Happy Spring to All!
Here's an update on the various river nominations as they went through the House last week:
HB44, the bill to nominate the Oyster River, HB336, the bill to nominate the Mascoma River, and HB555, the bill to nominate the Exeter-Squamscott stretch, were passed on the House floor on February 23.
HB 149, the bill to nominate the Lamprey and its tributaries, passed in the House on March 17, but it was significantly amended. For those who fought long and hard for this bill (pre-amendments), the outcome is bittersweet: 1. the amendment was significant and weakened RSA 483, in that the very tribs that feed the river were not permitted to be included, and 2. the municipalities involved who wrote letters of support for the designation based on the statute as it existed BEFORE it was weakened are now not getting what they wanted.
View each of the nomination bills:
Bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2011/HB0044.html
Bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2011/HB0336.html
Bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2011/HB0555.html
Bill text: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2011/HB0149.html
Even more concerning, the House approved additional plans that weaken RSA 483 in bill HB 27, in which dreaded restrictions to septage and sludge land applications will not have to apply for another 5-1/2 years.
You are asked to help keep up the good fight in preserving the integrity of RSA 483 (which is also under attack via major budget cuts**--cuts that could virtually eliminate the program!). The next step is for all of these bills to be heard in the Senate Energy and Environment Committee:
Who's my legislator?
As pertinent info comes my way, it will be posted here. And, as Michele Tremblay noted in her Legislative Alert email, "Thank you to everyone who stepped up and made calls, sent letters and/or emails, and provided personal testimony at the hearings."
**House Division I will "exec" (vote) on these cuts on Monday, March 21, 2011 so it is essential that you call today:
Who's my legislator?
North Hampton, Stratham and Greenland, NH ~an initiative of the New Hampshire Rivers Council~
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Do you live on the Winnicut River, or one of its brooks or streams? Would you like to learn how to have a "better backyard," or be a steward for wildlife? Do you enjoy birding, kayaking, or trail walking? Have you got Invasive Plant Problems? Would you like to learn more about the Winnicut River and its wildlife diversity, from its treefrogs and trout lilies, to its black bears and white cedars? If you can answer 'yes' to any of the above, we need YOU. The WRWC is working hard to develop a Better Backyard campaign which promises to be a rewarding program for land/homeowners interested in protecting the integrity of the Winnicut River, its streams and brooks, and ultimately Great Bay, and the wildlife that lives and breeds here. E-mail us today to learn more at winnicut@nhrivers.org
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