s2ary
12-20-2007, 08:34 AM
I recently attended a planning meeting for the second phase of the Little River Restoration Project. During the meeting I didn’t get the chance to mention that we would like to explore restoring fish passage within the watershed and possibly a future Salter introduction in the marsh. However, the members of the Conservation Commission who attended the meeting were very proactive and at least one of them is a sportsman.
Just prior to and after the meeting I had the opportunity to approach a longtime friend and colleague who was recently appointed as the director of the NH Coastal Programs on the subject. At first he agreed that the project had merit, but the logistics of the proposal may overshadow the returns. However, when we further discussed the proposal and our desire to eventually reintroduce Salters into the estuary, he quickly turned optimistic. Our time was limited so we need to meet again to discuss the matter further.
We left the meeting with a napkin list of variables and the agreement that we should start by discussing the proposal with the conservation commission. So over the next few weeks we will be preparing a draft proposal introduction to forward to the commission and hope to get a space on their January or February meeting agenda to discuss the matter in person.
The next few steps we want to go through on this project are to form a stewardship volunteer base for this project to help with the momentum. Nothing too time consuming but we will need a few people to attend the commission meeting as supporters and possibly be available as liaisons to talk to reporters, supporters, and the like. In general, a volunteer would need to stay informed on the project so they could answer general questions from people and offer letters of support when needed. As with any project, the more people who show interest in the project the further it will go. Unlike a dam rehab, there is no economic incentive to push the project, pro active restorations need a support base.
We also need to contact the Hampton Rod and Gun Club as they have an interest in this watershed. Does anybody know anyone from that group?
Something else that happened in early November is while we were working in the estuary a guy ran up to us out of the blue and asked if we fished there. He then went on to explain that he had caught a 20-22 inch ‘salmon’ or ‘sea trout’ at the mouth of the river earlier that season, but because he wasn’t much of a fisherman he wanted more information. I was taken by surprise, and blew it because I didn’t ask him for his contact info, all I know is he is from down south and has a house right there somewhere. Chances are it was a drop down rainbow from F&G stockings further up the river. What this shows is that the estuary has the ability to support a searun population for well over one season, so we’re in.
This is an older link to the Phase I restoration project.
http://www.des.state.nh.us/factsheets/cp/cp-14.html
If anyone has the ability to be a steward on this project please either make a post here or contact Lowwall or myself for more information.
Just prior to and after the meeting I had the opportunity to approach a longtime friend and colleague who was recently appointed as the director of the NH Coastal Programs on the subject. At first he agreed that the project had merit, but the logistics of the proposal may overshadow the returns. However, when we further discussed the proposal and our desire to eventually reintroduce Salters into the estuary, he quickly turned optimistic. Our time was limited so we need to meet again to discuss the matter further.
We left the meeting with a napkin list of variables and the agreement that we should start by discussing the proposal with the conservation commission. So over the next few weeks we will be preparing a draft proposal introduction to forward to the commission and hope to get a space on their January or February meeting agenda to discuss the matter in person.
The next few steps we want to go through on this project are to form a stewardship volunteer base for this project to help with the momentum. Nothing too time consuming but we will need a few people to attend the commission meeting as supporters and possibly be available as liaisons to talk to reporters, supporters, and the like. In general, a volunteer would need to stay informed on the project so they could answer general questions from people and offer letters of support when needed. As with any project, the more people who show interest in the project the further it will go. Unlike a dam rehab, there is no economic incentive to push the project, pro active restorations need a support base.
We also need to contact the Hampton Rod and Gun Club as they have an interest in this watershed. Does anybody know anyone from that group?
Something else that happened in early November is while we were working in the estuary a guy ran up to us out of the blue and asked if we fished there. He then went on to explain that he had caught a 20-22 inch ‘salmon’ or ‘sea trout’ at the mouth of the river earlier that season, but because he wasn’t much of a fisherman he wanted more information. I was taken by surprise, and blew it because I didn’t ask him for his contact info, all I know is he is from down south and has a house right there somewhere. Chances are it was a drop down rainbow from F&G stockings further up the river. What this shows is that the estuary has the ability to support a searun population for well over one season, so we’re in.
This is an older link to the Phase I restoration project.
http://www.des.state.nh.us/factsheets/cp/cp-14.html
If anyone has the ability to be a steward on this project please either make a post here or contact Lowwall or myself for more information.