Contact
Advertise
About Us
 
Home
News
Features
Music
Film
Art
Literary
Food
Stage
Outside
All Stories
Curiosities
Gallery
Calendar
  Home arrow Outside

 
Outside
careful on the ice
Thursday, 11 March 2010
N.H. Fish and Game officials are advising people to use extreme caution on N.H. lakes and ponds.
 
Fish & Game warns of bears
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Warm temperatures and light snowfall this winter have allowed black bears to come out of hibernation early and start looking for food.
 
new triathlon club on the Seacoast
Thursday, 11 March 2010
The Vento Triathlon Club officially opened for membership during a launch party at Trek Bicycle Store of Portsmouth on March 4.
 
Lago my bronze!
Tuesday, 02 March 2010
Seabrook native Scotty Lago took home the bronze medal in the men’s snowboarding halfpipe event of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. But he wasn’t there for the closing ceremonies on Sunday. Instead, he was back on the Seacoast at a parade in his honor.
 
Here comes Peter Cottontail
Tuesday, 02 March 2010
What appears to be a small logging operation on conservation land in Kittery Point, Maine, is actually part of a well-planned effort to increase natural habitat for the New England cottontail rabbit, the only cottontail native to the region and endangered in the state.
 
This island is your island
Tuesday, 16 February 2010

New Castle buys the Back Channel Islands 

New Castle’s Back Channel Islands harbor an array of majestic bird species. Terns, blue herons and kingfishers can be found among the small islands’ huckleberry bushes, white pines and black oaks. Even deer occasionally make their way to the islands, where residents also have enjoyed kayaking, swimming, picking berries and exploring for several generations. That arrangement is formalized with the town's new conservation purchase.

 
The state of the whales
Monday, 08 February 2010
Right whales can grow close to 60 feet in length and weigh up to 100 tons. They are known for their playful sea acrobatics, often breaching the ocean’s surface and slapping the water with their mighty tails. But only about 300 of these majestic leviathans currently swim the waters of the North Atlantic. How much hope is there for their survival? Dr. Scott Kraus will report at the Seacoast Science Center Heritage Dinner.
 
Winter walking land
Tuesday, 02 February 2010

part social, part physical, part otherworldly, snowshoe hikes offer a reprieve from the cold, dark winter

In couples and families, solo and with pets, we travel in our cars to roadside trailheads, from Mt. Agamenticus to Vaughan Woods to Kingman Farm. It’s not enough to know the state parks and beaches that are listed in guidebooks. We quiz each other about undiscovered sites and local secrets, in search of ever more acreage where someone can disappear for an hour or so. Someplace not too far from home. Maybe where I can snowshoe? Or bring my dog? 

 
Report your turkey sightings
Thursday, 14 January 2010
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is asking citizens to report any sightings of wild turkey flocks in the state. The data Fish and Game collects will help officials understand the abundance and distribution of wild turkeys in New Hampshire during the winter months.
 
White-tailed deer program in Greenland
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Although it can be tempting to feed deer in backyards for some up-close viewing opportunities, UNH Professor Peter Pekins warns that feeding the animals can alter their behavior, nutritional balance and energy reserves, decreasing their chances of winter survival. Pekins has researched the winter ecology habits of wild fawns, which are highly susceptible to the rigors of winter, by fitting them with radio collars and tracking them for several weeks.
 
Grant supports Great Bay oyster restoration
Friday, 08 January 2010
Due to overharvesting, pollution and disease, oyster populations in Great Bay have declined dramatically over the last few decades. The Nature Conservancy and the University of New Hampshire have been working to restore Great Bay’s oyster population, and they’ll get some funding help from the N.H. Conservation Committee in 2010.
 
Important habitat conserved in Durham
Friday, 08 January 2010

Durham resident Lorraine Morong recently donated a conservation easement on her 23-acre parcel of upland and wetland habitat, abutting fields and oak-pine forests. Located around Johnson and Bunker creeks in Durham, the land is considered a high conservation priority because its south-flowing tidal creeks empty into Oyster River just north of its mouth on Great Bay.

 
Winter programs at the Discovery Center
Friday, 08 January 2010
These days, we’ve got heated homes and snowplows to help us cope with winter snowstorms. But how did indigenous people survive a winter on the Seacoast centuries ago? A series of programs at the Great Bay Discovery Center will help kids and adults enjoy the outdoors in winter and learn about how animals and early people made it through the season.
 
New registration rules for saltwater fishing
Tuesday, 29 December 2009

Beginning Jan. 1, recreational fishermen will be required to register before fishing for any anadromous species in tidal or federal waters. The new law is aimed at collecting data for a national Saltwater Angler Registry, which will be used to help estimate fish populations.

“Estimates of recreational catches throughout the United States were not good enough. They needed to be more accurate and more precise,” says Doug Grout, chief of marine fisheries at N.H. Fish and Game.

The new registry is a result of legislation passed by Congress in 2007, and affects everyone fishing in tidal areas.

 
Ice fishing season returns
Tuesday, 29 December 2009

When the ice is ready, ice fishing makes for an exhilarating winter activity. Fisheries biologist Ben Nugent said nothing beats getting up at 3 a.m. for an ice fishing trip.

“Just being outside in the open, cold winter air, there’s nothing better for you,” Nugent said. “It’s just great being out there. It’s a whole different scenario walking on top of the water like that.”

Officials from N.H. Fish and Game warn that ice conditions are not yet safe for fishing in the state, but they will be soon. And if you can cope with the cold air, you just might land one of the trophy fish that lurk beneath the frozen surface.

 
Snow Days
Wednesday, 16 December 2009

New England ski resorts still pushing early season deals

New England ski resorts are finally open and offering early season deals to counteract a slow start and weak economy. Here's your guide to finding the best deals at Sunday River, Stowe, Killington, Cannon, Loon, Gunstock and more.

 
Winter expected to bring 6.5 million tourists to N.H.
Wednesday, 09 December 2009
Tourism officials in New Hampshire expect a boost in winter visitors this year, with 6.5 million guests expected to spend around $830 million. If the projections prove accurate, it would mean a 2 percent increase over last winter’s numbers.
 
Counting crows—and other Seacoast birds
Wednesday, 09 December 2009
Every December, the National Audubon Society assembles groups of volunteers to embark on an ambitious wildlife census known as the Christmas Bird Count. York County Audubon is seeking local volunteers to participate in the count throughout southern Maine on Monday, Dec. 14.
 
Creek man braves frigid waters to fight childhood hunger
Wednesday, 09 December 2009
Winter. It’s a time for sledding, skiing, ice skating and, for at least one local sportsman, a nice cool dip in the river. Kittery resident Gary Sredzienski will embark on his third annual winter charity swim on Sunday, Dec. 13, swimming five miles along York River to the ocean. His efforts will raise money for Share Our Strength Seacoast to help fight childhood hunger.
 
Hunting for balance
Wednesday, 02 December 2009

bear hunters achieve near-record numbers this year; deer harvest average

It will take several months for wildlife experts at N.H. Fish and Game to come up with official final numbers for the season, but bear biologist Andrew Timmons said this year’s total appears to be the second highest in state history. As of Nov. 11—the most recent date for which numbers were available—hunters had reported 741 bear kills. That’s 48 percent above the state’s five-year average and 74 percent above the 2008 count by this point in the season.

 
riding Hurricane Bill
Friday, 28 August 2009

Paddling out at Fox Hill Point in Rye on Aug. 23, I couldn’t help thinking back to the days of my youth. I remember one particular surf session when I was about 17.  I smashed my nose after a bad fall, and upon surfacing, blood was oozing out. Thanks to the mid-winter cold, I didn’t feel any pain. I asked my two friends if my nose looked broken. They both looked at each other, then at the sweet waves coming in. “Nah, it looks fine,” they said. Later that evening, when my face thawed out and I could look in the mirror, it was obvious I had busted my nose.

Fifteen years later, Hurricane Bill brought completely different conditions. The water was warm, the wind wasn’t bad, and a nice solid swell rolled in. Crowds of surfers lined the inside of the break with just a few on the outside point. I paddled to the outside and waited for some larger sets to roll through, avoiding the crowded inside section. 

I brought my waterproof point-and-shoot with me, tucked into the sleeve of my wetsuit. But the photos I got with it really don’t do the waves justice. Anytime a large set bombed through, I was more concerned about my well being than getting a shot of a double overhead wave crashing onto my skull.
 
signs of wildlife
Saturday, 22 August 2009

Image here:
Wells Reserve offers guided wilderness walks

A wildlife sightings logbook in the visitor office of the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve catalogs a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects spotted on the 2,250-acre property. There are reports of does, milk snakes, porcupines, rabbits, wrens, warblers, wild turkeys, blue jays and butterflies. One log notes “two monarchs mating.” Another provides an account of a “shrimp-like creature with blue antennae.”

Not every trip to the Wells Reserve guarantees such exotic sightings, but the chances of seeing some type of wild creature are high. This property on the Gulf of Maine skirts broad estuaries at the mouths of the Webhannet and Little rivers. It is covered with upland fields, forests and salt marshes leading to the Atlantic Ocean. The diverse habitat is home to at least 235 bird species, 55 fish species, and plenty of terrestrial mammals, amphibians and reptiles.

Viewing them requires patience and keen skills of observation. Visitors can hone their skills by participating in guided nature walks along the reserve’s eight looping trails. Volunteer guide Missy Brandt recently led a “Signs of Wildlife” walk, educating her guests on the keys to tracking animals.
 
tall times
Friday, 07 August 2009

tall ships sailing into Portsmouth for the weekend

Four tall-masted sailing vessels, traditionally known as “tall ships,” will parade into Portsmouth for a weekend of festivities from Friday to Sunday, Aug. 7 to 9, including tours and day sails.

The festival will be held on the State Pier at 550 Market St. in Portsmouth, where four visiting ships—U.S. Coast Guard Eagle from Connecticut, the Kalmar Nyckel from Delaware, the Spirit of Carolina, and the Spirit of Massachusetts—will be open to the public.

“The ocean has a unique sort of hold on human beings,” said Donald Coker, chairman of the Piscataqua Maritime Commission. “The reason for that is the salt content in our blood is exactly the same as in the ocean. There are those who would argue we came from the sea. The tall ships represent that link.”

“Plus they’re really cool,” he added.

The Eagle is a federally owned ship with free entry that attracted thousands of people when it last docked in Portsmouth three years ago. It is a 295-foot, three-masted ship called the Tall Ship for the United States of America. The ship is a training vessel for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and is one of the world’s largest tall ships.
 
rain, rain, go away; kayaking through history
Wednesday, 01 July 2009

rain, rain, go away

It hardly seemed necessary to check the weather forecast during the month of June. A glance out the window almost invariably indicated that it was rainy, drizzly, cloudy, foggy or a combination of all four.

“We have an abundance of rainfall this month. Everybody knows that. It’s pretty amazing,” said meteorologist Butch Roberts, of the National Weather Service.

As of June 28, 5.15 inches of rain had fallen in Concord during the month of June, and there had been 19 foggy days. Average rainfall for the first 28 days of June is 2.88 inches in Concord—2.27 less than this year. Last year’s rainfall was also above average, with 4.70 inches falling by June 28.

There was even more rain in Portland, Maine, where 8.17 inches had fallen by June 28. That’s more than five inches more than the city’s June average of 3.06 inches. In fact, Portland’s monthly average was surpassed in a single 24-hour period from June 18 to 19, when 3.33 inches poured down. Last year, the city had just 3.63 inches in June.
 
Music
Film
Boing Boing

Speed-assembling servers

Super Mario on a Arduino-controlled 8x8 pixelboard

Ironic broken-English press-release for English editing services

   
 
© 2010 The Wire
Joomla! is Free Software released under the GNU/GPL License.
Buyer's Brokers
RiverRun 125 x 60