Durham-Great Bay Rotary - Newsletter

Pres Rich This is the last meeting at the Three Chimneys Inn. Thanks to them for their hospitality. Next week and forever more (he hopes), we will meet at the UNH Elliott Alumni Center on Edgewood Rd at the end of Strafford Ave. The address is Elliott Alumni Center, 9 Edgewood Rd, Durham, NH 03824-1987, (603) 862-2040 (Click here for a map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=9+Edgewood+Rd,+Durham,+NH+03824&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=50.244827,114.169922&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=A). (Editor's note: the address and map are also on the website for visitors.)

On Nov 11 and Dec 9, the Center is otherwise occupied due to previous commitments, but you will be notified of the alternate location of our meeting before those times.

Bill D The Membership Committee has decided to adopt a program of seeking out businesses in our district rather than individuals. On Sep 23, please bring the names of five businesses we should contact for recruitment efforts. A letter will be going out to the current membership with details.

On Tuesday, Sep 29, trees will be cut at Camp Sunshine. Club members are invited to participate in the day-long event - not to cut anything, heaven forefend! - but to provide coffee, cook hamburgers, etc. All are welcome. More info will follow.

Madiha Announced the award to the club from The Rotary Foundation of $24,800 to fund our project at the Abu El Reesh Children's Hospital in Cairo, Egypt. Our club is contributing $4,000 to this matching grant. More info will follow.

Happy Bucks:

Pres Rich Last Saturday got football tickets and the campus police

reserved his father a parking spot

Amos His granddaughter finished Army Basic Training

Dick Having friends over for lunch

Jud Fishing in Montana

Ric 10 days in Seattle with brother and family

John B Great news on the Cairo hospital grant

Anon Our Rotary past presidents

Dave L (Didn’t get it…sorry)

Madiha The grant, and her sister and niece visiting from Egypt

Dave VA Chip’s prayer (which he didn’t actually say, because he was

late…)

Program:

Dick Weyrich and Tom Lee, Oyster River Watershed

Dick Weyrich of the Department of Forest Resources got his BS, MS, and PhD from the University of Minnesota (we’ll delete the dates…). He joined the UNH faculty in 1964.

Tom Lee of the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, UNH, is the director of the Oyster River Watershed Association

They pointed out their display entitled “Monitoring the Oyster River.” The origin of the OR is in Barrington and runs through Lee, Madbury, and Durham. It drains a small watershed comprising 32 square miles. The length of the river is 13.97 miles and has a natural lake, Wheelwright Pond. There are also a few black gum trees, very rare in this area, one of which is 700 years old, making it the oldest tree in the state. (You’ll all probably remember that 700 years ago Pope Clement V excommunicated Venice and all its population. Also that year on Apr 30, Kazimierz III the Great, King of Poland (1333-70) was born.)

The river crosses a highway six times in its run to Little Bay.

They showed a photo of the site of Lanes Mill, from the 1600’s, stating that there have been many changes to the area throughout the years.

The major problems facing the watershed area are the River Walk plan, the crossing near Walgreen’s Drug Store, the proposed development in that area by Rite Aid and a Dollar Store, the River Apartments near the flood plain, a “reddish” stream coming from Market Basket’s parking lot (which is being studied now), the 2006 storm activity on Rte 125, and the sometimes inadequate engineering design of some projects that is not protective of the river.

The OR Watershed Association has been active for about nine years and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to protect, promote, and enhance the ecological integrity and environmental quality of the Oyster River watershed through land protection and education. They hold monthly information and river walk meetings to which all are invited. They also coordinate the annual coastal cleanup, which this year will take place on Sep 29 starting at 8 AM at the Durham Landing.

"Generally the river is in great shape", said Tom Lee. The problem areas, as mentioned above, are Pettee Brook, College Brook, and the Lee Traffic Circle.

As to the Mill Pond Dam, his association takes no position on whether it should be removed or remain. It is, however, trying to provide everyone with the “pros and cons” of both actions.

For more information, contact the ORWA, c/o Strafford Regional Planning Association, 2 Ridge Street, Suite 4, Dover, NH 03857 or email them at srpc@strafford.org .

Megabucks:

Anon couldn't find the six of clubs, and the good times continue to roll.

Upcoming Programs:

Sep 16 Warren Smith, ClassificationTalk

Sep 23 Gerry Sedor, Covered Bridges

Sep 30 Dick Umile, UNH Men's Hockey

Oct 7 Todd Selig, Durham Town Administration

Your Scribe: Chip