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NH Cannabis Association surveying farmers on future growing opportunities
As a legislative commission probes the potential for a state-run cannabis sales model, an industry organization is surveying farmers and agricultural professionals to gauge interest in future cultivation opportunities. New Hampshire has not yet legalized marijuana, but this past legislative session saw more movement than years past. For the first time, Gov. Chris Sununu said […]
The ‘addictive’ quest to find New Hampshire’s biggest trees
In this competition, those sparring for the title are judged by their circumference. Some are scaly, furrowed, warty. Others are smooth and papery. One of John Wallace’s favorite prizewinners resides deep in Epping conservation land: the state champion black tupelo, or black gum. With a circumference of 137 inches and a height of 83 feet, […]
NH Fish and Game debuts new user-friendly website
The state’s Fish and Game Department has debuted a new user-friendly website, because “for many folks, the journey outdoors starts online.” The new website launched Tuesday, expected to “significantly improve user experience, accessibility for all visitors, and ease of use on all mobile devices and desktop environments,” the department said. Fish and Game uses its […]
Big, brown, and baffling researchers: Unusual algae bloom in the Gulf of Maine
What is coffee-colored, more than 100 miles wide, and not something you’d likely want to swim in? An unusually large bloom of brown algae in the Gulf of Maine has caught the attention of scientists from across New England. So much so, an informal monitoring effort of more than two dozen partners has since formed […]
Bystanders as first responders: NH purchases 6,000 overdose prevention kits
The Executive Council this week approved the purchase of 6,000 overdose prevention kits, while also renewing a state contract with the New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition. In April, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it would deploy 700 “NaloxBoxes” across all 10 counties, thought to be the first large-scale effort of its kind […]
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics will leave New Hampshire, close Merrimack facility
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, the French multinational corporation at the center of New Hampshire’s PFAS controversy, has announced it will close its facility in Merrimack. The abrupt announcement comes less than a week after the state’s Department of Environmental Services approved Saint-Gobain for a new five-year operating permit, a decision that followed major pushback from area […]
NH gets piece of first-ever federal fish culvert grants
Part of a $196 million federal package to improve fish passage in waterways by fixing or removing culvert barriers is heading to a project in New Hampshire. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s new culvert grant program will send $421,600 to the city of Dover for the Bellamy River Fish Passage Restoration Project to advance design and […]
North Country preserve expands by 870 acres, protecting drinking water and floodplains
The Nature Conservancy has added another 870 acres to its Maidstone Bends Preserve on the Upper Connecticut River, and more than half of the land is located in a drinking water protection area. A mix of farmland, woods, wetlands, and expansive floodplains, the recent purchase expands the preserve in Northumberland and Groveton to 1,250 total […]
Now state law, a formal process when African American burial grounds are discovered
If and when future African American burial grounds are uncovered in New Hampshire, state law now explicitly outlines how their discovery should be handled. Senate Bill 11, signed into law this month by Gov. Chris Sununu, requires that descendants or the descendant community be consulted prior to the excavation or exploration of African American burial […]
What is compensatory mitigation? Evening the scales of environmental impact in NH
Where Route 16 winds north along the Androscoggin River, passing through the towns of Dummer and Errol, forests of northern spruce and fir trees surround the remote, rural roadway. There are large swaths of palustrine wetlands, like bogs, swamps, and marshes, that are heavily vegetated with winterberry, nannyberry, goldthread, and bunchberry. One of two major […]
Free menstrual products now required at all New Hampshire prisons and jails
New Hampshire’s prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities are now bound by state law to provide menstrual products at no cost to incarcerated individuals who biologically menstruate. Signed into law by Gov. Chris Sununu on Aug. 4, House Bill 421 sought to close gaps in equitable access to menstrual products across the state’s incarceration system. While […]
NH DOJ: ‘More complex civil litigation load than at any time in recent memory’
The state’s Department of Justice is seeking nearly $7 million in additional funds for ongoing legal expenses related to “the number of particularly complex and labor-intensive cases” in its criminal and civil bureaus. Detailing a high-volume caseload that has “nearly exhausted” dedicated funds for fiscal year 2024, Attorney General John Formella’s request will go before […]