Year: 2024

Browntail moths

According to a press release, the New Hampshire Forest Health Bureau announced that Browntail moth caterpillar winter webs were located and removed at the Isles of Shoals off the New Hampshire coast in the first confirmed incident of the species in the Granite State in 75 years.

Browntail moth caterpillars have poisonous fine hairs that can produce skin rashes similar to poison ivy even when the exposure to them is airborne, and inhaling the hairs can also cause serious respiratory issues in some individuals, so people should not handle the caterpillars without wearing proper gloves and, if possible, a mask, according to the press release.

The species, which originated in Europe, is fuzzy with a dark brown coloration and has two conspicuous red-orange dots on the tail end. In New England, the moths’ caterpillar stage happens from August to late June, and from April through July is when the risk of exposure to the hairs is greatest, according to the press release.

Their winter webs are small, tight clumps on two or three leaves at the tip of a branch and tend to be completely enclosed in silk, formed in the fall and can be removed any time between November and mid-April; oak and apple trees are the primary hosts for browntail moth caterpillars, but winter webs can also be found in coastal shrubs like beach plum and cherry, as on the Isles of Shoals, according to the press release.

Browntail moth webs are different from the webs of the fall webworm, which are built into big nests in large areas of foliage in autumn, and they also differ from the webs of the eastern tent caterpillar, whose webs are also large but only occur in spring, according to the release.

The browntail moth was accidentally introduced to North America in the late 1800s and spread to all the states of New England, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, according to the release.

Massive federal work projects in the 1920s and 1930s, in cooperation with biocontrol research, reduced the infestation area to a small region along the Maine coast but in 2022 the browntail moth was found in more than 150,000 acres, although mostly in the southern half of the state, according to the same release. Visit nhbugs.org for more information about how to identify browntail moth caterpillars or to report any sightings.

Traditional art grant

The deadline for the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts’ Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant is Friday, June 14, according to their website.

This grant is offered to help communities preserve their cultural heritage and funds a master traditional artist to teach an experienced apprentice in one-to-one sessions for a minimum of 65 hours over six to 10 months, according to the website.

Traditional arts are passed down from one generation to the next within communities andcan evolve as people, communities and the environment interact and transform, according to the website. The State Council on the Arts through its Heritage and Traditional Arts Program seeks to grant a master artist and apprentice team a combined total of up to $4,000 per year with the maximum request for the master artist $3,000 and the maximum request for the apprentice $1,000, according to the same website.

Any traditional artists active in any artistic or cultural expression that can demonstrate there is a community context for the tradition within New Hampshire may apply for a Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant. The grant period is Saturday, Nov. 1, 2024, through Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2025. For details on eligibility, types of art included, and how to apply, visit nh.gov/nharts/programservices/traditionalarts.html.

Clinic closures

According to a recent press release from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, since the unexpected closure of all New England Medicine and Counseling Associates locations in New Hampshire and Vermont, NEMCA patients with prescriptions for controlled medications should try to re-establish care with another medical provider.

According to the release, Emergency Departments may see an increase in patients experiencing withdrawal symptoms or requesting buprenorphine, a medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder, until they can establish with another medical provider.

The New Hampshire locations impacted are at 120 Route 10 South in Grantham, 17 Coit View Drive in Newport, 376 S. Willow St. in Manchester, and 40 Winter St. in Rochester

In a statement, DHHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jonathan Ballard said that “when patients who have been treated with medications like buprenorphine suddenly lose access to their medication, they are at increased risk of an opioid overdose and may have significant withdrawal symptoms if care is not reestablished quickly.”

The opioid overdose reversal agent naloxone can be obtained through all New Hampshire Doorway locations (thedoorway.nh.gov) or over the counter at pharmacies across the state.

Patients of New England Medicine and Counseling who need assistance with finding a new medical provider can reach out to 211 in New Hampshire.

Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center in Laconia (928 White Oaks Road, prescottfarm.org) will host a workshop on “Poisonous Plants and Natural Hazards” on Saturday, June 8, at 10 a.m. Discover the healing properties of plantain, a common weed found in lawns and fields. Free for members and $25 for nonmembers to register. Visit prescottfarm.org.

Manchester Makerspace (36 Old Granite St.) invites amateur locksmiths for a fun and interactive event to learn the art of lock manipulation at Locksport for Dads on Monday, June 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 for any adult, or $55 for a father and offspring (recommended for ages 12+). See manchestermakerspace.org. The Makerspace is also hosting an open house night from 6 to 10 p.m. that night.

Led Zeppelin tribute show Kashmir comes to the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) Saturday, June 8, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $29.