NOTES FROM THE SELECTMEN

Since the last Island Items, there have been many issues and projects undertaken by the Board of Selectmen.  Probably the most significant issue has been the setting of the tax rate for this year.  In keeping with a long tradition of keeping budgets and taxes low, we were able to lower the tax rate from $4.78 to $4.68 per thousand dollars of valuation.  Unfortunately, a state-mandated re-evaluation, required every five (5) years was done this summer and resulted in the assessments of some going up, others staying the same and some going down.  Please be assured that we have done all that was possible to do to keep taxes as low as possible, while maintaining the high quality of Town services we have been providing our residents throughout the years. If you have questions and/or concerns, please call the Board of Selectmen.

On a positive note, The Town should be coming on line with our new Website.  The Town hired Chet Lang, a New Castle resident to do an entirely new website and create a new web page. ( www.newcastlenh.org )  This should provide all of our residents with more current and updated information about community needs, issues and events.  Look for the website coming on line in the next few weeks.  For residents who are not on line, we will have copies of the Island Items at the Town Hall.

Have you been following the meetings and discussions of our proposed addition/renovation of the Fire and Police Department building?  The Committee, formed at the request of the Board of Selectmen, appointed Eric Katz to chair the Building/Renovation Committee and charged him to proceed with the appointment of up to seven (7) members to this Committee, including the Police and Fire Chiefs.  Members were to have expertise, experience and knowledge of the various issues which must be addressed in planning for the Department needs of both Fire and Police.  Meeting dates and times are posted at the Town Hall and elsewhere.  If you would like to find out what is going on, you can attend one of the frequent meetings.  Eric and his committee have been working diligently to have their report ready for presentation to the Selectmen at their Dec. 15th meeting.  From there we will move forward with public presentations and budget reviews in preparation for a formal warrant article to be presented at Town Meeting.

Please be advised that we are beginning to think of winter and with that the winter parking ban.

If any of you have gone down to the Town Landing and/or visited the Coast Guard Station or Fort William and Mary, you will have noticed that the University of New Hampshire is putting on the finishing touches to their new building.  This building was reviewed and approved by a committee of local residents and UNH staff.  The building will be used for UNH marine purposes and will have public restrooms, opened to the public on a daily basis, at the front of the building.  When construction is finished, equipment in and around the Battery will be removed and the 9 parking spaces for Fort Constitution will then be available to the public.  UNH will begin contributing information to New Castle residents through Island Items and at other times if necessary.  UNH will also begin construction/renovation of their Marine Biology facility in back of the Coast Guard boat house this Fall/Winter.  The plans of the building have been seen by Town officials.  These plans were developed so that the building would not, in any way, interfere with or interrupt the views and/or appearance of what is located in that area now.

Also, the Town has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with UNH which will provide access to particular departments within New Castle and UNH if any issues or problems arise.  If any
resident should need to contact UNH in regard to their facilities in New Castle, please call the Town to obtain the correct contact person and phone number.

Some questions have been addressed to the Selectmen, relative to parking in Town spaces at the Town Landing and within the original Coast Guard Station areas, especially those given to the Town and to UNH.  Because of the exchange with the Federal Government of approximately 2 acres of land in the Common to be used for much-needed cemetery space, the land given to the Town by the Coast Guard Station had to be exchanged, by contract with the Federal Government and the Town.  This meant that the land, and parking areas within the former Coast Guard Station given to the Town, had to be subject to the same rules and regulations as is observed at the Town Common.

What does that mean?  It means that parking is available the general public for the same hours as is allowed at the Common - 9:00am to 9:00 pm.  Parking at the Town Landing is allowed after 9:00 p.m. ONLY for residents with Town Stickers.  All others will be fined and/or towed.  Since is it not within the Town budget to hire someone to charge to part at the Town Landing, any person parking within the spaces owned by the Town, will not be charged (as is done at the Common seasonally).  If you have questions, please call the Selectmen.

We have been informed that Comcast will be adjusting their rates charged to Town residents upward. We are presently and have been in the past represented by Rob Ciandella, who specializes in the cable television area.  A new contract is now being negotiated and should be complete in February.

The completion of the culvert replacement and cleanup of invasive plant growth at the Quarterdeck Lane sewer station area, is almost completed.  This work has been part of a grant with the State and in partnership with the Town, through the hard work of the Conservation Commission, and the State.
We want to extend our thanks to the residents of Quarterdeck Lane for their patience and for their inconvenience during this prolonged construction work, the use of private property to access and depart Quarterdeck Lane, the extra work of the Town DPW and the Conservation Committee and State and Environmental agencies for their diligence in working with the contractor to repair and redo construction work commenced at this site.   

If you have any questions, please give any Selectman a call and/or come to a Selectmen's meeting, for discussion, on the first or third Monday of the month.  The Board of Selectmen hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a happy and enjoyable holiday season.   


SELECTMEN’S REPORT ON 2008 TAX RATE

The New Castle Tax rate for 2008 will be $4.68.  The following table compares the new rate to last year’s rate.

2008                 2007

Town              $1.41                 $1.61  

County             0.92                   0.81

School             2.35                   2.36

Total              $4.68                  $4.78

The modest decrease from last years rate of $4.78 to $4.68 is the result of several significant offsetting changes. The recent revaluation of properties resulted in an increase in the total assessed value of 15.2 %.  Because the taxable base went up, the rate should go down by a corresponding percentage or approximately $0.72.  However, this decrease was offset by a $0.35 increase in the School budget, a $0.25 increase in the Rockingham assessment, and an increase in the Town portion of $0.02.  Without revaluation the 2008 tax rates would have been:  Town $1.63, County $1.06, and School $2.71.


Gene F. Doherty – Chairwoman

Peter Gamester

Lorn Buxton


Board of Selectmen

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH GUILD

New Castle Village Christmas Fair -  Saturday, December 6, 2008

Save the Date!  The Village Christmas Fair will be held Saturday, December 6, 2008, from 8am to 2pm, at the New Castle Congregational Church Parish Hall on Main Street in New Castle, NH. Morning coffee with delicious homemade baked goods will be for sale, and don’t miss our traditional ‘lobster roll and fish chowder’ lunch (also Mac and Cheese), with fabulous desserts.   There will be a good selection of plain and decorated wreaths at the Fair, as well as Greens and Boxwood Trees, Holiday baskets, Holly wreaths, Hydrangea wreaths, and Centerpieces.  Booths also feature The Bake Table, wonderful hand crafted items, the Candy Store, the famous New Castle Cookbook, Jewelry and Red Elephants, The Country Store, and calligraphy and commissioned art.  And, if you have been very good….. Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus will be visiting from the North Pole!  Let the kids tell Santa what’s on their list…  Make plans to attend, and bring family and friends.

See you at the Village Fair!

For Information Call: 603- 436-3642, or 436-1776 or 431-8672.

http://www.newcastlecongregationalchurch.org/

HELLO FROM THE COAST GUARD CHIEF!

I promised Pam Cullen this letter just a day ago and I tell you what folks; she kept my feet to the fire. I can’t believe it has been over a year since I took over here at the Station. This last year has seen my crew battle through heavy weather training, a Submarine Commissioning, LPG tanker escorts, the tragedy aboard the Save-a-Buck, and all the port, waterways and coastal security , search and rescue and law enforcement cases that keep a Station like this one busy and demanding. I will tell you that my crew has worked hard, stood the watch, and accomplished every task set out before them. It took a lot of hard work from them and it took help from you, the members of this fine New Hampshire community. The New Castle Police and Fire Departments have been especially gracious, professional, and highly supportive of all of our Coast Guard missions.  I want to publicly thank Chief Murphy and Chief Blanding and all the members of their respective departments for their unwavering support.

Not being a man of many words, and being way past my normal allowance for talking, I am going to get to my point. This year the New Castle Fire Department, the New Castle Police Department, and Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor are teaming up to run a holiday food drive. We are going to work together to try and help out folk’s right here in this community and the surrounding areas. You will all be receiving a letter in the mail in the coming days with a list of needed items and foodstuffs as well as the dates and times for pickup and/or drop off. Thank you all in advance for your kindness and support.

Stay safe and Semper Paratus.

Regards,

Chief Roberts

BUILDING INSPECTOR’S REPORT

For those of you that may be thinking about putting on an addition or any other work that may be valued at more than $500, it is not too early to start getting your permissions from the various town boards.  Some projects take several months to gain approval, especially within 250 feet of the water and in the Historic District.

The replacement of roof shingles and the same kind of siding normally does not require a building permit.  However, upgrade of bathroom facilities and new heating systems generally do because of the potential for the installer to create a hazard for the homeowner.  Replacement furnaces also require a permit from the fire department before the work commences.

The various spots for signatures on the lower part of the building permit is to help ensure the work you are having done is safe.  Please ensure your contractor is having these inspections completed. Your job is not finished until the final inspection has been signed-off on the permit form

As many of you know, the State has adopted the 2006 International Building Code and also the International Residential Code.  Consequently, these Codes supersede any lesser requirements a local jurisdiction may desire.  This has been the case for a number of years.  For some unknown reason there are still contractors running around still doing jobs as they did “back when.”  Please call the office prior to beginning any construction to preclude any problems, and or fines.

As many of you know, Andy Schulte has been helping me out when I have been “off.”  He is very knowledgeable, and responds as quickly as his full time job allows.  The town is lucky to have someone as capable as Andy.

Chuck Petlick

GREAT ISLAND GARDEN CLUB

Dear Islanders,

In acknowledgement of the upcoming holidays, the stress gift giving can provoke, and believing in the power of gardening books, GIGC members perused their bookshelves for books they love and depend on.  If you are looking for the perfect present, or a treat for yourself, you might enjoy the following list.

I love the historical, An Island Garden by Celia Thaxter.  It's a beautiful book, even the humor is a delight.  Catherine Greeley

My favorite all-round book is The Well Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DeSabato-Aust. It's not a new book - it was published in 1998. The author has since written two more gardening books but this one is the best for the home gardener who has questions about maintaining a perennial garden.

Another good reference book for New Castle gardeners is The Best Plants for New Hampshire Gardens and Landscapes. This is an UNH publication and is available at the UNH website.  Check out timberpress.com for wonderful books about gardening, garden design and garden history.  The VERY best reference book of them all is The A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, produced by the American Horticultural Society. It has color pictures and good information on every imaginable plant. The color photos are very useful. This is an invaluable gardening tool. Beth Hume

I have two books that I use frequently for my perennial gardens.  The first one is Perennials for American Gardens by Ruth Rogers Clausen and Nicolas H. Ekstrom.  It’s a definitive guide with helpful color pictures.  The second is The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato Aust.  It provides good information about planting as well as pruning and maintenance techniques.  As an after thought, I would also suggest Timber Press Pocket Guide to Clematis by Mary Toomey with Everett Leeds and Charles Chesshire.  It’s well illustrated with color, and offers lots of information about varieties, growing conditions, special purposes and location suggestions, as well as a resource list.

Sylvia  Marple

Here is a classic for used bookstore haunters, Piscataqua Papers: Gardening from the Merrimack to the Kennebec.  Published in 1965 by the Piscataqua Garden Club, York Harbor, Maine.  Another classic, Gardening by the Sea from Coast to Coast, by Daniel J. Foley, 1965, Parnassus Imprints, Orleans, MA.  I like these books because they are particularly indigenous to our region and are more traditional in nature.

Sally Murphy

Interested in learning more about organic gardening?  The Organic Lawn Care Manual, by Paul Tukey, is a good place to start. I have had an organic lawn in New Castle for 4-5 years. This is a great book for anyone wanting to have a chemical free environment.  I had my very first vegetable garden this year and The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch, was a great reference.

Jane Finn

Gardening with Colour by Lance Hattatt has been a good reference for me. It is also a lovely book.

Laurie Clark

This is a wonderful picture book for children that features gardening: The Gardener by Sarah Stewart.

Mary Ann Driscoll

I just saw a fun movie that New Castle gardeners would enjoy - A Man Named Pearl.  It is a documentary about Pearl Fryar, a self-taught topiary artist. Inspirational and very enjoyable.   Holly Gleason


Upcoming Great Island Garden Club Events

December 2, GIGC Holiday Luncheon, Blue Mermaid 11:30am.

January 6, Garden Chat.  Parish Hall, 9:30am.

February 3, Evolution of a New Castle Garden, 9:30am.  Speaker: Anne Reynolds.

Talks are free, and public is encouraged to attend. Contact Nancy Gulley 431-9252 for more information about any of the programs.

Best wishes for a happy holiday, inspired reading, and an early spring,

Your neighbors at GIGC

HOLIDAY TRASH PICKUP FOR THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAYS:

November 26

December 24

December 31

BETWEEN THE COVERS


The Economy got you down? Save on entertainment purchases by borrowing from our collection of nearly 18,000 books, DVD’s, videos, audiobooks, CD’s, and magazines.

There’s new stuff coming in weekly, and if we don’t have it we can try to get it from another library in the state. And we are very open to suggestions!

Thanks to New Castle resident Dr. Jim Zuckerman, the library owns the must-read book for President-Elect Obama: Physics for Future Presidents: the Science Behind the Headlines, by Richard A. Muller. This compelling and quite readable work by physics professor Muller takes an incisive, unbiased look at terrorism, energy, nuclear power and weapons, climate change, and more. Very illuminating and memorable, and I sorely hope it serves to guide our new President. More, what Muller teaches, in the words of Chief Petty Officer John Shelton, “are the basics needed to be an informed, critical-thinking citizen of our country.”

Regular patrons of the library have probably noticed that we purchase considerably more works of fiction than we do of non-fiction. In fact the collection contains approximately 3 times as many fiction titles as non-fiction. This is because 3 times as many novels (in print and audio formats) circulate than do non-novels. Which is a small shame, for I necessarily must pass on ordering many of the hundreds of excellent works I read reviews f or every week. But I do try select a few books I’m pretty sure will touch or resonate with at least a handful of residents. Here’s what reviewers are saying about some of our recently acquired non-fiction titles (yes, very long titles):

Life in the Balance: A Physician’s Memoir of Life, Love, and Loss with Parkinson’s Disease and Dementia, by Thomas Graboys, M.D.

“Brutally honest and direct, this is an unflinching memoir of a devastating illness as only a consummate physician could write it.”

“(told)…that others may find comfort, inspiration, or validation in their own struggles.”

Lopsided. How Having Breast Cancer Can Be Really Distracting. A Memoir, by Meredith Norton

“This Isn’t Chicken Soup for the Soul: It’s Tabasco!”

“For one entire day, a girl I don’t know and never met became my best friend, and I have not been able to stop thinking about her since.”

Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do(and What It Says About Us, by Tom Vanderbilt

“Fascinating and endlessly entertaining… Vanderbilt shows how a sophisticated understanding of human behavior can illuminate one of the world’s most basic and mysterious endeavors. You’ll learn a lot; and the life you save may be your own.”

November’s exhibit is a display created by Beth Hume for the annual meeting of the Garden Club of America (GCA) held in Boston in 2007. This impressive display shows the collaboration between the GCA and the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens and features some of the ‘remarkable women who were pioneers in the male-dominated field of landscape design,’ including Celia Thaxter.

Huge thanks to the Great Island Garden Club for their magnificent autumnal creations around town! The island is an even more beautiful                      place to be, thanks to you.

In honor of the recently gone-by Banned Books Week, I want to celebrate the fact that, though New Castle Library has 7 of the 10 most frequently challenged books of 2007, we’ve fielded no requests for any of these to be removed in the 5 ½ years I’ve been here!

For a list of the 10 books, see Gene.

Please join us on Tuesday, December 12 at 4pm for our annual Open House and Solstice Party! And to especially welcome those residents we’ve not seen in months or years or ever, I declare December 12th to be Amnesty Day at New Castle Library: for the day all fines shall be waived, all over-dues made under-due. So scour your shelves for library spine-labels and join us for friendship and goodies loads of new stuff since last you saw us. And to our regulars I say, how delightful it would be to see you twice or more in a week or fortnight, even if we haven’t much that’s new to tempt you with!

Check out (visually) the model of Portsmouth Light on display in the library. The model is on loan to us from the Friends of Portsmouth Light. Special thanks go to Jeremy D’Entremont, who has given talks at the library on Lighthouses of New England and on Haunted Lighthouses, and who invited us to host the model. The model was hand-built by a Washington state craftsman and even has a working light – more can be seen at www.foggyshoals.com. Also, Jeremy tells me the Friends of Portsmouth Light are desperate for volunteers, especially now that possession of Whaleback Light will soon be transferred to the Friends.

Wish List……………..

any of the ‘Great Courses’ on CD (or funds for purchasing these excellent recorded                                                 lectures, which cost from $50 to $150)

feature-length DVD’s passes to the Children’s Museum, Science Museum, Aquarium (we already have passes to the MFA, Currier, and Seacoast Science Center.)


Gene Fox

Director

POLICE DEPARTMENT

FOOD DRIVE

The New Castle Police Department along with the New Castle Fire Department and the United States Coast Guard Station, Portsmouth Harbor are conducting our Annual Food Drive this year.

The pick-up date will be November 22, 2008 between the hours of 10am and noon.

Leave the items at your front door or the end of the driveway and we pick them up. Also you can drop off the non- perishable items at the  New Castle Fire Station or the New Castle Police Department. Items go to New Castle residents and Coast Guard dependents in need with the left over goes to the Seacoast Food Bank.

WEB PAGE

The new Town Web Page should be up and running soon. There will be important information and it will be updated on a regular basis.  Chet Lang, the new town Web Master has done a great job bringing some life into the web page and making it all real tool for the people of New Castle.

SPEEDING

We are starting a new speeding enforcement program. Resident or Not. Friend or Foe. You will be treated the same. There are a lot of requests for strict speeding enforcement, so we will step it up.


James C. Murphy

Chief of Police

TOWN CLERK UPDATE

OFFICE HOURS

I began my term as Town Clerk in May with an attempt to improve the office hours by asking nearly everyone who came to my desk for their preferences.  The overwhelming response was: “We want evening hours.  It’s too difficult to get here during the day.”

I set a new schedule with two evening sessions from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m..  The only hitch was that no one came to the office after 6:00 unless I stood on the porch and flagged down cars with soon-to-expire auto registrations.  Clearly the new evening hours were not working.

Once again I polled everyone who walked past my door and heard this time that people wanted a schedule that coincided with other town office hours and they wanted some evening hours. The newest Town Clerk Office hours: 3:00-6:00 Monday; 11:00-2:00 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. I am happy to say there is no plan to change this schedule anytime soon.
New Deputy Town Clerk

Please welcome Carol Gamester, the new Deputy Town Clerk.

Auto Registration Services Now Include License Plates and Renewal Decals

After discussions with the Selectmen, we agreed that the Town Clerks should become Municipal Agents for the Department of Motor Vehicles in order to offer residents full-service auto registrations.  The State DMV computer system was installed in August and a few weeks later a supply of license plates and renewal decals arrived.  Carol Gamester and I attended many days of classes in Concord to learn how to use the computer system and execute many exacting DMV agent duties.  One fine day in September we unplugged the old IBM typewriter and began handing out state decals and license plates as well as collecting town permit fees.  Beginning with registrations due to renew in December we will send out renewal notices prepared by the state, thus completing the transformation from quaint and quirky typewritten registrations and semi-personal reminders to a fully automated system.

I can’t say I miss the old typewriter, but I do miss something about the days when the tempo was a bit slower and the conversations a bit longer.  Now people are in and out of my office before I hear anything really interesting.

COUNTING THE VOTES

I want to thank all the volunteers who helped to count votes in September and November: Jim and Donna Cerny, Deb Schulte, Jen Rosensen, Miriam Rosensen, Jennie White, Joann Ireland, BJ Riordan, John Hughes, BJ Roirdan and Carolyn and John Payzant.  Counting votes is a tedious task that simply could not be accomplished without a core group of dedicated volunteers.  Thank you all for many hours of brain-numbing work.

When paying your car registration via mail be sure to include a self addressed stamped-envelope.  We need the SASE to send your new registration and decal to you. If you do not include this we will assume you will come to the Town Hall to pick it up.

Boat Registrations

The state will be mailing out the 2009 boat registrations to all NH boat owners soon.  New Castle is a boat agent and can register boats but the state has not sent us our renewal contract and stickers.  The town will receive a stipend if you register with us instead of the state. Please call the town office at 431-6710 ext 10 for more information.

Rockingham County Commissions Discount Program

The Rockingham County Commissions launch a discount card program designed to help residents with the high price of prescription drugs.

Caremark Rx Incorporated administers the discount card program and offers a toll free number for assistance with the program along with a website.  Please stop by the office to pick up the free prescription discount card.

NEW CASTLE NEIGHBORS

The Committee was unable to meet or to have any social events during this past Fall.  However, we would like to plan a meeting in mid-January to see if there is interest in planning for any future events, such as movie night, a town put-luck dinner, community service for our high school students to assist seniors with projects,  event(s) sponsored by the School PTO, transportation for residents, art programs, newcomers welcoming group, etc.

If you would be interested in attending a meeting in January and/or in working on any of the above projects, please call Jenny Rosenson or Gene Doherty between now and early January.  If there is enough interest in continuing the New Castle Neighbors Committee, we will call you and plan for a get-together.

We had a great time last year and are hoping that there is still interest in bringing together neighbors from all parts of the Island to meet, socialize and support and enjoy the company of our many diverse residents.

ODDS –N- ENDS

With winter fast approaching it is time to think about winter parking.  As in the past the New Castle Congregational Church and the School Board have graciously allowed the use of their parking lots.  We are instituting some new procedures relating to the use of the areas.  They are as flows:

1. off street parking is for those who have none
2. off street parking is for 1 family vehicle only
3. long term parking; more than 24 hours, is only allowed at the Common next to the rifle range
4. the school yard is to be used by those who have no parking.  Park on the sides of the driveway only – DO NOT park on the basketball court, grass and most important do not park in from of the entrance.  Vehicles must be moved as soon as the storm is over as the area must be plowed for school opening.

COLD WEATHER – FROZEN PIPES

Now that the colder weather is approaching, we want to remind residents about frozen pipes.  Please leave water running a trickle when the temperature goes down below freezing for an extended period of time.

RESIDENT STICKERS

We ask all residents to please remove former town stickers off their vehicle window, as we must repeat colors. Thanking you in advance for your cooperation. The 2009 stickers will not be given out until February of 2009.

EVERYTHING  YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BITTERSWEET VINES!

Bittersweet vines can kill trees and are difficult to eradicate from the landscape. But during the fall season bittersweet  puts on a display few other plants can rival, as the deep yellow skin of their berries bursts to reveal an orange jewel within. And not to be outdone by the berry, bittersweet plant's fall foliage blankets its victims in yellow splendor. It’s very tempting to use the colorful vines as decoration and for many years they’ve been used in fall wreaths and outdoor decorations. By doing this, we’re playing into the hands of a treacherous invader. Putting the bright orange and yellow berries on display attracts birds, who ingest them and then spread them all over the landscape.

How to deal with bittersweet? The good thing about bittersweet in the  fall is that it’s so easy to identify. Once identified, the best thing to do is the cut the vine close to the ground and put the berries in a black trash bag. Tie up the bag and leave it in the sun. The berries will “bake” and after a time will no longer be viable. They can also be burned.

Herbicides can be used for the eradication of bittersweet vines but fall is not the best time to use them. Products such as Ortho Brush-B-Gon, a triclopyr-based herbicide and Round-Up are effective but must be handled with great care. These product are designed to kill woody plants, making them effective against not only bittersweet, but also another nuisance vine: poison ivy plants. But they will kill many other plants, too,  so use carefully. The best method is to “paint” the cut stem of the invasive plant so that no neighboring plants are killed. The optimum time of year to do this is when the plant is growing, not dormant. These products should ONLY be used on your own property and not at all within several hundred feet of wetlands of shorelands.

What is bittersweet? It’s an exotic vine, Celastrus orbiculatus, or "oriental bittersweet"  and is one of North America's most  dangerous invasive plants. There is an American bittersweet, often called false bittersweet,  Celastrus Scandens, but that plant is becoming so rare in some areas that it is now a protected species. It is the oriental bittersweet vines that threaten to kill your trees; while American bittersweet plants are themselves threatened.

According to theU.S. National Park Service, oriental bittersweet vines are native to eastern Asia; they were introduced into the U.S. in the 1860s.

The powerfully invasive oriental bittersweet vines engulf other vegetation, slowly killing it. The germination of a bittersweet seed in the ground at the base of a tree seems harmless enough. Yet, it won't take long for the oriental bittersweet vine to climbto the tree's crown, a la Jack's beanstalk made famous in folklore. It can be difficult to imagine a vine killing a tree, but oriental bittersweet vines have slain many a giant. Capable of reaching four inches in diameter, oriental bittersweet vines wrap so tightly around their victims that the trees are strangled, in a process called girdling by arborists. Even when oriental bittersweet vines aren't strangling a plant, they envelop it in so much shadow that they rob the plant of the sunlight required for proper photosynthesis. Conservation New England reports that, in the case of smaller trees, uprooting can even occur, as the trees' root systems are unable to contend with the massive weight of entrenched vines.

So - destroy the beautiful invader, don’t display it!

ANOTHER TEST OF YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL IT from your friendly but concerned Conservation Commission

DID YOU KNOW THAT... Letting your car engine idle for more than 10 seconds burns more gas than shutting it off and restarting!

Most of us of a certain age remember the days when we were told it took more fuel to turn off and restart a car's engine than it did just to leave it idling. Well, today's modern (1994 and newer) car engines  have changed that theory. Letting the engine idle costs money. Plus, today we're aware that there are serious health and environmental impacts from gas and diesel exhaust emissions. So, save money and help spare the environment. TURN OFF YOUR ENGINE WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING INTO THE POST OFFICE OR TOWN HALL... or anywhere.

ALSO, DID YOU KNOW THAT ...

Approximately 100 million people in the U.S. are breathing air that is below the federal air quality standard because of microscopic soot from power plants, diesel-burning trucks, cars and factories.

It’s healthier for everyone to turn your car engine off when you’re not driving!

QUARTERDECK LANE’S  NEW CULVERT !

The end of November brings not only Thanksgiving but a NEW culvert under Quarterdeck Lane.

The February ‘08 issue of ISLAND  ITEMS contained an article from the Conservation Commission about a grant just received from the Wetlands Reserve Program  through the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. This grant allocated state and federal monies to cover the cost of replacing the failing, old  culvert  with a new type and size culvert especially designed to allow more tidal waters to flow under Quarterdeck Lane and also for restoration and management of declining habitats. That meant dealing with and controlling the invasive weed, Phragmites australis  or Common Reed, that has taken over much of the island's wetlands. The lack of tidal flushing had increased the potential for invasive vegetation since when the salinity level drops and the water becomes predominately fresh or brackish invasives such as Phragmites  move in and eventually overwhelm the native plants that would normally be growing in a saltmarsh. The wildlife habitat value of the wetlands has been greatly reduced because of this invasive vegetation.

The Phragmites on both sides of Quarterdeck Lane (near the Town's pumping station) has been cut, dredged and burned. The grant  allows for removal and chemical treatment of the Phragmites through the year 2010 and for monitoring for ten years.

The actual installation of the new culvert has been a slow, frustrating process. Special thanks go to all the neighbors who’ve patiently put up with road closures and the mess and noise of the many large machines working on this project. The installation itself has been delayed several times due to complications. The culvert is scheduled to be  installed and the road re-paved  by the end of  November. The abutting marshes will, once again, be regularly flushed by the daily tides and the invasive plants that had taken over will be forced out by the return of salt water.  Gradually the marshes will regain their health and will be filled with the native plants and the migrating wildlife that once were abundant.


Beth Hume, Chairman

Conservation Commission

UNH Marine Laboratory & Pier Facility Update

As construction of the UNH Pier Facility nears completion, the Town and UNH have developed a MOU for communication to insure good communication regarding UNH activities at the UNH marine Laboratory & Pier Facility site.  The MOU identifies the New Castle Police Chief (Chief Murphy) and the UNH Facility Manager (Noel Carlson) as the primary points of contact for day-to-day questions and concerns.  It further identifies the Director of the UNH Marine Program (Jonathan Pennock) and a member of the New Castle Board of Selectmen or their Designee (currently, Gene Doherty) as lead contacts for more substantive issues.   We believe that this MOU will help insure that the vetting of opportunities and concerns regarding facility operations are as positive and mutually beneficial as possible for both the Town and UNH.  The MOU further calls for UNH to provide periodic updates on ‘happenings’ at the facility in Island Items.  This is the first opportunity for such input and is intended to provide an overview of recent and upcoming activities at the facility…

As most are likely aware, the Pier became ‘operational’ last spring and is currently supporting all of the permanent vessels that UNH has assigned to the facility on the floating dock side.  UNH also operates a number of smaller boats that will periodically use the dock and will provide sporadic support for the R/V Kingsbury and R/V Heiser that serve Shoals Marine Lab operations.  The new NOAA Coastal Mapping Vessel, Ferdinand R. Hassler, which is expected to be home-ported at the Pier, is currently under construction in Mississippi where the NOAA contractor is experiencing significant delays.  At last report, it is unlikely that the Hassler will arrive on site until early 2010.

The Pier is also the site of significant research activity.  Those who have walked by the Pier may have noticed ongoing research in a number of net enclosures under the pier, the deployment of multi-beam sonar’s off of the end of the pier and other faculty and graduate student research activity.  Similarly, there has been some periodic transfer of cod from the offshore aquaculture research facility to private seafood retailers as UNH researchers work to develop the best and most profitable models for future fish farmers to move their product (in this case, live cod) to the market.

The pier has also provided short-term berthing for several visiting vessels.  In the time before the Hassler arrives (and occupies the outer 120’ of the pier), UNH has agreed to requests from our USCG neighbors to support a joint Homeland Security training exercise for Portsmouth Harbor and provide berthing for several visiting USCG vessels.  We also worked with the NH Division of Ports & Harbors, and in response to a request from the State Legislature, to provide temporary berthing for a few fishing vessels that were displaced by the recent re-building of the commercial fish pier in Rye Harbor.  We will continue to be ever more selective in approving such requests (they will continue to come and we have turned many away), particularly as our own research needs for the Pier continue to increase.

The ongoing construction in the old parking lot adjacent to Ocean Street is for buildings that we refer to as the Pier Support Facility.  This facility will provide office space for our Facility Manager and the crews of the various vessels berthed at the Pier, a complete dive locker and diver support facility, a workshop, and a number of diverse storage spaces to support UNH marine research and vessel operations.  This facility is in the final stages of construction, and we anticipate being able to move in by early December.  Once we are able to move in, the large pile of materials and gear that have been on-site for many years will either be moved into the building or off-site and the entire facility will begin to transform from ‘a construction site with a pier’ to a fully operational Pier Facility.

For those residents who may be paying particularly close attention, you may have noticed that UNH has temporarily shut down the existing Coastal Marine Laboratory (in the old Mines Building immediately adjacent to Fort Constitution) in preparation for some much needed renovations and upgrading of electrical and plumbing services.  These renovations will bring our laboratory facilities (which had been ignored during the initial phases of planning for the new facility) up to modern safety and working standards for experiments involving full-strength seawater.  We expect these renovations to be complete by early summer 2009.

We would like to take this opportunity to formally thank all of the residents of New Castle for the significant effort and patience that you have shown during the lengthy planning and construction phases of Marine Laboratory & Pier Facility project.  In particular, it is important to recognize the effort that the members of the ‘Working Group’ put in to the scoping and re-scoping of the project.  These efforts resulted in significant improvements to the design of the facility as well as improvements to town infrastructure (e.g. water and sewerage services on Ocean Street and Fellow’s Court, removal of overhead power lines on the Town property, and better fire hydrant water pressure) that directly benefit everyone.  That said, we recognize the inconvenience and disruption that the lengthy construction period may have had on some, particularly those neighbors whose properties directly abut the site.  We greatly appreciate your patience and look forward to being a good neighbor in the months and years to come.

Finally, we look forward to scheduling an Open House specifically for New Castle residents later next spring to provide an opportunity to introduce you and your families to the research and operational support activities housed at the facility.


~ Jonathan Pennock, UNH Marine Program Director