Seven Years in Pictures -- Spring Edition

2012

23rd Annual Nonpoint Source Pollution Conference Great Bay Estuary NH/ME
Dr. Fred Short speaking on his eelgrass decline research. Below, one of the Estuary's primary bridges that, as it degraded over time, leached heavy metals into the water below.

On a personal note, perennial beds at home got converted into raised vegetable beds. A shitload of labor went into this for what proved to be a fairly short stint at growing our own fruits and veggies. Good thing there are lots of local farmers' markets around us. ;)

2013

Because every clothesline should have more than one purpose.

Red-backed salamander in the backyard. These little guys are an abundant species of salamander in NH. They, unlike their brethren,  are not aquatic. Rather, they love moist woodland floors and downed, decomposing woody debris. Leave those logs where they fall. :)

Eastern Yellow Swallowtail on Sargentii crabapple blossoms

2014

How to climb a stone wall like an Eastern Garter snake....

One of several watershed management/conservation signs installed around our town in areas where stormwater runoff has direct impacts on receiving water bodies such as the Winnicut River. This sign educates the reader about aquatic species and their habitat, and non-point source pollution (road/bridge/parking lot storm runoff...dog waste in the landscape...).

What is a watershed? From a bird's eye view, the area of land that drains to a receiving water body. Scale can be small--all the land in a town that drains to a lake...or large--a section of the country that drains into a system such as the Mississippi River. Imagine the contours of land and you'll start seeing how every stream, river, pond and lake eventually all leads to our oceans and seas.

One of the many fine examples of rock at the Natural History Museum in Boston, this is Labradorite from Madagascar.

2015

That bridge from 2012? In this pic it's in the distance, to the right of the setting sun, which, obviously, is in the west. In the previous picture we were heading east toward the bridge. The Piscataqua River is extensive as it drains the Great Bay Estuary and its seven tributaries.

Ichneumonid wasp! Zoom in to see its inch-long tail!

Freshwater Sunfish nest! Very shallow area while kayaking Lovell Lake in NH. Zoom in and look closely to see the actual male fish in the center, guarding his nest.

Eastern Painted turtle being returned to a freshwater body from whence it came, which included a Great Blue heron rookery (below right) 

Brand new toy--trash grippers! Great for walking and kayaking. :)

More work for river conservation, this time planting dozens of shrubs and tree stock. Volunteers make fast work when they number this many.

A good friend is a state-licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Here, a state endangered Blanding's turtle is being released after intensive care following a car strike. Note the transmitter for monitoring.

2016

Ocean debris turned into art. Sad and amazing at all once.

Those raised veggie beds didn't last long. Old dog needed a grassy area to roll around on...haha.

2017 - The Year of Marching

Climate March, D.C. April 27

Science March, NH April 22

Tax Day March, NH April 15

   

EPA/Save the Environment rally, Portsmouth NH April 8

And, of course, the Women's March in January. Pic not included here due to it having been a winter march and therefore out of purview.

2018 - The Year of Memes and Other Notables

DNA testing, anyone?

Portsmouth, NH March 24
'May our horror over your senseless deaths inspire us to demand sensible firearms reform'
Over three thousand people (below) came to rally in support of the Parkland School victims on this day

Earth Day 2011 only one week away!

A great resource to rely on for learning how to diminish, if not eliminate, your trash footprint is Colin Beavan's 'No Impact Man' blog.  From a blog entry in 2009, great tips were suggested for eliminating waste from your life.  I'm proud to report that we have only a couple areas to check off: soft paper goods (tissues and paper towels, both of which we buy from unbleached, 100% p-c sources), and certain plastics (specifically, those ratty little plastic "safety" strips found on most bottles, jars and other food containers, as well as, #5/7 plastic tub containers that sour cream, ricotta cheese and certain nuts/seeds come in).  I really appreciate his 'Waste not, want not' category.

From his 2009 blog post:

20 ways to keep the landfill empty

Organic material--food and paper, for example--rot and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, when sent to the landfill. When the liners meant to seal landfills eventually crack, toxic substances can leach into the water table, causing hard to trace illnesses in faraway communities.
But perhaps the worse thing is, when we throw something in the landfill to be buried in the ground (or worse, in an incinerator to be burned into our air), it represents a waste of resources that we took from the earth in the first place.
Here's the good news: I think it actually feels good not to waste. That is to say, I've found that not making trash, actually makes me feel better about myself.
For these reasons, I've put together this list of 25 ways to avoid making trash suggest by readers of the No Impact Man blog:

1. Keep your own cutlery with you so you don't have to use the plastic versions
2. Cut up your old clothes for use as rags and avoid paper towels
3. Use mason jars to carry everything from drinking water to a packed lunch
4. Use a handkerchief instead of tissue
5. Make notepaper from the blank side of junk mail
6. Give your old eyeglasses to the local Lions Club for distribution to those in need
7. Make cardboard egg cartons into biodegradable seed starters
8. Cut yogurt containers into strips and use them to label garden plants
9. Use cloth bags for the bulk bins at the grocery store
10. Empty out vacuum cleaner bags and reuse
11. Use cloth napkins instead of paper towel
12. Cook from scratch to avoid food packaging
13. Use shaving soap bars to avoid throwaway bottles
14. Make your own yogurt so there are no plastic tubs
15. Wash and reuse ziplock bags
16. Use the waxy liners of cereal boxes to wrap sandwiches
17. Use scrap office paper for kids coloring books
18. Carry a cloth for drying your hands and wrapping things in
19. Pack a lunch in a reusable container instead of buying lunch in plastic packaging
20. Use rechargeable batteries