CYANOBACTERIAL ALERT!
June 14, 2024
Summer is here and so are cyanobacteria blooms. Warnings have been issued on many water bodies in the Lakes Region. Cyanobacteria can be spotted and identified as green clouds of material accumulating along shorelines and floating in patches on the water surface, sometimes mixed with yellow pollen.
Blooms can have high concentrations of harmful toxins produced by cyanobacteria. Symptoms of exposure to cyanobacteria vary, but include skin irritation, gastrointestinal symptoms, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle and joint pain, blisters of the mouth and in serious cases liver and nervous system damage. Cyanobacteria can be fatal to dogs that drink the water or lick themselves clean after swimming. If you or your pet come in contact with cyanobacteria, thoroughly wash with fresh water. If a person or animal is sick from a potential harmful cyanobacteria exposure, please seek immediate medical attention. Inform your physician or veterinarian that you or your pet may have been exposed to toxic cyanobacteria via recreation.
You can protect yourself and your pets by staying out of suspicious water and reporting it to NHDES (see link below) for analysis to help inform your communities of the potential risk. Always perform a personal self-risk assessment of the water, looking for discoloration or unusual growth before recreating/swimming or letting your pets in the water.
For more information:
06/13/24 Press Release: State Issues Cyanobacteria Warnings on Lake Winnipesaukee
Healthy Swimming Mapper. A source for up-to-date healthy swimming alerts, advisories, and warnings.
Cyanobacteria Harmful Algal Blooms
Sign up for Healthy Swimming weekly updates.
Get Involved. Become a Lake Host!
01/31/24: DES held a webinar concerning the newly released “Cyanobacteria Plan: A Statewide Strategy”. The webinar is posted at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grSjXvvUgEk.
Planning Lunches at Noon (PLAN) Monthly Webinar Series
The NH Office of Planning and Development (OPD) conducts monthly webinar series every third Thursday from 12 pm to 1 pm concerning various planning and zoning topics. To view upcoming webinars, click here.
Registration is required. All sessions are recorded and later published on their website and YouTube channel.
The webinar is a joint collaboration of NHOPD, NHMA, and the Regional Planning Commissions represented by Southern NH Planning Commission.
For assistance or if you have any questions, please e-mail planning@livefree.nh.gov.
Joint Planning Resource Guide
Millions in Grants Now Available
The Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) is now accepting pre-applications for the first of two rounds of grant funding through the Catalyst Program for economic and community development projects. A total of up to $50M will be made available with the first round offering up to $30M. Deadline for submission for the first round is March 15th at 5:00 PM EST. Projects considered for the Catalyst Program should address economic development initiatives such as modernization and expansion of access to public water and wastewater services, revitalization of transportation infrastructure, establishment of workforce development programs and facilities, growing the outdoor recreation economy, and providing access to new childcare and healthcare facilities.
The NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs (NHBEA) administers the program within the state and offers technical assistance to eligible projects planning to apply.
For more information on the Catalyst Program, technical assistance, and funding opportunities, please contact Steve Fortier at steven.j.fortier@livefree.nh.gov or visit their website at https://www.nheconomy.com/nbrc.
Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC)
The NBRC has announced $43.6 million in new awards. Of that, nearly $20 million is from the Catalyst Program competition stemming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Use these links to view the Press Release and the NH Award Recipients, including the GALA Community Center (grant administered by LRPC's Tracey Secula), the Lakes Region Model Railroad Museum (grant coached by LRPC's Executive Director Jeffrey Hayes) and Town of Gilford - Foam Recycling Project (grant application submitted by LRPC's Matthew Rose).
State Ten Year Plan on Transportation
Proposed Lakes Region Projects in 2023 - 2032 Ten Year Plan
The purpose of the State's Ten Year Plan is to develop and implement a plan allowing New Hampshire to fully participate in federally supported transportation improvement projects as well as to outline projects and programs funded with State transportation dollars. View list of projects.
Planning and Zoning Board Handbooks
The Planning Board in New Hampshire: A Handbook for Local Officials (updated 2021)
The Board of Adjustment in New Hampshire: A Handbook for Local Officials (updated 2021)
2021 editions of the Office of Strategic Initiatives's (OSI) handbooks for Planning and Zoning Boards are now available. Designed to serve as introductions to the organization, powers, duties, and procedures of Planning Boards and Zoning Boards of Adjustment in New Hampshire, these guides will acquaint board members and others with the basic board responsibilities of each and suggest procedures by which the work of the boards can be carried out in a fair and effective manner.
Visit the OSI website where you can view additional planning and zoning publications.
USDA Launches Resource Guide on Building a Recreation Economy
July 2020 — USDA has launched a Recreation Economy Resource Guide to provide rural community leaders and economic development practitioners a complete list of programs at Rural Development, Forest Service, and National Institute for Food and Agriculture that can be used to support recreational economies in rural America.
The guide addresses key factors necessary to build a sustainable recreational economy including natural resource management, conservation activities, infrastructure investment, business development and more.
Progress Towards Digital Equity in NH
Digital access and skill have become increasingly important for so many aspects of everyday life, for people of all ages and all circumstances, especially for those who are English learners, elders, persons of color, veterans, disabled, low income, rural inhabitants, and incarcerated populations. NH’s digital equity funding can be used to address digital divide challenges, e.g., relating to access to affordable broadband, computers, digital skills and cyber safety skill development, technical support, multilingual tech support, and more.
The LRPC is working with New Hampshire’s digital equity experts in guiding the development of NH’s plan, and to encourage all who are interested in the region to help shape the plan. Over the next several months, a select team will be seeking public comment on vital elements including identification of digital divide barriers to improve economic and educational opportunity, healthcare access, and civic engagement.
You can learn about the many ways to become involved, share your insights and concerns, and help craft New Hampshire’s digital future at https://www.nhdigitalequity.org/ for many upcoming opportunities from an online survey and online forums to in-person meetings across the state.
We hope you’ll join us!
New Hampshire Broadband Impact Survey
State of New Hampshire
Social Distancing Broadband Impact
Take the Survey to help the State identify gaps in residential Internet connectivity.
State Ten Year Plan on Transportation
Proposed Lakes Region Projects in 2021-2030 Ten Year Plan
The purpose of the State's Ten Year Plan is to develop and implement a plan allowing New Hampshire to fully participate in federally supported transportation improvement projects as well as to outline projects and programs funded with State transportation dollars. View list of projects.
A resource for farmers and municipal decision makers
Headwaters Economics Toolset
Economic Profile System
In 2017 we were introduced to the Headwaters Economics Toolset. Using these report generators you can download socioeconomic reports of communities, counties, and states, including aggregations and comparisons. The Economic Profile System (EPS) uses federal data sources, including the Bureaus of Economic Analysis, Census, & others. EPS is also known as the Human Dimensions Toolkit by the Forest Service. Try it yourself here.
We'd like to thank UNH Cooperative Extension for providing us reports for all of the towns in the Lakes Region. Click the links below to view the reports. They will also be available on the towns' pages.
Please note: This information changes frequently. These reports were generated on July 14, 2017. For more up-to-date information, please use the tool to generate your own reports.