July 26, 2010
 

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Outside Green Tips

Get your trout here!

You've got till Monday (May 3) to order your New Hampshire-raised, disease-free rainbow or brook trout from the Merrimack County Conservation District to stock your pond with. Pick-up will be Saturday, May 8, between 1 and 1:30 p.m. at the MCCD office in Concord for 6-8 inch trout. The 10- to 12-inch trout will be delivered directly to your pond. Contact MCCD at 223-6023 or visit the website www.MerrimackCCD.org for details.

Uh oh, your car is dirty

Who doesn’t like to save money instead of going to the car wash? Well, some of us. But for the rest, here are a few tips to make sure that your car washing experience is good for everyone, not just you.
• Wash on the grass to avoid letting polluted runoff enter storm drains and bodies of water.
• Try to use non-toxic, biodegradable and phosphate-free cleaners. If you can, avoid using degreasing products, solvents, and tire cleaner products. If you have a question about a particular product, call DES at 271-3503.

Pest or friend?

Only about 5 to 15 percent of the bugs in your yard are pests. “Good bugs,” like the ground beetle and the green lacewing, help control pests, says the EPA.
Be sure you need a pesticide before you use it, the EPA advises. Ongoing pest problems most likely are a sign that your lawn or garden isn’t getting what it needs to stay healthy, and correcting the underlying problem could go a long way in eradicating pests.
Here are some preventive tips from the EPA:
• Maintain healthy soil with compost and mulch.

Worms are our friends

Have you been craving a worm bin for your home? Well, if you want to get a jump on composting before summer or are simply fascinated with biodegradation, The Little Nature Museum’s first program of the season, “Vermiculture: The Wonderful World of Composting,” will be a good place to start.

All fertilizers were not created equal

Says the EPA: Most trees and shrubs get all the nutrients they need from the soil, but annuals, vegetable gardens and lawns sometimes need additional nutrients from a fertilizer.
The EPA recommends that you look for products with “natural organic” or “slow-release” ingredients. Unlike “quick-release” fertilizers, the EPA says, natural organic or slow-release fertilizers feed your plants slowly and evenly. The result? Healthier plants with strong root systems and no excessive “top growth.”

Outside Green Community

NH Sierra Club Hike In Hill, NH

Sign up to hike the Hill pedestrian bridge site in Hill, NH.
SATURDAY May 8th
Starts at 9:30AM
Ends around 2:30
We'll hike in the Franklin Falls Flood Control Area, along the old roads and through open fields, past what was once Hill Village to the site of a proposed pedestrian bridge over the Pemigewasset.
We'll talk about some of the plans for connecting trails as well, including one on the old Franklin & Bristol RR right of way. On the way we'll pass lovely Needleshop Brook and Profile Falls. Total distance 4-5 miles, mostly level Car-spot.
Easy/Moderate.

Raingardening in Your Watershed workshop at Lake Sunapee Protective Association

Rain gardens are an environmentally beneficial means of improving water quality and decrease storm water runoff; they are also a beautiful addition to any landscape.
A rain garden is a planted depression that allows rain runoff and storm water from roofs, paved walkways and compacted lawn areas to soak into the ground instead of flowing into storm drains and surface waters. Storm water causes erosion, water pollution, flooding and diminishes groundwater quality. Rain gardens can cut down on the amount of pollution reaching creeks and streams by up to 30%.

CALLING ALL ARTISTS: KIDS WANTED FOR STATE-WIDE POSTER CONTEST!

CALLING ALL ARTISTS: KIDS WANTED FOR STATE-WIDE POSTER CONTEST!

The Blue Ocean Society, a Portsmouth-based non-profit organization is looking for artwork from students K-8 for use in a poster advertising the Annual Coastal Cleanup in New Hampshire! The NH Coastal Cleanup will be held on September 19th, and all posters will be decorated with one lucky student’s design. If the kids are bored this summer, sit them down with crayons and paper and give them the chance to have their design displayed up and down the entire coast of New Hampshire!

Any outdoorswomen out there?

I just got this e-mail -- sounds pretty cool!

REGISTER NOW FOR BECOMING AN OUTDOORS-WOMAN CANOE CAMPING TREK

CONCORD, N.H. -- The N.H. Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (B.O.W.) Program is teaming up with the Contoocook River Canoe Co., LLC, to offer a 3-day, 2-night guided canoe/camping trip on Lake Umbagog from Friday, September 18 to Sunday, September 20, 2009. If you are a woman who enjoys paddling, exploring, camping, swimming, fishing, wildlife watching and relaxing by the campfire, this trip is for you.

Merrimack River Paddle

NH Sierra Club will lead a paddle on the Merrimack River on June 20th. Enjoy the day on the River and learn from Eric Orff, a local wildlife expert, about the environmental and public health effects of burning coal on the Merrimack and beyond. Bring your own boat or reserve a canoe or kayak with the Contoocook River Canoe Company at a reduced rate. The public is welcome but we will keep the group small, 10-14 people.

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Green Guide 2009
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