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.

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? 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.