106 replies to this topic

[Matt DeLaVega]

Guys we are lucky to have gotten a proposal for a convention well in advance.


Josh Jarvis the New Hampshire Representative has offered to host a convention in 2016.
the convention will be co-hosted by Michael Lucas, one of our New York representatives.

Please have a look at the proposal, feel free to comment or discuss. The board will vote on the proposal in the very near future.



NH NANFA CONVENTION (late summer 2016) Proposal Hosts - Josh Jarvis & Mike Lucas

Lodging & Meeting rooms at Best Western Plus Wynwood Hotel in Portsmouth, NH
Catering for Banquet by Chill Catering, local flavor Down East Lobster Bake/Muddy River Smokehouse BBQ Buffet.
Roundabout Diner adjacent to Hotel serves breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Open 5:30 am – 10 pm Sun to Thur, 11pm Fri/Sat
Voted New Hampshire’s best diner by editors of NH Magazine.
Many restaurants nearby.

The Hotel is between Great Bay, the Piscataqua River (separates NH and Maine coastline) and Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne Point.

Thursday:

Check in/registration at Best Western Plus Wynwood Hotel in Portsmouth

Trip to Seacoast Science Center and short coastal collecting trip nearby. Optional hiking at Odiorne Point State Park

Local sites in Lee, Durham & Madbery Twnshps

Special interest groups on their own.

Hospitality Room: Thursday evening

Friday:

Speakers/Banquet/Auction at Best Western Plus Wynwood Hotel in Portsmouth

Saturday:

Coastal Trip 15 - 60 min. travel time from Portsmouth

Local Trips 15 - 60 min. travel time from Portsmouth

Sugar River NRBDace hunt 1.5 hr to Newport NH. (will get potential sites from DNR /personal investigation)

Sunday:
Choice of same trips offered Sat.
May substitute trip to the southwest for travelers in that direction.
Northern NH wilderness trip possible add on for those desiring to extend their stay.

[Matt DeLaVega]

Josh and Mike, Add whatever you want and take it from here.

Make sure to explain the Northern Redbelly Dace hunt.

[Isaac Szabo]

Wow, Josh may actually get his wish with a convention in "low diversity" New Hampshire.

In all seriousness, it sounds like a good plan. Everywhere has something unique to see, and I've never been to the northeast. Plus, the fellowship is the best part of the conventions.

My only suggestion would be to consider having it in the fall around the time when the leaves change color. The northeast is famous for it's fall color display - something that I have always wanted to see someday. That would give us folks traveling 20+ hours an additional reason to make the trip (it's a little hard to be motivated by the fish alone). However, being a landscape photographer, perhaps I care about a thing like that much more than others here. I think it's also the time of the year when brook trout are on their redds and thus much more approachable. That would give us snorkelers a neat opportunity to photograph native brookies.

[keepnatives]

The proposed northern red belly dace hunt is an opportunity for NANFA to give something back to the state of our Convention. As is true of many states the need for more/current distribution information for a state's species of concern or protected is great but the funding and/or personnel to do the job is
not so great. As a group we can have a great adventure searching for additional sites and updated reports of historical sites. Northern red bellies in
New Hampshire may be colorful well into the summer so may well be some nice photo ops and perhaps NANFA can leave something for our host state when the
convention is over.

We can break into small groups and hit a greater number of sites. We will talk to NHF&G for sites they might like us to check and any protocols to follow
perhaps they would like to join or lead us.

[Matt DeLaVega]

The coastal trips wil hopefully make up for some of the low diversity. I have never sampled in salt water myself, so I find that quite interesting.

[keepnatives]

I think the coastal collecting is worth the trip by itself, I joined Josh back in Sept. 2013 for a just a few hours collecting and we had a great time and saw some neat fish. Some of the saltwater sculpins are amazing looking fish complete with spikes for one tough looking fish. Search the forum for
"Rye Coast NH" about Sept 2013, to get a taste and we didn't even get to do any tide pools.

New Hampshire is an absolutely beautiful state any season. Fall foliage is beautiful as well, unfortunately it is a very busy season as well.

[Matt DeLaVega]

Rye Coast NH

http://forum.nanfa.o...+rye +coast +nh

[FirstChAoS]

I am state rep now? wow.

The toughest thing about this for me was narrowing down sites. Long trips like cape cod for tropicals or a trip north had to be moved to possible post convention ideas. So did my SW trip (which takes me out of my comfort zone as I know that area) Though the SW trip being made a secondary makes sense as it has the least unique species to offer. (silvery minnow, channel cat, and tesselated darter, and of them the tesselate has been introduced to the merrimack drainage),

NRBD sounds interesting to me as well as I never seen one in breeding color. (in fact when it gets colder in the fall their color goes black hiding their distinctive double line).

I hope this proposal becomes the official one, in the past conventions have been in Florida, Washington, and Nevada. This one will have us be in all four corners of the lower fourty eight.

Oh, for you native brookie fans, maps online showing where in the Oyster and Lamprey rives brookies can be found with a little searching (may seek out links if needed). It's odd thinking of brookies being in lowland coastal plain waters.

Oh, just sent links to this post to NH Fish and Game, Fish Nerds, and Sea Coast Science Centers Facebook Pages. Now this is on a public forum I feel I can get the info out their.

[mattknepley]

This sounds really good! The coastal trip and the NRBD Hunt are definite selling points for me. Mike L is correct about NH being an absolutely beautiful state, any time of year. His observation regarding the fall busy season is valid, prices will be up and availability down at that time of year, if it's like other northeast leaf-peepin' hotspots. I, too, would love to see this in the fall, but I think Josh and Mike are wise to be thinking late summer. The extended daylight will be nice, too.

I hope this proposal takes off, and the annual NANFA migration makes it to "Live Free or Die" country. Of course, I have yet to actually make it to a convention , but the ones of which I am aware are all ones I am disappointed to have missed. I think these guys have a great idea here; I'd love to make it and hate to miss it.

[Sean Phillips]

Sounds like a trip, I'd love to get some SW natives too! Any one have a list of the smaller/nongame freshwater and/or saltwater fish in NH? I can't seem to find a list of nongame fish anywhere.

[gerald]

If you've never explored New England rocky tidepools, they're a real treat -- not just the fish but the amazing diversity of seaweeds, snails, mussels, starfish, crabs, shrimp, amphipods, isopods, etc. Every little nook and cranny has something (or several somethings) living in it. ...some of my best childhood memories were in tidepools.

Josh/Mikes (L+Z) -- Please list some of the "highlight" fish we're likley to see on various trips to different regions: inland, coastal, etc. Also any special natural community types (bogs?) and other wildlife highlights. Wood turtles and Bandings turtles would be really cool to see!

Love Fish or Die

[FirstChAoS]

Josh/Mikes (L+Z) -- Please list some of the "highlight" fish we're likley to see on various trips to different regions: inland, coastal, etc. Also any special natural community types (bogs?) and other wildlife highlights. Wood turtles and Bandings turtles would be really cool to see!

Love Fish or Die

I like your twist on the state logo, much better than my Dip Net or Seine idea.

NATURAL COMMUNITIES AND FISH BY REGION: (note this is a generalization, some northern fish have pockets in the south, some creatures like moose and brook trout occur throughout the state but are much more common in the north.

COMMON STREAM FISH (warmwater): Warmwater streams commonly have fallfish, common shiner, redbreast sunfish, white sucker, and in riffles longnose and blacknose dace.

COMMON STREAM FISH (coldwater): Coldwater streams usually have trout (native bookies, or stocked brooks, browns, and rainbows) and may have slimy sculpin. Some have stocked atlantic salmon as part of the species restoration project. Note: their is not always a close division between warm and cold water and overlap can occur.

COMMON LAKE/POND FISH (warmwater, also found in the slower part of streams): The average warmwater pond has pumpkinseed, sometimes bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch, chain pickerel, and hornpout (bullhead). These fish will also occur in streams, especially in the slower stretches. We have two bullhead species (brown and yellow), I notice yellows seem slightly more common in streams and browns more common in ponds.

DEEP LAKE FISH: The large deep lakes tend to be famous for lake trout and landlocked salmon. They also tend to have cusk, white perch, whitefish, and sometimes other trout. These fish can sometimes occur in coldwater and northern rivers (and the white perch sometimes can be found in warmwater ponds and rivers and brackish water).

NORTHERN FISH: Some fish are strongly associated with northern NH, Northern Red Belly Dace, Finescale Dace, Longnose Sucker, Lake Chub, and one of our larger Round Whitefish populations occur up north. (note NRBD and longnopse suckers also occur in a couple more southern locations).

NORTHERN BIRDS AND WILDLIFE: Northern New Hampshire is Dominated by the White Mountains and the Great North Woods. Due to the elevation of the mountains and latitude of the north woods (A transition zone between temperate mixed forest and boreal forest) this area gets alot of northern wildlife. Pine Martin and Lynx are their, as are mink frogs, Spruce grouse, red crossbills, and boreal chickadees. The White Mountains have breeding areas for Pipetts and Bicknell's Thrush and a few rare plants and insect holdovers from the ice age mainly found in the arctic. The most notable northern species is the Moose whose populations are strongest in this part of the state. Another interesting northern critter is a bird called the grey jay who readilly learns to associate people with food and is famous for taking food from hand and for stealing unwatched food from camps.

WESTERN FISH: South Western NH is home to the Eastern Silvery Minnow (A fish I have yet to find as some reports of its presence were in doubt, but the latest fish and wildlife report says it is their. From the name it sounds tough to identify). The Tesselate Darter (which also has been introduced into the Merrimack drainage). And our newest fish the Channel Catfish. Further north on the western drainage are the introduced rosyside dace.

EAST AND CENTRAL FISH: The Merrimack and Coastal drainages have many of the same species with the unique ones apparently more common from what I read in the coastal drainages. Among them are Redfin Pickerel, Banded Sunfish, Swamp Darter, Creek Chubsucker (I know of a western spot with them too), and two introduced species of madtom, the margined and the tadpole. (Tadpole is mainly limited to the Merrimack near Concord). The Isinglass River has our only population of Blacknose Shiner (and also blue mutation bullfrogs).

EASTERN BIRDS AND WILDLIFE: as well as the blue bullfrogs our eastern areas have some of our rarest turtle species such as blandings turtles and spotted turtles. The coast is rich in birds such as eiders, egrets (great and snowy), commerants, and gulls (herring, ringbill, and greater black backed are most common). In winter many migratory ducks, gulls, alcids, and even arctic inland species arrive on the NH coast and draw in droves of birders. In fact the sea coast of northern NH hosts a yearly birding event called the super bowl of birding where people spend all day from dawn to duck seeking birds each february. An event that I have yet to take part in as it means getting up early and do a 2 hour drive to reach the coast by dawn in mid february. Some of the offshore rocks are popular with harbor seals.

COASTAL FISH: Our salt marshes and estuaries tend to draw in mummichogs, sticklebacks (3, 4, and 9 spined), tomcod, grubby sculpin, pipefish, silversides, and smelt. Our coast is also well known for striped bass, bluefish, and flounder. Our rocky shores have lumpfish and rock gunnel both of which occasionally end up in tide pools. Black Sea Bass and Tautog are slowly expanding their range into our region.

COASTAL CRITTERS: The coast also has a variety of things like green crabs, asian shore crabs, lobsters, shrimps, barnacles, urchins, and amphipods.

OTHER WILDLIFE: Most mammals are nocturnal other than red and grey squirrels. Due to this most White Tailed Deer, Raccoons, Oppossum, Red and Grey Fox, etc. are seen crossing ther road at night when driving. As for freshwater mammals beaver and muskrat are the most common, but on rare occasions you may see a mink or otter.

As for terrestrial reptiles garder snakes, milk snakes, dekayes brown snake, and ringneck snakes are among our most common. Wetlands tend to also have snapping turtles, painted turtles, and northern water snakes.

For frogs among our most common are bull, green, wood, and pickerel frogs. Salamanders are also very common and some studies showed they have a higher biomass in NH forests than birds do.

For birds blue jays, robins, cardinals, chickadees, tufted titmice, nuthatches (red and white breasted), downy and hairy woodpeckers, and house wrens are commonly seen in the countryside. In fields bobolinks, grackles, cowbirds, and crows tend to be common. In cities introduced species like pigeons, starlings, and house sparrows are most often seen. Marshes and other waterways draw in mallards, common and hooded mergansers, loons, great blue herons, and green herons.

THREATENED AND ENDANGERED FISH: We have only one state threatened and one state endangered fish. State endangered is the eastern brook lamprey found in the Oyster River, easy to avoid by saying "Don't take lampreys from the Oyster River". As for our threatened species, the bridle shiner is found in the coastal and merrimack drainage and I will really need to learn how to ID it before the event. As for federally endangered, I assume that is just sturgeon and migratory species not allowed to be caught and kept in the fishing rules, but I haven't checked to make sure yet.

BITING BUGS AND DANGEROUS WILDLIFE: we are lucky not to have much dangerous wildlife here. Attacks from bears, coyotes, and the much exaggerated fisher are rare. Our one venomous snake is an endangered species and unlikely to be seen, We still have snapping turtles, beavers, and the risk of a riled up moose. If a trip goes south of the cape their are also great white sharks but they rarely stray into the waters chilled by the labrador current north of the cape.

Biting insects are the biggest animal nuisance you may encounter. In the spring black flies hatch, followed soon by mosquitos who last all summer. In summer we also get deer flies and horse flies. On the coast the greenhead fly is infamous but i have yet to run across them. However I did run across tiny flies on the coast they called sand fleas (they were flies though) that had a very painful bite. Not sure if they are the same as what they call no-see-ems or not.

Ticks are among the most dangerous. The wood tick is most common, but the tiny deer tick spreads lyme disease. I am lucky to have never run into a deer tick but I hear they are becoming more common. Mosquito spread diseaseslike West Nile and EEE are rarer and usually controlled by spraying when they crop up,

[mattknepley]

Gee Josh, if only you would be a little more thorough... Teasing, great write-up. Not only is the fish nerd in me digging a trip up there, so is the bird nerd.

If I don't make OK this year, and/or NH if it's approved, my little fishy heart will break...

[Matt DeLaVega]

I will have a great time. It has been 18 years since I have been in New Hampshire. We will probably turn it into a ten day vacation. I am certain I will get my fill of brook trout after the convention, and probably head into Maine and Vermont for a bit as well. Seeing NANFA friends and enjoying the scenery, as well as sampling the coastal areas is plenty. I have no concerns about the lack of diversity.

[keepnatives]

Know what you mean Matt I was in NH about 1 yr. ago and can't wait to get back. I'd love to add a couple days up North its so wild and I can't believe
there's not lots of unknown sites for pearl dace and northern red bellies. I hear they like to hide under cover such as large moose, all you have to do is run the seine between the front and rear legs scoop to shore and lift to the belly blocking escape. You can just hang your bucket on the antlers. Hope
some of the video folks are with me to catch that for posterity.

[FirstChAoS]

A few interesting places of note. Newport where the NRBD are is right next to Sunapee where I found NRBD. Sunapee has a lake which is an important footnote in NH fish conservation history. Not a GOOD footnote, but mistakes were made and hopefully learned from.

Nottingham NH is next to Madbury Township. I found Swamp Darters their and it is home to Pawtuckaway State Park. After google made sattellite maps I looked at Pawtuckaway Park on them and was amazed by a perfectly circular geographic formation. I went to an old geology professor who told me it was likely not a meteor impact site but he was unsure of what it was. A few days later someone put an image of it in the local paper claiming it was a meteor impact site. Come to find out it wasn't, it was the badly eroded remains of a volcano. But If I went to the newspaper and NOT a professor I'd have MY name in the paper for discovering it. I missed that opportunity.

GERALD: Bogs are places I never explored. I know of two with limited access. One I went to on a college trip in the woods that I couldn't relocate. and one accessible only by someones backyard that I seen fish surface in but could never explore, the people who live their said they caught bullhead their.

As for Wood Turtles, I see one every year or two but never when I have a camera on me.

MIKE: Careful not to tangle your seine on the antlers. I wish NH had pearl dace, but they are in Maine. I have yet to check how close Maine fish populations (pearl dace, sturgeon, brook stickleback, arctic char, etc.) are to NH.

[keepnatives]

MIKE: Careful not to tangle your seine on the antlers. I wish NH had pearl dace, but they are in Maine. I have yet to check how close Maine fish populations (pearl dace, sturgeon, brook stickleback, arctic char, etc.) are to NH.

Oops I meant finescale dace but looking at Maine's dace distribution maps I now also mean pearl dace along the northeast NH
border with Maine.

[FirstChAoS]

A few worries crossed my mind

Some of these fish are at the edge of their range or special concern. Any way to do a sampling/collecting group without descending like a swarm of locusts on a vulnerable population,

Will kick netting disturb rare mussel species found near some of these areas.

How do we deal with "gas traps" (those areas where the silt bubbles up gas pulling you down) and mud that gets softer each time you cross it. These can be problematic alone, would they be worse for a group?

[Matt DeLaVega]

You trying to talk yourself out of your own convention?

[fundulus]

Maybe the circular feature you noticed is a local version of "America's Stonehenge" in Salem, NH?