Winnicut River Watershed Coalition: January 2013

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

Monday, January 21, 2013

Grant Wrap-up and Water Quality Meters

The Winnicut River Watershed Coalition, an initiative of the New Hampshire Rivers Council, has completed a 2-year grant project funded under the Coastal Zone Management Act by NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management in conjunction with the New Hampshire Coastal Program.

In addition to a 2-year sampling regime that included chemical, biological and nutrient testing at 11 locations throughout the watershed, and more than 450 hours of outreach, education, and volunteer involvement, the WRWC--comprised of individuals from within the three towns of North Hampton, Stratham and Greenland--purchased its own set of high quality water testing meters in December. Testing may now be conducted for turbidity, pH, temperature, conductivity (electrical current) and dissolved oxygen wherever and whenever!

If you are curious about your neighborhood's impact on our local waters...if would like to see attention paid to a special brook, stream, river, pond or other wetland area, or you're simply interested in learning more, contact Jean Eno, the Winnicut Project Director for the New Hampshire Rivers Council. Volunteers are always welcomed, from Junior High students and up!

Generous additional support provided by:

The NH Charitable Foundation - Piscataqua Region

And by:

The Alvin T. Fuller Foundation

Many thanks to the wonderful volunteers who helped make things happen!

Why the Coalition?

The 9-mile Winnicut River and 45 miles of streams that feed it run through the communities of North Hampton, Stratham and Greenland, NH. Flowing north, the river completes its course in Greenland, draining directly into the Great Bay Estuary. Not all is perfect in the river or its tributaries. Elevated levels of nutrients and bacteria in some sections are resulting in conditions unsafe for aquatic wildlife, human recreation, or even human health. The Winnicut River Watershed Coalition’s goal is to reverse this trend through volunteer water quality monitoring efforts and community outreach.

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