Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative Honored with National Award

DURHAM—

The Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative, an ambitious inter-state effort to protect drinking water supplies for more than 28,000 residents in Maine and New Hampshire, was awarded the 2012 U.S. Water Prize by The Clean Water America Alliance.

Conceived through the efforts of the drinking water protection programs in the states of both Maine and New Hampshire, the Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative brought together natural resource experts, municipalities, land trusts and local water districts and developed an Action Plan to protect clean drinking water for current and future generations.

The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP), which is administered by the University of New Hampshire, serves as the lead convener for the Collaborative since they are a conservation organization with a mission to maintain and restore the health of the Great Bay estuary that borders the two states. The Salmon Falls River is the largest river system contributing to the Great Bay estuary, and was recently identified by the U.S. Forest Service as being the most threatened in the nation with regard to a potential decline in water quality due to conversion of private forested lands to housing.

The selection of the Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative for the U.S. Water Prize highlights the importance of inter-jurisdictional partnerships to protect and sustain drinking water supplies. The Collaborative unites to protect forests, champion smarter development approaches and reduce water pollution from existing and future land development.

In a joint statement, Rachel Rouillard, Executive Director of PREP, and Andrews Tolman from the Maine Center for Disease Control's Drinking Water Program said, "We are delighted by this award and proud of the work so many residents, municipal officials, and other key stakeholders have done and will continue to do into the future to ensure clean water for the Salmon Falls watershed residents and ecosystem."

The Clean Water America Alliance President Ben Grumbles said, "the water champions are showing America how to innovate, integrate and educate for water sustainability and economic success." The award to the Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative and five other organizations will be made on April 23, in Washington, D.C.

The Collaborative work has been made possible through funding support from NH Department of Environmental Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of the national Source Water Collaborative. Other key partners in the Collaborative include: the Wells and Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserves, Maine Rural Water Association, Granite State Rural Water Association, South Berwick and Berwick water districts, City of Somersworth, Maine Non-point Education for Municipal Officials, Strafford Regional Planning Commission, Natural Resources Conservation Service, York County SWCD, Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance and five land trust organizations.

Kittery Residents Meet with Irish Prime Minister

KITTERY—

Kittery residents David, Cathleen and Kay O’Shaughnessy had the opportunity to meet Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny on Thursday, February 16, at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. Mr. O’Shaughnessy is the President and Managing Director at the Seaport, and is an Irish native who moved to the US only three years ago with his family. He was honored to welcome Prime Minister Kenny to the Seaport yesterday, who stopped by during his two-day tour of Boston to be feted by the City’s Irish community. Also at the reception were Senator Scott Brown, Irish ambassador Michael Collins, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis and Ireland’s Consul General to Boston Michael Lonergan.

Photo Caption: David O’Shaughnessy, President of Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center, his daughter Cathleen O’Shaughnessy, Prime Minister of Ireland Enda Kenny and (David’s wife) Kay O’Shaughnessy. (Photo courtesy of Dom Miguel)

NH Soap Box Derby Competitors Visit Children’s Museum of NH

DOVER—

During New Hampshire's February school vacation week, the Children’s Museum of NH will host a special visit from two young NH Soap Box Derby competitors and their cars. On Wednesday, February 29, from 11am–2pm, visitors can meet 12-year-old Ryan Chasse and 11-year-old Teal Borden and check out the actual cars that they have built and raced on the NH Soap Box Derby Circuit. Ryan competes in the stock car division, while Teal competes in the super stock division.

The NH Soap Box Derby is a youth racing event that is open to boys and girls between the ages of 8 through 17 that reside in the State of New Hampshire. This unique program encourages close parent-child activities while building and racing the car. The construction of the gravity racecar reinforces the importance of setting and completing goals while developing traits such as self-confidence, perseverance and craftsmanship. The youth is encouraged to do as much of the work on the car as their level permits.

Rally races are held throughout the spring, summer and fall in New Hampshire and around the United States. Rally races allow the racer to accumulate All-American Soap Box Derby Rally Points which potentially earns the driver the right to compete in the All-American’s World Rally Championship held during the same week in July. More information can be found at www.nhsbd.home.comcast.net.

The Children’s Museum of NH will be open Monday through Friday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday from 12-5pm for the New Hampshire school vacation week. Each day, different science and creative activities will be available in the Muse Studio on the museum's first floor. NH school vacation week will include a Free Family Fun Night on Friday, March 2, from 5:30–8pm with the museum open to all at no charge.

Photo Caption: Pictured is 11-year-old Teal Borden, soap box competitor in the super stock division. (Courtesy Photo)

Children’s Museum of NH Hosts Kids’ Clothing and Gear Consignment Sale

DOVER—

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is hosting a consignment sale of children’s clothing and gear on March 31 and April 1. This sale will offer gently used, good quality children’s clothes, baby clothes and gear, footwear, costumes, toys, nursery furniture and décor, sports equipment, books, music, and videos at outstanding prices. Maternity wear will also be available. People who consign items will earn 60 percent of the revenue from their sold items. The remaining net proceeds will benefit the Children’s Museum of NH and its vital education and outreach programs.

The sale will be open to the public at the Museum’s 6 Washington Street location on Saturday, March 31, from noon-7pm and on Sunday, September 11, from noon–5pm. Sunday will be a half-price sale on many items. There will also be a private pre-sale event on Saturday morning from 9am-noon for people who consign 25 items or more, or who register to volunteer at the sale.

“We got such a great response to our first consignment sale last fall, we decided to make it a semi-annual event,” said Justine Roberts, Executive Director of the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire. “We love it because consignment sales not only help families recoup some of the money they’ve spent on kids’ clothes and accessories, but they also help other families in the community, promote recycling and provide support for our museum, which serves the entire region.”

The Children’s Museum’s consignment sale makes use of technology to streamline the process of consigning items, scheduling volunteers and automating sales. “People interested in consigning can go to our website and click through to a page where they can log in all the items they want to sell,” Roberts explained. “When all of their items are entered, the program will print out a page of bar-coded tags that can be cut out and attached to each item before being dropped off for the sale. Clothing will all be organized by size to make shopping easier, and the tags clearly state the brand and price of each item. We use hand-held bar-code scanners for easy check-out, then consignors can log in and see which of their items sold and how much money they have earned. Volunteers can also sign up right at our website.”

At the conclusion of the sale, consignors may pick up their unsold items or sign-off to have the Children’s Museum donate unsold items to local charities.

Photo Caption: Children’s Museum of NH will host two consignment sales this year. (Courtesy Photo)

Easter Seals NH Kick Off Statewide, Annual VIP Campaign

MANCHESTER—

Community leaders and local businesses gathered in Manchester on Tuesday, February 14, at a kickoff breakfast at Public Service New Hampshire (PSNH) to launch the annual Easter Seals NH VIP Campaign. This year, nearly 200 volunteers will work through April to help raise $500,000 to support services for children, adults and seniors with disabilities and special needs.

PSNH, who assembles one of the campaign’s leading teams each year and hosted the breakfast, has raised funds for Easter Seals NH for 32 years, with funds totaling over $2.3 million.

Easter Seals VIPs, representing 20 companies and groups, will reach out to their network of friends, family and coworkers through emails, phone calls, webpages and letters to reach their fundraising goals.

For more information about Easter Seals NH, call 1-800-870-8728 or visit their website. If you’d like to be part of the VIP Campaign, please call 603-621-3457.

Photo Caption: (left to right) Easter Seals NH Vice President of Development Michael Cormier is joined by VIP Campaign Chairs from PSNH Tara Olson and Brad Owens and Easter Seals NH Child Representative Maya Chasin and her mother Jeanette at the 2012 Easter Seals NH VIP Campaign Kick-off Breakfast on Valentine’s Day. (Courtesy Photo)

Wentworth Connections Adult Day Program Receives State’s Stamp of Approval

PORTSMOUTH—

Wentworth Connections Adult Day Care Program, operated by the Mark Wentworth Home, recently received a deficiency-free stamp of approval during the State of New Hampshire’s survey of care services at the center. The NH Department of Health and Human Services conducts the regulatory review annually; and for day programs for seniors like the Wentworth Connections program, receiving a deficiency-free rating is one of the highest confirmations of quality service available. State and Federal regulations for Senior Adult Day Programs require a thorough survey on a range of core criteria such as safety, patient rights, food service, administration and quality of care services.

The results of the 2012 survey results confirm that the Wentworth Connections Adult Day Program demonstrates a high level of client-centered care for its more than 20 daily clients. The program accommodates clients with physical and cognitive impairments between the hours of 8am and 4:30pm on weekdays. Services offered include meals, assistance with toileting, bathing and grooming, nursing services and medication oversight, music therapy, support group services for client’s families and a myriad of activities covering social, cultural and physical well-being. The program is currently accepting applications for participation, which can be arranged for a flexible number of days each week.

For more information or to enroll in the program, please contact Amy VanSplunder at 603-430-0070.

Sean D. Tucker and Michael Goulian to Perform at Portsmouth Air Show

PORTSMOUTH—

Service Credit Union Boston-Portsmouth Air Show officials announced Tuesday, February 7, that two of the top civilian aerobatic performers in the world, Sean D. Tucker and Michael Goulian, have been confirmed for the lineup for the 2012 show. This year’s show will take to the skies at the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease June 30 and July 1, and will feature the United States Navy Blue Angels. The Daniel Webster Council, Boy Scouts of America and the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire are jointly producing the Service Credit Union Boston-Portsmouth Air Show.

Both Tucker and Goulian are two of the most highly sought-after civilian aerobatic performers on the air show tour and it is rare to have both of them performing at the same show. Even more rare is the fact that this is the third year in a row that the Service Credit Union Boston-Portsmouth Air Show has been able to secure both of these world-class performers for their lineup. Sean D. Tucker and Michael Goulian aren’t just two of the leading aerobatic pilots in the world; they are also great friends and larger than life characters that touch the hearts of fans and inspire millions of Americans.

Tucker is a member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame and is internationally known for his awe-inspiring aerobatic flying routine. He has received the highest awards in the industry, including induction into the International Council of Air Shows Hall of Fame, the Living Legend Aviation Award and many other awards and recognitions. Throughout nearly 40 years of Tucker’s air show experience, he has won numerous competitions and has flown more than 1,000 performances, in front of an excess of 80 million fans, and over 425 air shows.

“We are pumped to be coming back to New England to perform for the great fans there,” said Tucker. “[We] can’t wait to see all our friends in Portsmouth and get some of that great chowder!”

Tucker’s airplane, the Oracle Challenger III bi-plane, has continued to improve each year. Tucker started with a factory built Pitts Special 30 years ago and modified it each year. After reaching the limits of the Pitts, Tucker's team designed a one of a kind airplane that could do anything that he asked of it. This resulted in the highest-performance aerobatic aircraft in the world in its time, the Challenger II biplane. Tucker’s continuous demand to push the aircraft further resulted in the 2010 unveiling of the Oracle Challenger III, which is the currently the highest-performance aerobatic aircraft in the world. This fire-breathing monster packs more than 400 horsepower, weighs just over 1200 pounds and responds to the slightest pressure on the control stick—even at 300 mph. To endure the extreme physical demands of each routine, Tucker maintains a rigorous physical training schedule by working out more than 340 days per year in a routine of jogging and weight-lifting on alternating days.

Goulian, a native of Arlington, Massachusetts, has more than two decades of experience performing at air shows and races around the country. All the while earning a reputation as one of the world’s greatest civilian aerobatic performers. His state-of-the-art Whelen Extra 330SC helps Goulian awes crowds across the world by allowing him to maneuver at speeds of up to 260 miles per hour. His challenging rotations and tumbles across the sky accompanied by an upbeat soundtrack leave the crowds wanting more.

In December 2011, Goulian was awarded the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) Sword of Excellence, a prestigious recognition awarded to an individual based upon contributions made to the air show industry. Goulian is only the seventh air show professional to be awarded all three of the air show industry’s top honors, having also received the Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award and the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship.

“We really view this as a hometown show for us,” said Goulian. “I love flying this show because I grew up flying over much of this same area. We’re excited to see a lot of old friends at this year’s show.”

“We are so excited to have Sean D. Tucker and Michael Goulian returning to the show,” said Steve Wade, CEO of the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire. “These are two of the greatest civilian performers in the world, not to mention two of the crowd’s favorites,” said Michael Kaufman, CEO of the Daniel Webster Council, Boy Scouts of America. “We are very humbled to have them both returning to the show.”

“Service Credit Union is pleased to partner with the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire and the Daniel Webster Council of the Boy Scouts of America to bring these outstanding air performers to the Service Credit Union Boston-Portsmouth Air Show,” said Gordon Simmons, President/CEO of Service Credit Union. “We look forward to having our members and the military enjoy the 2012 show.”

More exciting details about other show performers, static displays and additional features will be announced soon. Tickets for the show are on sale now at www.BostonPortsmouthAirShow.com.

Photo Cutline: Michael Goulian in his Extra 330. (Courtesy Photo)