New Hampshire to Host Consulting Assistance Program

The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) will start accepting applications for its Community Technical Assistance Program (CTAP) on Jan. 15. Municipal planning boards and conservation commissions from the 42-community coastal watershed can apply for the program, which provides consulting assistance focused on natural resources protection.

NHEP will hire a team to collaborate with municipalities to plan for eligible natural resource protection projects, as land conservation plans, stewardship plans, buffer protection ordinances and outreach programs can help minimize the impacts of storm water runoff. The group funds the assistance, develops work scopes based on specific community needs and manages team contract agreements.

"Local land use decisions have a major impact on the water quality and health of our estuaries," said NHEP Director Jennifer Hunter. "The projects supported through CTAP enable towns to better protect their natural resources to the benefit of the community and the larger seacoast region."

Many communities have already made use of the assistance program. "The program was very easy to work with, and the application was straightforward," said Allison Watts, conservation commission chair for the Newfields. "Overall, I think it's a great program and has helped us get the Newfields easement monitoring program up and running."

NHEP anticipates that it will be able to support ten to fifteen community projects in 2008. The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Piscataqua Region, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Estuary Program, through an agreement with the University of New Hampshire, will fund this round of CTAP. The application is avaiable at www.nhep.unh.edu.

Source: seacoastonline.com