BioBlitz! An Extreme Species Search in Odiorne Point State Park Explore the habitats of Odiorne Point State Park with scientists, field experts & the Seacoast Science Center

10th annual BioBlitz! During this extreme nature scavenger hunt, you can explore with field experts to find and identify as many different species as possible in one day. Here, a group pulls a seine net in to see what they have captured after dragging it along the sandy bottom Little Harbor at the northern end of Odiorne Point State Park. (courtesy photo)

RYE –

The Seacoast Science Center will hold its 10th annual BioBlitz! on Saturday, September 15 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. BioBlitz! is a daylong species scavenger hunt of Odiorne Point State Park, where the public explores alongside scientists and field naturalists to find and record data on as many different species in the park as possible in one day.

New this year, invited experts will begin searching for species the evening before the public event, making it the first 24 hour BioBlitz! for the Center. On September 15, participants will learn what species were found in the dark of the night.

BioBlitz! offers opportunities for individuals and families to gain knowledge and skill in their favorite area of nature. Exploration teams will be birding, searching for insects, snakes and amphibians, exploring the freshwater pond and salt marsh, tracking mammals, identifying plants and seaweeds, tide pooling and more. You can sign up to participate in all or part of the day. Additional guided field programs and special activities will be announced throughout the day.

BioBlitz! is a great way to excite children about science and a rare opportunity to meet many passionate biologists working together. Odiorne’s 135 acres and seven distinctly different habitats make it a unique and fascinating place to explore and learn.

According to education director Perrin Chick, “Despite wet and windy conditions last year, sixty-seven new species were added to our list. You never know what you will discover. A rarely seen Atlantic Moonfish was found by an eight year old boy.”

If you are not up for scouring the park, there is still plenty to explore in the Center’s Gregg Interactive Learning Studio. There, you will see samples of species collected by naturalists and learn about the identification process. You can see amazing images of the plants, animals and activities from past years on the big-screens, observe insects through microscopes, see samples of seaweeds and fungi, research on your own on our touch-screen computers.

Since the first BioBlitz! in 2003, the total number of species identified in Odiorne tops 1,890. This extremely valuable catalogue serves as a snapshot of the biodiversity of flora and fauna of the region. The knowledge gained during BioBlitz! has provided multiple opportunities to educate school children, families and groups. Special thanks go to sponsors Normandeau Associates, ReVision Engery, and Westinghouse for supporting the event.

To learn how you can help the Center add to the list, find a detailed schedule, and register online at www.seacoastsciencecenter.org/events. Members of the Seacoast Science Center may participate at no cost. The event is free for members of the Seacoast Science Center; $5 for non-members; $20 for non-member families (up to 6 people). Contact Perrin at 603-436-8043, ext. 17 or p.chick@seacentr.org for more information or to inquire how groups can get involved.

Vintage & Vine Wine Festival to Feature Famous Chef

Guests enjoy the 2011 Vintage & Vine wine-tasting and gourmet food festival at Strawbery Banke Museum. (courtesy photo)

Rare wines, local chefs, locally fished & farmed food

PORTSMOUTH –

Strawbery Banke Museum, in partnership with the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, is planning its annual Vintage & Vine wine festival presenting fine wines and gourmet foods in historic style across the historic houses and heritage landscapes of the Museum's scenic Portsmouth waterfront site. The festival will be held on Saturday, September 8. Special guest this year is famous television chef Mary Ann Esposito.

Featuring fine wines from around the world and imaginative cuisine prepared by top Seacoast chefs, Vintage & Vine offers an international tasting tour of Strawbery Banke's historic houses and gardens on its ten-acre waterfront Portsmouth site, from 4 to 7 p.m. “Grow. Green. Global” is the theme for the wine tasting and sale, with the educational, environmental and heirloom aspects of the living history museum highlighted as visitors grow their understanding of 300 plus years of life in the waterfront neighborhood known as Puddle Dock.

“Vintage & Vine 2012 offers guests the opportunity to become a part of the story of Puddle Dock,” said Lawrence J. Yerdon, president and CEO of Strawbery Banke Museum. “Guests sample a selection of hundreds of fine wines and gourmet items created by the Seacoast's finest chefs, while exploring the vintage homes and heirloom gardens of Portsmouth's past. Perhaps best of all, thanks to the efforts of the Museum's trustees and community volunteers in producing this event, Vintage & Vine supports the museum's mission of being a sustainable place to gather and to learn.”

The proceeds from the fundraising event support the nonprofit Museum's preservation and educational efforts including the History Within Reach program, which brings more than 10,000 schoolchildren to the museum each year.

The Vintage & Vine Grand Tasting takes place across the museum's grounds, with thirty top local chefs paired with wine brokers strategically located among 15 vintage houses and gardens. Wine experts introduce guests to vintage wines paired with special hors d'oeuvres in the VIP Tent in the Goodwin Garden during the VIP Reserve Tasting, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

“The New Hampshire Liquor Commission is proud to participate in Strawbery Banke Museum's Vintage & Vine 2012,” said New Hampshire Liquor Commission chairman Joseph Mollica. “It is a great partnership between the Commission and our licensees that benefits an important site in our great state.”

Five Star Chefs from the region's best restaurants take center stage at grilling stations on the main lawn, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The main tent features an artisanal cheese station, an auction of wines by the bottle, a silent auction and live music by local band Rhythm Method. A festive bonfire completes the scene.

New this year, and underscoring the global element of the festival, an Italian Wine Dinner hosted by Mary Ann Esposito, creator and host of the nationally televised PBS series, “Ciao Italia,” follows the Grand Tasting from 7:30 -9:30 p.m. Catered by the White Apron and sponsored by Banfi Wines in the Goodwin Garden, the finale showcases Italian fare based on Esposito's new book, “Ciao Italia Family Classics.” Wines from Castello Banfi, selected to complement each course, will be presented by Italian wine enthusiast, Guy Esposito, MD, who has shared his enthusiasm for Italian regional wines with groups ranging from classes at Boston University to travelers in Italy.

The focus on sustainability is emphasized throughout the walk-around wine tasting. “Vintage & Vine 2012 features just-gathered, seasonal items from local farmers and fishermen, prepared by inspired Seacoast chefs,” said John Forti, Strawbery Banke's curator of historic landscapes. “We are also committed to making Vintage & Vine a 'zero waste event' by using compostable products and recycling all of the wine bottles from the event.”

All of the wines at Vintage & Vine can be ordered at the event. Guests receive a fifteen percent discount when purchasing any six or more bottles. Payment is made when the order is picked up at any New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet store. This year, the museum will again offer Riedel Ouverture Magnum tasting glasses at $10 per glass. Introduced in 1989, Riedel's Magnum level series is for customers who appreciate good, reasonably-priced wine. Ouverture Magnum is a non-varietal specific lead-free glass known to increase the drinking pleasure of wine, beer and spirits. The glasses are machine blown in Bavaria, Germany.

Tickets are now on sale at www.strawberybanke.org. Ticket prices: Grand Tasting Admission $40; VIP Reserve Admission plus Grand Tasting $75; and Italian Wine Dinner with Mary Ann Esposito & The White Apron $125. Designated driver tickets and Museum member discounts available. For more information, go to www.strawberybanke.org or call 603-433-1100.

Local Organizations Partner for Isles of Shoals Cleanup

Students with a pile of debris removed from Appledore Island (courtesy photo)

PORTSMOUTH –

After a successful cleanup at Appledore Island in June, in which 557 pounds of marine debris were removed in five hours, Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation and New Hampshire Sea Grant have set their sights on three more islands – Star Island, home to the Star Island Family Retreat and Conference Center, and White and Seavey Islands, home to the Isles’ iconic lighthouse and the Tern Restoration Project.

Recent survey trips to the three islands revealed litter lying in coves and lodged in rocks, and piles of lobster traps and buoys. Blue Ocean Society, New Hampshire Sea Grant and Lee Schatvet, captain of the fishing vessel Yesterday’s Storm, will be working with Star Island and guests of the Life on a Star conference to clean Star Island on Monday afternoon, followed by a cleanup on White Island on Tuesday morning, working with Sue Reynolds, founder of the Lighthouse Kids. The groups are also partnering with New Hampshire Fish and Game and NH Marine Patrol on removal of abandoned fishing gear on the islands.

“Our hope is to survey and remove litter and derelict fishing gear on the Isles of Shoals this year with the goal of protecting wildlife and the people that visit the Isles,” said Jen Kennedy, Blue Ocean Society’s executive director.  “Next year, we hope to return and re-survey the areas to see how quickly marine debris is accumulating on these islands, and where ‘hot spots’ might be.”

Marine debris can be hazardous to wildlife through ingestion or entanglement, and can cause problems for boaters, fishermen and beachgoers.  The Isles of Shoals, which are home to a variety of seabirds, including a large population of nesting great black-backed gulls and herring gulls, plus common, roseate and Arctic terns, are located within popular fishing grounds and are situated just inshore of Jeffrey’s Ledge, an important whale feeding ground.

While green initiatives like solar and wind power, water conservation, and composting are common practices at Appledore, Star and White Islands, the shoreline is victim to litter carelessly dumped from boaters and beachgoers, and fishing gear that is washed ashore by storms.

“Removing derelict fishing gear and other land based and ocean based debris is really important on these islands because debris can and has remained here for years.  Accumulation of litter and fishing gear over time is a real hazard to the species that reside on and around the islands” said Dr. Gabriela Bradt, fisheries specialist from New Hampshire Sea Grant.”

Sue Reynolds, founder of the Lighthouse Kids, added “Lighthouse Kids works in partnership with the State of New Hampshire, owners of White Island.  The island is a national historic treasure.  For the past ten years restoration has been ongoing, after years of abandonment.  Ben Wilson, Bureau of Historic Resources, Department of Resources and Economic Development and Lighthouse Kids Stewards on White Island have been working to clean up the island.  It is a huge undertaking, slow and tedious, so the help of Blue Ocean Society is truly appreciated.”

The project is conducted with funding from the Fishing for Energy Partnership and NOAA that was granted to the Marine Debris to Energy Project, a partnership between Blue Ocean Society, NH Sea Grant, UNH Cooperative Extension and Dr. Jenna Jambeck at the University of Georgia. The goal of the project is to monitor and remove marine debris from the coastline and local waters from southern Maine to northern Massachusetts. With the help of local fishermen and volunteers, more than 115 tons of marine debris have been removed from the ocean since 2008. 

The Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation is a Portsmouth-based non-profit organization that is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a non-profit organization this year.  Its mission is to protect marine mammals in the Gulf of Maine through education, research and conservation.

For more information on the project, visit nhmarinedebris.org or blueoceansociety.org or call 603-431-0260.

Auction at Stratham Fair Benefits Local Youth

 

STRATHAM –

The 2012 4-H Benefit Auction at the Stratham Fair was a tremendous success, with an increase in auction donations and bidders this year. The profit of $6,600 was the result of generous donations from local businesses and craftspeople, an energized team of 4-H volunteers, and the local community who gathered at the 4-H Exhibit Building to bid at the auction.

The Rockingham County 4-H Foundation sends a great thank you to the local businesses, craftspeople, and citizens who supported the auction with their generous donations, and the auction buyers, auctioneer, and volunteers who made the fundraiser a success for all Rockingham County 4-H youth.

Proceeds from the auction help send local youth to county, state, and national leadership and citizenship development events, support 4-H Youth Development programs, 4-H afterschool programs, and provide continuing education scholarships and recognition for 4-H youth and volunteer leaders.

The 4-H Youth Development program of UNH Cooperative Extension strives to create supportive program environments where youth have a sense of belonging and a desire to grow in knowledge and skill. In Rockingham County, more than 1,000 4-H members and 200 adult volunteers and student interns are involved in 4-H through local clubs, afterschool programs, state, and national events. For more information, contact the Rockingham County 4-H office at 603-679-5616 or visit the web site at www.bit.ly/RockCty4H.

See Historic Homes in a New Light

White Chamber, Moffatt-Ladd House, at Twilight (courtesy photo)

PORTSMOUTH -

For just one evening every two years, Portsmouth’ most beautiful historic house museums show off their interiors during the twilight hours.  This rare opportunity to see the homes and gardens by “candlelight” will take place on Friday August 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. To make the evening extra special, this year the tours will be augmented at each house with brief talks on collection objects, dramatizations of historic events, and period music as well as light refreshments.  Travel through the eighteenth and early nineteenth century throughout the evening. At the 1718 Warner House, learn about Archibald McPhaedris and the Mohawk chiefs. At the 1758 John Paul Jones House enjoy talks about John  Paul Jones and the French officers, and take a special look at the museum’s outstanding collection of Portsmouth samplers.  The 1763 Moffatt-Ladd House will come alive with two dramatic presentations at 5:30 and 6:45 pm: “Polly Moffatt and the French Officers’ Ball,” while at Strawbery Banke visitors will enjoy the music of the American Revolution with Richard Spicer on the harpsichord at Pitt Tavern, and a tour the 1762 Chase House.  At the 1784 Gov. John Langdon House, Historic New England Associate Curator Laura Johnson will share a newly acquired silhouette of John Langdon with visitors and at the 1807 Rundlet-May House, collection manager Nicole Chalfant will describe favorite items from the house's collection. Other houses open for this special evening include the 1750 Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, the 1760 Wentworth Gardner House, and the  ca. 1740 Tobias Lear House.    

Adult Tickets are $18 in advance, and $20 the evening of the tour.   Tickets for Children 12 and under are $9 in advance, and $10 the evening of the tour.  If you are unable to visit all of the houses on the evening of the tour and wish to return, Twilight Tour tickets will be good for regular admission to the houses through the end of the 2012 season.

Proceeds of the tour benefit the member sites of the Portsmouth Historic House Associates, Inc. (PHHA), and PHHA joint programming.  Founded in 1946, PHHA is a consortium of local historic house museums that includes Historic New England (Jackson House, Gov. John Langdon House and the Rundlet-May House), the Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden, the Portsmouth Historical Society at the John Paul Jones House, Strawbery Banke Museum, the Warner House Association, the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, and the Wentworth Lear Association.  PHHA is dedicated to fostering communication among Portsmouth's independent historic house museums to bring to a wider audience the history of Portsmouth, its architecture, its gardens, and its people.  Learn more about PHHA and its activities, and find contact information for each of the houses at www.portsmouthhistorichouses.org.  For more information or to reserve tickets for the Twilight Tour, please call 603-436-8433.  Tickets may be purchased at the Discover Portsmouth Center at 10 Middle Street, at any of the member sites, or online at portsmouthhistory.org.

Making Better Decisions in 4-H

Students in 4-H Judging Contest (courtesy photo)

 

DOVER –

Taking a critical look at the quality of items is just the beginning for those 4-H youth at this year’s  Stratham Fair who took up the Consumer Home Economics 4-H Judging Contest challenge held in the Lynn Garland  4-H Exhibit Building. Many classes required not only making the decision of ranking a class of four similar items but also writing reasons explaining the decisions for their placement classes.  In other classes, there were knowledge quizzes based on 4-H project manuals.

This year the placement classes featured: sewn vet tech shirts for the Clothing and Textiles Project area; Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars for Foods and Nutrition; knitted dishcloths and decorated pens for Arts and Crafts; Lupine Festival and 4-H’ers showing Cows at Stratham Fair for the Photography and Sun Room designs for the Home Improvement section.  In addition there were seventeen toys that had to be scrutinized for safety and age appropriateness if you were babysitting an almost 5-year-old girl.  Another class featured a situation analyzing ten different ads for a bedding set for a full-size bed within a given budget.

An engraved plaque is presented by Stratham Fair to the highest scoring individual in each of the 4-H age groupings.  This year’s highest scoring individuals were Nathan James, 10, from Exeter, for the Novice Class for 4-H youth ages 8-13 who were new to the judging  program. Capturing top honors in the Junior Division for youth ages 9-10 was Muriel Bennett, 10, from Epping.  Turner Jennings won the Intermediate Division for 11-13 year olds and Brandie Rice, 18, Fremont, topped the senior division for those 14-18 years old.

Other 4-H’ers taking part in the Novice Division where youth had to judge three different project classes in the competition were: AJ Robidas, 13, Barrington; Chris Garcia, 13, Strafford; Patrick Marcoux, 10, Brentwood; Samantha Marcoux, 9, Brentwood; and Joe Garcia, 10, Strafford.

Participants in the Intermediate Division, who had to judge five different project classes,  were Emily Gibson, 13, Lee; Jolene Levesque, 13, Fremont; Ryan Crouch, 13, Lee; Sammy Merrill, 12, Stratham; Jacob Scruton, 13, Farmington; Cole Atherton, 12, Lee; and Riley Johnson, 11, East Kingston.

Involved in the Senior Division with having to place two classes in four different project groupings were Gillian Robidas, 15, Barrington; Deanna Scruton, 16, Farmington; Justin Frones, 18, Madbury; Chris St. Pierre, 16, Lee; Jenny Elwell, 15, Stratham; Christine La More, 15, Newmarket; Tristan Baker, 15, Exeter; Mary Claire Attisano, 14, Lee; and Zander Allen 14, Rochester.

4-H youth at the fairs have the projects they create judged by volunteers but in the consumer judging program youth become the judges and have to look closely at items to determine what they feel is the best, second best, third best and bottom of each placement class.  All knowledge quizzes are corrected and returned to the 4-H’ers to help them continue to learn by doing through their 4-H experiences too.

For information on participating in 4-H programs that help youth develop skills, knowledge and confidence should contact the Rockingham County 4-H program in Brentwood at 679-5616 or the Strafford County 4-H program in Dover at 749-4445.  4-H is the youth development program of UNH Cooperative Extension, an equal opportunity employer and educator.  For more information, check out the Extension website at www.extension.unh.edu.

American Independence Museum Celebrates Purple Heart Day, Honors Military

(courtesy photo)

 

EXETER –

On Wednesday, August 8, the American Independence Museum celebrated the anniversary of the Badge of Military Merit, also known as the “Purple Heart” by offering free tours to all active and retired military personnel.

General George Washington issued an order on August 7, 1782 to acknowledge the meritorious actions of enlisted men.  The badge was to be “the figure of a heart in purple cloth or silk…to be worn on the left breast.”  Three men were known to have received the honor at that time, but there is no surviving written record of others who were honored with the badge. 

The museum displayed two Purple Hearts that are in their collection, along with other medals and military ephemera.  One of the badges is of faded purple cloth and was acquired by Society of the Cincinnati member William Willey from a barn in Deerfield, NH in the 1920s; the name of the recipient is not known.  The piece was recently conserved by Deborah Bede, and its age was authenticated by textile expert Jane Nylander. The badge and piece of wool uniform to which it is sewn were then placed in a new display case. The World War II medal on display belonged to J. Phillip Webber and was donated by his widow, Mrs. Alice Webber.

All active and retired military personnel were invited to take a free tour.

A Purple Heart craft activity was available for children.  For more information or directions, please visit www.independencemuseum.org or call 603-772-2622. 

The American Independence Museum is a not-for-profit organization in Exeter, New Hampshire with a mission to connect America’s Revolutionary past with the present through its tours, programs, and special events.  The museum is also participating in the National Endowment for the Arts Blue Star Museums program, which offers free tours to active military personnel until Labor Day.  Over 1,800 museums across the country are involved in this annual summer program.  For more information, visit http://www.arts.gov/national/bluestarmuseums.