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In NH’s fourth-largest city, a rare expansion of protected forest
Not far from the old woolen mills, shoe factories, and more urban areas of industrial Rochester are swaths of undeveloped land abounding with vernal pools, sandy flats, and remnants of a small 19th-century granite quarry. Across the street from the Skyhaven Airport, a dirt lot leads to an entry point of the William H. Champlin […]
Living in the ‘Granite State’ means elevated risk for radon exposure, and in turn, lung cancer
New Hampshire may be celebrated as the “Granite State,” but the centuries-old nickname also bears caution. Because of the widespread presence of granite bedrock, the state has high percentages of homes with elevated radon levels. An invisible threat, the naturally occurring gas with no color, taste, or smell is the second leading cause of lung […]
ISO New England’s consumer group to hold public meeting in Portsmouth
ISO New England’s Consumer Liaison Group will hold a public meeting in New Hampshire next month. The Consumer Liaison Group meets four times a year with the goal of strengthening communication and understanding between the grid operator and electricity customers. On Thursday, March 30, it will welcome New Hampshire ratepayers to the AC Hotel in […]
Wanted: Mount Major volunteers for summer hiking season
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is recruiting new volunteers for the upcoming summer hiking season at Mount Major. The society’s Volunteer Trailhead Outreach Program is modeled after successful stewardship programs, like the Trailhead Stewards Program in the White Mountain National Forest and the Adirondack Mountain Club’s Trailhead Stewardship Program. Volunteers engage […]
A few household tweaks could help people trim electric bills, energy auditor says
Ted Stiles asks people a trick question: “What is the greenest energy?” Wind or solar power, people enthusiastically proclaim. Maybe someone throws out hydropower. But the true answer, Stiles contends, is “the energy you’re not using at all.” An energy auditor and program manager at Yankee Thermal Imaging who works with the NHSaves program, Stiles […]
Default electric service rate ‘death spiral’: Will NH utilities change how they procure energy?
Susan Durling wants to see a thumb on the scale for consumers. That’s what the Hillsborough resident told state lawmakers last week as she testified in support of a bill that would change the default electric service rate paid by residents and businesses. “We have to plan our budgets, too, and buy groceries and buy […]
NH Fish and Game urges people to assess ice safety before venturing out
Because of this winter’s unpredictable and fluctuating temperatures, New Hampshire Fish and Game officials are urging people to exercise caution when near ice. “With erratic weather conditions, some areas of ice may look safe, but may not be,” Col. Kevin Jordan, chief of Fish and Game’s Law Enforcement Division, said in a statement. “As always, […]
Fentanyl is killing Granite Staters. But the tools to test for it are illegal.
This story was updated on Feb. 20, 2023, at 2:10 p.m. with additional information about syringe exchange programs. As the deadly fentanyl crisis rages on, Gov. Chris Sununu has made his concerns known – in press conferences and campaigns dedicated to the scourge, and during a national CBS News appearance. Last June, he spoke of […]
Stormwater runoff problem: Efforts continue to clean up New Hampshire’s Great Bay
The Conservation Law Foundation filed a petition this week urging the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate stormwater pollution coming from commercial and industrial properties surrounding the state’s Great Bay. Filed under the Clean Water Act, the petition points to stormwater runoff as a “significant source” of harmful nitrogen pollution in the estuary spanning more than […]