation Commission's package and agenda for its meeting scheduled for July 5, 2007 at 7 PM at the Town Hall.

June 7, 2007 Conservation Commission Agenda

2007-06-03T20:09:00.000-04:00

The Newington Conservation Commission will meet again on Thursday June 7, 2007 at 7 PM at the Town Hall. A copy of the agenda and package can be downloaded from an FTP link I created here.

Here are a few highlights:

Newington resident Michelle Lozuaway has been appointed by the Board of Selectmen and joins the Commission.
Allied Continental Development's proposed hotel adjacent to the Spaulding Turnpike/Exit 4 behind the gas station. The Conservation Commission is reviewing the project because the applicants have requested a permit to dredge and fill wetlands from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Wetlands Bureau. Under RSA 482-A:11, III & IV the Commission has the statutory authority to comment on projects and, if the department declines to adopt the Commission's recommendations, it must make detailed findings to support its decision. The package contains the Commission's comments to the NHDES, as well as a Drainage Study that the applicant's consultant, Eckman Engineering, provided in response to questions concerning stormwater management.
There is also an excerpt of a report I prepared for the Conservation Commission a year ago when the Department of Transportation's Exit 4 project resulted in significant volumes of turbid stormwater being discharged to directly into Little Bay. This was included because stormwater runoff from the proposed hotel may ultimately end up discharging to the same culverts into Little Bay. The Commission has asked for clarification on this issue.
Stormwater pollution is important because, according to the NHDES, stormwater runoff is the leading cause of non-attainment with water quality standards in the state of New Hampshire. Newington's zoning ordinances, however, do not regulate the discharge of stormwater pollution. One of my main goals as chairman of the Commission is to encourage the Town to develop reasonable regulations to address this source of pollution into Great Bay and the Piscataqua River.
The package also contains an application to repair the retaining wall and boat launch area at Fox Point. The Town's consultant, Waterfront Engineers, LLC, has been retained by the Board of Selectmen will be presenting the proposal to the Commission. An excerpt of the application is contained in the package. Members of the public are welcome to attend and will have the opportunity to ask questions concerning the proposal.
Boiling Springs. The Commission is looking into whether to purchase a conservation easement to protect this prime wetland. The package contains a letter to the PDA Chairman, Art Nickless, and Executive Director Richard Green regarding this matter.

The Commission meetings are open to the public and if there is an environmental or conservation issue that you feel the Town should address, please feel free to contact me or attend our meeting.

-Justin

Odds and Ends

2007-05-21T14:42:00.000-04:00

Just a couple of quick notes as I've been thoroughly "swamped" of late.

First, some exciting news on the bird front. We had three scarlet tanangers at our house over the weekend. They perched on a tree immediately outside our window for a half hour (while the camera was in the car), and spent the better part of the weekend across the street and in the shrubs on our neighbors property. The picture above is disappointing considering that I was staring at two males in a tree six feet out my window for 5-10 minutes.

Also, if you have never seen it before, check out the NH Audubon Society's Peregrine Falcon camera here: http://www.nhaudubon.org/research/pcam.htm A chick hatched a week or so ago so it has been interesting to check in from time to time and see how they are doing.

Second, the Newington Conservation Commission voted to try to negotiate a conservation easement for the Boiling Springs prime wetland. I put together a supplemental package for the Commission's meeting on May 10, 2007 that you can download here. There is a plan from the registry of deeds showing the property with the wetland, an aquifer map from a USGS Study that shows a high transmissivty aquifer is the source of the Boiling Springs wetland, as well as some pictures I took from the Arboretum Drive side of the property of turtles in the wetland.

Lastly, I'd like to ask that anyone feel free to post comments on any subject in response to this thread. I'll give off-hand and occasionally accurate responses as occasion allows.

-Justin

Black and White Warbler

2007-05-07T10:33:00.000-04:00

This years bird sightings continue to be good. Over the weekend we saw a couple of kingfishers (not rare but always fun to watch), an osprey hovering overhead, a female common yellowthroat, and a new personal first: the black and white warbler. Wikipedia has a good discussion of the black and white warbler, its habits, migrations as well as pictures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-and-white_warbler

I was lucky to get close enough to take the picture above using my clunky digital camera. Similar to a nuthatch, it was running quickly up and down the bark of trees looking for insects. While I was watching it caught a fairly large catepillar. It either does not yet have young to feed in its nest, or it was trying to catch more because it continued its search.

May 10, 2007 Newington Conservation Commission Agenda

2007-05-04T12:35:00.000-04:00

The agenda and information package for the Newington Conservation Commission's May 10, 2007 meeting is available for download here.

Certain documents such as the plans for the two hotel proposals are not available electronically. However, copies may be viewed on request at the Town Hall.

I hope that posting this information helps keep members of the public and project applicants informed of the Commission's activities. If you have any questions or comments that you'd like to be part of the Commission's official record, please direct them to the Commission in writing or at its meeting, as this blog is run for informational purposes only and is not an official part of the record, nor endorsed by the Commission.

-Justin

Endangered Species Survey

2007-04-25T23:35:00.000-04:00

The Commission will likely meet next on May 10, 2007. High on our priority will be completion of an endangered species survey that was included in our annual budget. The survey will be peformed by Mark West of West Environmental in Lee, New Hampshire, who some of you may know or remember from the prime wetlands study he completed for the Town.

Mark will be presenting his methods and approach for the study and will also be available to answer questions from the public. If you are interested in learning more about threatened and endangered species, or aware of any endangered species or habitats in Newington, please feel free to come to our meeting or drop us a note in our mailbox at the Town Hall.

The survey includes a review of existing records available at the State of New Hampshire's Natural Heritage Inventory, field verification and completion of a report. The survey including the report are expected to cost $6,850.

Birds

2007-04-18T00:15:00.000-04:00

Despite the bad weather, this has been a decent year for birdwatching for me. So far I've seen bluebirds on Old Post Road, a woodcock in the back yard, and several flycatchers that I haven't positively identified. I was even there when the Fork Tailed Flycatcher was first identified at Odiorne Point.

On Sunday I took Elsa out to the recycling center and we spotted a male American Kestrel at the fields behind the cemetary and the Old Town Hall. He was perched in the row of trees overlooking the end of the runway and Arboretum Drive. At two she's probably a little young to fully appreciate this sort of thing but it can't hurt I tell myself, provided I check for ticks afterwards.

Today she was looking at one of her bird books and pointed at a picture of the male Northern Kestrel and said "We saw this one yesterday daddy".

True, I've missed out on a lot this year, but it doesn't get much better than that.

A First Time for Everything

2007-04-16T11:25:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my new blog!

I have created this blog as a way to get information out to the public concerning the Newington Conservation Commission and other issues that interest me. While I expect that a great deal of the blog will concern the Newington Conservation Commission, it is my hope to discuss other areas as well as time and space allow. This is my first real foray into blogging and the internet. Please be patient with me as I get accustomed to this process and look forward to improvements in the future.

About Me

By way of background, my name is Justin Richardson and I am a Newington resident and a volunteer member of the Conservation Commission, appointed by the Board of Selectmen in April 2005. While I have lived and travelled many places over the years, including Rennes, France; Montreal, Quebec; Nairobi, Kenya, I have lived most of my life in New Hampshire.

In my professional life, I am a lawyer for the firm of Upton & Hatfield, LLP where I practice primarily municipal, environmental and utility law. There is a picture of me on the firm's website under "profiles": www.upton-hatfield.com

I moved to Newington only recently in September of 2004, with my wife Leila. Since moving to Town, we have two daughters, Elsa and Josephine that you will often see with me around Town. If you notice a dad with a toddler and pair of binoculars looking at birds or wildlife, that is probably us.

While I am a recent arrival in Town, I have been involved in a number of Newington projects in a professional capacity before moving to Town. As far back as 1996, as special counsel to the Counsel for the Public in the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office (see RSA 162-H), I was involved in the siting and permitting of the Portland Natural Gas and Maritimes & Northeast natural gas pipelines. In 1998-2000, I later served as Counsel for the Public on the construction of the Newington Energy, LLC natural gas fired power plant. While working as in house legal counsel for the property tax consulting firm George E. Sansoucy, PE, LLC, I was involved in applications for tax exemption for pollution control facilities at the Sprague Energy terminals on River Road and Avery Lane, and the Newington Energy plant.

Newington has always struck me as having some of the best of what New Hampshire has to offer: natural resouces, an independent spirit, low taxes. It is my goal as a member of the Conservation Commission to continue to promote those (and other) goals.

A New Direction for the Conservation Commission

Introductions aside, I would like to briefly describe what I see as some significant changes and opportunities that are on the horizon for the Commission in the next year. These included a number of "firsts" as well as some big projects and opportunities that may impact the Town for years to come. Here as just a few:

Changes in membership and approach. Three commission membership are up for reappointment, and the current chairman was recently asked to step down. As anyone following the news in the Portsmouth Herald knows, over the last several years, the Conservation Commission has been a very political organization, pointing fingers at other municipal and governmental bodies such as the Board of Selectmen, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, the Pease Development Authority and others. While some of these political actions were justified, others were a significant distration from the Commission's mandate on environmental and land conservation activities. I believe with new appointments on the horizon the focus of the Commission will turn from largely political and legal issues back to Conservation.
New Laws and new projects. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has a new program in its infancy called the in lieu mitigation fee program. It came as an amendment to RSA 482-A:28 et seq, signed into law by Governor John Lynch in the fall of 2006. In a nutshell, the program involves developers proposing to fill between 10,000 and 44,000 (less than 1 acre) paying a fee to the NHDES to be used for conservation projects in the same watershed. NHDES will then award grants for projects such as wetlands mitigiation, conservation and other projects. It is my goal to try to pursue potential mitigation projects to promote wetlands mitigation, stormwater protection and/or other projects that will benefit Newington, Great Bay and the Piscataqua River.
NH DOT Spaulding Turnpike. The DOT proposes to fill some 30+ acres of wetlands for the expansion of the turnpike. See www.newington-dover.com The Commission has asked the DOT to consider a number of mitigation projects in town ranging from outright land conservation to enhancement of disturbed wetlands and streams in Town. The next year should see the DOT making more specific proposals as the project moves forward.
Use of Information Technology. It is my hope that the Commission will begin making more information available on line, either on this site or an official resource such as the Town's web site. The time is long overdue.

I look forward to your comments, suggestions and participation in this blog as it moves forward.

-Justin Richardson

LEGAL DISCLAIMER
While I am a member of the Newington Conservation Commission, the views expressed here are my own, not those of the Commission. The Commission is not an adjudicatory body such as Zoning Board of Adjustment or Planning Board. While I hope to use this forum to provide information on projects that the Commission may have in mind, I will try to steer away from debating or discussion any cases or decisions to be made by the Commission in upcoming meetings. There is currently legislation concerning the use of the internet in municipal government actions that may further define what is or is not appropriate use for this site. I will continue to try to use this blog as a conservation and information tool. If you have any concerns that my use of this site is inappropriate or not in accordance with the law, please feel free to share your concerns with me. You may reach me at JCRLaw@Gmail.com