As you may know, the New England District, Army Corps of Engineers, is developing a regional general permit for New England (NE GP) to replace the six state GPs in our region, including the New Hampshire PGP (Attachment 1). We’re considering this for several reasons, including consistency with our national program and among the New England states, streamlining Regulatory processes, and facilitating review of projects by other agencies and interstate groups. We issued a public notice in June 2013. We plan to issue another public notice this summer to again solicit comments from stakeholders, which include Fed. and state agencies, tribes, and the regulated public. We’ll then continue discussing the NE GP with stakeholders and incorporating suggestions. We plan to make a permit decision in Dec. 2014.

Attached are two copies of the most recent NE GP draft. The 2nd attachment has no track changes. The 3rd attachment has highlighted changes. For those of you following along, changes in yellow were made after the June 2013 public notice,green were made after 1/2/14, grey were made after 3/26/14.

I’ll be in New Hampshire on Wed., June 11 to meet with New Hampshire state agencies. I’ll be available to meet at the NH DES, Wetlands Bureau, 29 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH after that meeting to discuss the NE GP with interested parties from2:00 to 5:30 p.m. There won’t be a formal presentation as this is an opportunity to sit down with the Corps in an informal setting to ask questions on the NE GP, present your views and opinions, and for the Corps to acquire information which will be considered in evaluating the proposal. Please contact me if you’d like to meet or speak by phone on June 11 and the time that you’ll arrive. You may also contact me to set up meetings, phone calls, or teleconferences on other dates. We’ll also conduct outreach and training before and after the potential NE GP issuance.

Thank you,

Greg Penta Regulatory Division U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District 696 Virginia Road Concord, MA 01742-2751 (978) 318-8862

Got beavers? Want to know how to attract more young people to your work? Need volunteers to help with invasives work days? Not sure how to identify a wetland or process an applications? Tired of lugging around maps, compass, and other field instruments?

Great! Then come join the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions (NHACC) and UNH Cooperative Extension this year for this year’s outdoors-based Conservation Commission Field Training Series. These workshops are aimed at those who serve on their town’s conservation commissions, but are open to the public and all are welcome to attend.

Sessions include:

• Engaging Youth with your Conservation Commission
• Wetlands Applications and Permitting
• Mobile Technology for Mapping
• Wetlands Identification
• Learning to Live with Beavers
• How to Lead an Invasive Plant Work Day

This is a great to get out and enjoy the outdoors this Spring, Summer, and Fall and learn some essential skills. The best part is that the sessions are free, though there is a $10 suggested donation to help defray the costs of running them.

For more details, take a look at our workshop flyer. Please feel free to print or email the flyer to distribute to those who may be interested in attending.

Click here to register. If you have any questions, please contact Emily Lord at EmilyLord@nhacc.org or 603-224-7867.

See you in the field!

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Concord, NH – The NH Department of Environmental Services is pleased to announce that grant opportunities are now available. The Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) Fund grants are available for eligible wetland restoration, land protection or habitat improvement projects. Any of New Hampshire’s communities that lie wholly or partially within the service areas are eligible to apply for ARM Fund grants.

Pre-Proposal Submission: Applicants are required to submit a one- to two-page summary detailing their watershed proposal which are due to the DES Wetlands Bureau office by 4 PM April 28, 2013. The pre-proposal summary will be reviewed by DES and the Site Selection Committee and feedback will be provided as to why the project may not meet the program criteria or how the proposal could be strengthened. The ARM Fund Program pre-proposal form can be found at: http://www.des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wetlands/wmp/categories/forms.htm    Please submit one hard copy and one electronic (pdf) version.

An ideal project would provide resource restoration within the context of a proposed conservation proposal. The key to success is the long-term protection of those wetland functions that are restored or enhanced. Reviewers will favor proposals that clearly demonstrate how the project’s wetland protection, restoration, enhancement and/or creation will be sustainable over the long-term. Where project scores are comparable, preference will be given to those projects that provide long term protection of the project area and its buffer or provide long term management to ensure the greatest environmental benefit from funds available. Details of the mitigation program and towns included in the service area can be found at: http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wetlands/wmp/index.htm

The application instructions and worksheet can be found at:  http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wetlands/wmp/index.htm

Prior to filing an application, it is strongly suggested to discuss the proposal with DES Mitigation Coordinator, Lori Sommer, at lori.sommer@des.nh.gov or (603) 271-4059