In Search of Upland Sandpipers

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

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

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

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!

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