The Great Works River Watershed Coalition (GWRWC) is a volunteer group that monitors the water quality of the Great Works River and its tributaries at sites in Sanford, North Berwick, and South Berwick. The group seeks volunteers and members to assist in the biweekly monitoring program that begins on Saturday, May 31. Coalition members and volunteers also participate in several other events including watershed surveys, stream habitat surveys, and canoe trips.

On Saturday, May 10, a water quality training session will be held in South Berwick at Leigh’s Mill Pond on Vine Street, between 9AM and 10:30AM. The purpose of the training is to ensure that all monitors make the same measurements and record their data in the same way. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer monitor should attend this training program.

On Saturday, May 24, the group will guide a canoe/kayak trip and river clean-up on the Great Works River starting at the Emery’s Bridge Road in South Berwick, and ending at Brattle Street, also in South Berwick; this trip starts at 12:30 PM and takes about 2 hours to complete. This is a very easy section of the river to paddle, with no white water or portages. The purpose of the river trip is to identify any pollution sources, to clean up litter along the shoreline, and to enjoy our river resource. Don’t forget to bring a PFD, lunch, water, and a bag to store litter!

Water quality monitoring begins on May 31 and continues biweekly until September 6. On the final day of sampling the coalition will gather for a volunteer recognition party! Anyone interested in joining the coalition and assisting in their endeavors should contact GWRWC President Mike Cannon at 207-384-5881. More information is also available on the GWRWC web site, www.gwrwc.org.

Mamie Ney, South Berwick’s new library director, and Don Markley, a York Woods Road resident (who happens to be married to me) took up the Conservation Committee’s Earth Day challenge to clean up the town’s roadsides. Here is their haul from the vicinity of the intersection of Route 91 and Witchtrot Road after just one hour of work. People do throw an amazing array of things on our roads: bottles, cans, stuffed animals, shovels, bags, CDs, buckets, coolers, cigarette packages, clothing, and many unidentified disgusting things.

On March 18, 2008 the Town Council had a workshop with the Solid Waste Committee. The Committee has been researching potential alternatives for the town to consider in handling solid waste and gave a very thoughtful presentation. The Town Council had specifically asked the committee to investigate the options of pay-per-throw and regionalizing solid waste collection. The committee’s research included visits and phone calls to other towns and visits from and calls to a variety of waste companies.

Sorry it took so long to write it up. Darn that day job! It seems important to get the information up now since pay-per-throw is part of the Council’s plan to deal with the budget this year. There are no minutes to the meeting posted yet on the town web site. If anyone from the Solid Waste Committee has corrections or additions to my notes, please put them in comments.

In their presentation the committee gave information on the following options:

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Well Water Testing for South Berwick Residents deadline April 12
The South Berwick Conservation Commission is sponsoring well water testing for South Berwick residents. The testing will be performed by Demers Lab in Sanford . The basic complete testing for $50.00 includes the following: total coliform and E-coli, nitrate, chloride, hardness, pH, iron, manganese, sodium, color, odor and turbidity. Add a test for arsenic for $15.00.  Pick up kits and directions at town hall and drop off at town hall Saturday morning April 12 from 9 am -12 noon.  For more information, call 384-3300 ext 336 (conservation commission voice mail) or email prnel@comcast.net with the subject “well water test.”

Earth Day 2008: Compost Bin Sale ends April 11
South Berwick residents can get a home compost bin and how-to-guide for only $40.00, a 50% saving on the $80 retail value. The bin is made of 100% recycled plastic, has a ten year warrantee, and is large enough for a family of five.  Contact Gary Boucher at 603-978-1669 to order your bin. You can also place your order in person at the transfer station during their regular hours. The bins will be sold until April 11. Find out more information at the transfer station pages on the town web site.

South Berwick Budget Update: An overview of the proposed 2009 budget is posted on the town web site. The Town Council has reduced the Manager’s recommended budget of $6,202,517 to $5,763,795. The Public Hearing on the Budget is scheduled for April 14, 2008 at 6:30 pm.

Help honor Veterans: You can help honor those who have served and sacrificed for our country by donating to the VFW’s memorial cemetery to help with the purchase of flag holders and flags for this year’s Memorial Day observance. Find out more…

Well water testing: The South Berwick Conservation Commission is sponsoring well water testing for South Berwick residents and the testing kits are now available at town hall. Find out more…

Community Chorus at South Berwick: There are still two more performances of the CCSB spring concert, “From a Poet’s Pen,” a concert of choral music inspired by poetry and verses. I went last night and it was a wonderful performance. The theme of poetry inspired music offered a varied program that made the night fly by. CCSB premiered “Spheres,” a commissioned piece from composer Charles Kaufman. If I was better at describing music I might be able to hint at the way this piece wove together voices, words, and music into passages of quiet subtlety and passages of soaring complexity–it was a treat. Don’t miss this opportunity. Find out more…

Godspell at Marshwooh High School: There is one more performance tonight of Marshwood’s production of Godspell. I heard yesterday from someone who saw it that this just might be the best production Marshwood has ever done. Find out more…

Tonight, between 8 and 9 PM millions of people, businesses, governments and civic groups all around the globe will join together to turn off the lights for one hour to show commitment to finding climate change solutions. More than 35 US cities will participate, including Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco.

Earth Hour, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, is designed to heighten awareness about climate change and to inspire people to take practical actions to reduce our carbon footprints. Individuals are encouraged to participate by turning out their lights and by replacing a traditional light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb.

I will be participating because I’m concerned about climate change but also because I’m interested in reducing my own energy use for practical reasons. In January my electric bill hit its all time high of $125. We swapped compact fluorescent light bulbs for traditional bulbs in four of our most used lights. I also started turning off my computer and printer at the surge protector since I learned that it sucks electricity even when it is off. This month my electric bill was $85 and I used 249 fewer kilowatt hours than last year the same month. I’ll be doing more of these measures–it feels good to be doing something good for the environment and saving money.

Find out more information about Earth Hour.

Here’s a sign of spring that doesn’t make me happy. I live on a rural dirt road, part of which goes along the CMP right of way. It seems to be a favorite place for people to dump refuse. Over the years I have found gas tanks, tires, household furniture, household trash, paint cans, clothing, two deer carcasses (and not in hunting season), and countless bottles and cans. In a recent walk I spotted a sewing machine, a smashed up television, a sofa, an unidentified piece of furniture and giant pieces of styrofoam.

I know I’m always telling people here at the blog to stay calm and be reasonable, but this makes me FURIOUS. Who does this? And why? Is it the cost of dumping it legally? Or are they just plain lazy and ignorant?

Now I’ve had my rant. Has anyone out there figured out a way to discourage this in your neighborhood? What can we do as a community to discourage this?

Reminder: The Conservation Commission’s Earth Day Adopt a Road Cleanup is coming up on April 19.

A guest essay by South Berwick resident Karen Eger

This is the time of year when I envy folks who live in town. On the south sides of their houses, close to the foundations, the snow has melted and plants start poking up a good two weeks before they do out here in the puckerbush. You have more birds too. The snow has been too deep to comfortably walk in the woods for some weeks now and too uneven for snowshoes. Unless you enjoy lurching in and out of the postholes your feet make when the thin crust on top gives way, walking has been confined to the roads.

Today I went out bushwhacking looking for Spring and came back with two soggy feet and some signs to report. The ice is still covering the ponds but the south facing cliffs are warming up the vernal pools at their feet. The sphagnum moss is St Patrick’s Day green where the ice has melted and though I didn’t spot any sign of frog or salamander, it won’t be long!
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South Berwick Conservation Commission is sponsoring an Earth Day Adopt a Road Clean Up. Earth Day is April 22. On Saturday, April, 19th clean up your neighborhood. Pick a road to do a roadside clean up with your friends and family, your neighbors or community group. Saturday hours at the So Berwick Transfer Station are 7 AM- 6 PM. Remember to wear gloves.

For more information and to sign up call 384-3300 ext 336 (conservation commission voice mail) or email prnel@comcast.net

An estimated 25% of an average household’s waste is yard trimmings and kitchen scraps. As part of Earth Day 2008, South Berwick is participating in a statewide compost bin sale to encourage residents to compost these wastes. South Berwick residents can get a home compost bin and how-to-guide for only $40.00, a 50% saving on the $80 retail value. The bin is made of 100% recycled plastic, has a ten year warrantee, and is large enough for a family of five.

By composting you can turn your scraps in a rich soil amendment for your lawn and garden. Composting also saves the town money by reducing the amount of waste that has to be shipped out of town for disposal.

Contact Gary Boucher at 603-978-1669 to order your bin. You can also place your order in person at the transfer station during their regular hours. The bins will be sold until April 11. Find out more information at the transfer station pages on the town web site.

The South Berwick Conservation Commission is sponsoring well water testing for South Berwick residents. The testing will be performed by Demers Lab in Sanford . The basic complete testing for $50.00 includes the following: total coliform and E-coli, nitrate, chloride, hardness, pH, iron, manganese, sodium, color, odor and turbidity. You can

add a test for arsenic for $15.00.

Pick up kits and directions anytime after April 1st at town hall and drop off at town hall Saturday morning April 12 from 9 am -12 noon.

For more information, call 384-3300 ext 336 (conservation commission voice mail) or email prnel@comcast.net with the subject “well water test.”

Great Works Regional Land Trust’s 15th Annual Spring Auction: Conservation Matters is coming up on Saturday March 8, 2008 at Spring Hill Restaurant in South Berwick and there are only 50 tickets left. Last year’s auction was sold out, so get your tickets soon. Go to www.gwrlt.org for details.

As always, there is a great selection to bid on, including the perennial favorites of gravel, manure and fuel oil.

Some hot items this year include an Old Town kayak, a day with Portsmouth Brewery master brewer Tod Mott, a guided Orris Falls hike, Balancing Rock, of an original watercolor by Roger Morin, The ‘Placenames of South Berwick’ Guided Tour, and a porcelain platter by well-known potter Tim Christensen

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Communities across our region are initiating efforts to reduce energy consumption, save money, and curb global warming. Eliot has a selectmen-appointed committee that performed a town-wide energy audit and wrote ordinances to regulate future wind and solar proposals. Kittery is installing a wind turbine at their transfer station and just signed on to the Mayors’ Climate Change Agreement. Portsmouth has a Committee on Sustainable Practices to provide input on sustainability initiatives throughout the City and has signed on to the Mayors’ Climate Change Agreement and adopted a resolution making the City an eco-municipality.

It’s time for South Berwick to get on board. To find out what we can do, join your neighbors at:

KEYS Region Smart Solutions Celebration
Free and Open to the Public!
February 7, 2008, 5:30pm-8 pm, Kittery Trading Post, Kittery

Keynote: John Rudolph, Bi-State Green Project

Hear about local towns’ solutions to curb global warming and how you can be involved! Representatives from Kittery, Eliot, York, South Berwick and the Portsmouth region will talk about 2008 plans and recent successes. The “Cool Kit” for the KEYS region will also be introduced. Refreshments will be served.

The event is sponsored by Maine Partners for Cool Communities and KEYS Region Organizations.

A South Berwick group can start small and grow from there. There are plenty of ideas and assistance to help groups and towns initiate sustainability practices. If you are interested in starting a sustainability group in South Berwick, attend the meeting or send an email.

Great Works Regional Land Trust is offering hikes on conservation land every weekend in February. Nothing beats cabin fever like getting outside.

This weekend:
February 2, Saturday, 9 am - 12 noon

Five of the Seven Wonders of Tatnic - Orris Falls Conservation Area. Visit the ‘Big Bump’, ‘Baker’s Oven’, Balancing Rock, Tatnic Ledges and the Gorge at Orris Falls. Meet at trailhead on Thurrell Road, S. Berwick. (Foul weather date Feb. 3, Sunday).

Go to www.gwrlt.org for more information.

It is a wonderful day for a stroll around Hamilton House.