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

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Piscataqua Waterfront Festival 2011

The WRWC info table pre-start time at the 3rd annual Piscataqua Waterfront Festival in Portsmouth, NH.

It was a fantastically sunny and upbeat day yesterday down on the Ceres Street Wharf.  Folks from all around the region visited Portsmouth to partake in the 27th annual WOKQ Chowder Festival at Prescott Park, and the 3rd annual Piscataqua Waterfront Festival hosted by the historical Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden.

The Moffatt-Ladd Waterfront Festival is a celebration of Piscataqua River maritime history and contemporary water quality issues surrounding Great Bay.  The Winnicut River is a main tributary to Great Bay, and thus we were asked to participate in the celebration.  But of course!

The 'With Just One Hand' board was a successful attraction, and more than two dozen visitors pledged to support the 'Scoop the Poop' campaign!  Here, the green hands for writing pets' names have already started accumulating.

Interested folks scoping out the abundant information on many ways to help improve water quality (regardless of where one lives!).  For pledging to 'Scoop the Poop', visitors were given special poop bags tied around IAMs dog bones and an info tag.  As a NH Coverts Project volunteer, I also included lots of ways to protect wildlife and their habitat, and offered fun pocket guides to identifying wildlife tracks in NH.