Category: Quality Of Life

More bad news about water

As reported by WMUR in an Oct. 9 online article, New Hampshire’s drought has reached record levels. “Officials said one gauge on the Ammonoosuc River shows water levels are the lowest they’ve been in nearly 80 years,” the article read.

QOL score: -2

Comment: “As temperatures begin to drop,” the WMUR story read, “officials are concerned about how the state will replenish water levels before next year if dry weather persists. ”

Clothing to pack in your carrion luggage

The winning design from New Hampshire Audubon’s 2025 Turkey Vulture Art Contest has been released on a limited-edition T-shirt. The graphic, designed by New Hampshire artist Lane Lloyd, features the silhouette of a turkey vulture across the back of the shirt. According to a Sept. 30 Facebook post from NH Audubon, more than 600 participants voted in the final round of the contest.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The contest and the resulting T-shirts were inspired by New Hampshire Audubon’s newest animal ambassador, a male juvenile turkey vulture. Visit nhaudubon.org/soar-into-style-new-turkey-vulture-t-shirt.

Avian malaria

In its October newsletter the Loon Preservation Committee announced that a cause of death has been determined for a New Hampshire loon who had achieved notoriety on a popular webcam livestream. “In late September,” the announcement read, “histopathology results from the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed that avian malaria was the cause of death for our Loon Cam 1 Male. Upon microscopic examination, malaria parasites were found throughout multiple tissues, including his heart, kidneys, liver, and lung. This confirmation makes him the first documented New Hampshire male loon (and the second male loon overall) to have died from avian malaria.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: According to the U.S. Geological Survey, like the human variant of malaria, “Avian malaria is a mosquito-borne disease of birds caused by a protozoan parasite. If the parasite load is sufficiently high, the bird loses red blood cells (anemia).” Avian malaria has devastated bird populations in Hawaii. Visit usgs.gov/diseases-of-terrestrial-wildlife/avian-malaria.

QOL score last week: 73

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 71

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Yeah but what about ‘Baconchester’? ‘Baconcord’?

In an Oct. 2 press release, New Hampshire Lottery described the return of its “bacon-scented, scratch-n-sniff $2 ‘I Heart Bacon’ scratch ticket” this way: “As players scratch the “I Heart Bacon” ticket, they’ll be met with the aroma of sizzling bacon, and an opportunity to win up to $10,000, along with a second-chance drawing for a … full year’s supply of bacon from North Country Smokehouse in Claremont.” To promote the sniffy scratchies, the NH Lottery posted a video on its website replacing the “ham”s in say New Hampshire or Durham or Pelham, with “bacon,” so “New Baconshire,” “PelBacon,” etc.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Because at least you know you’ll win the bacon smell.

Dry but colorful

In an Oct. 2 press release, the University of New Hampshire announced that the state’s drought conditions will not have a significant impact on this fall’s foliage. “There should be plenty of leaf peeping opportunities this year,” the press release read. The report quoted Steve Roberge, professor of natural resources and UNH Extension forestry specialist: “[Y]ou still see color because it is already in the leaves from the rainy weather we had this spring.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: “The color’s reveal is controlled by the length of the days and nights as we head into fall,” said Roberge. “What has been great so far are these lovely 45-degree nights that help to bring out the first reds and deep purple colors.”

The number of NH drug deaths has dropped

A recently released study by the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute found that drug-related deaths in New Hampshire have dropped to their lowest level in more than a decade. “In 2024, 287 Granite Staters died from drug-related causes, down from a peak of 490 in 2017,” the Institute reported in a Sept. 30 press release. The study credited State investment in anti-drug measures for much of the decrease.

QOL score: +3

Comment: According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, “In 2015, New Hampshire had the second-highest drug-related mortality rate in the nation (32.5 deaths per 100,000 residents). By 2024, that rate had fallen more than 38 percent to 20.0 deaths per 100,000 — the lowest in New England and below the national average.” Visit nhfpi.org/press-releases.

QOL score last week: 68

Net change: +5

QOL this week: 73

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

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From UNH to space!

As reported by the University of New Hampshire in a Sept. 24 press release, New Hampshire-built technology was aboard a rocket launched that morning. “Instrumentation designed and built by researchers, engineers and students from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) blasted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida,” the press release read. “The rocket is headed toward the sun as a part of NASA’s latest scientific mission to better understand the impact of space weather, cosmic radiation and their impacts on Earth.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: As reported by WMUR in a Sept. 25 online article, “Multiple spacecraft from the rocket are expected to reach their destination, a location between Earth and the Sun about one million miles away, by January.” Visit “UNH and IMAP-Lo“ on YouTube.

You might need to borrow a little more money

As reported by the Concord Monitor in a Sept. 24 online article, the cost of buying a home in New Hampshire has gone up. Again. “August marked the 67th consecutive month in which New Hampshire home prices were higher than in the same month a year earlier, according to the New Hampshire Association of Realtors,” according to the article

QOL score: -2

Comment: “Rockingham County topped the list as the most expensive area to buy a house last month,” the Monitor reported, “with a median price of $689,000. In Merrimack County, the median price was $527,500.”

Hoping you don’t work at the top of a hill

In a Sept. 28 post, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation announced on its Facebook page (facebook.com/NHDOT) that it was encouraging the drivers of New Hampshire not to drive. In a post titled, “Could You Go a Week Without Driving?” the DOT wrote that “from Sept 29 – Oct 5, NHDOT is stepping out of the driver’s seat and into the reality of millions who rely on walking, rolling, biking, transit, or carpooling every day.” They prompted temporary non-drivers to “sign up at weekwithoutdriving.org.”

QOL score: +1 for good intentions

Comment: The online responses included: “Well, that’ll be a really long walk to get groceries 35+miles away,” and, simply, “No.”

QOL score last week: 68

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 68

Things are getting thirsty

According to a Sept.16 online article from WMUR, this summer’s drought has hit a new milestone: some wells are starting to run dry. Quoting Ted Diers from the Department of Environmental Services, the article read, “Basically, this is a statewide drought. What we’re encouraging is for people to be very, very careful with their well water, be conservation minded, [and] use it gently.” The NHDES website posts a warning, “Drought conditions continue to worsen. Currently, 73% of the state is in severe or extreme drought. Please follow local water use restrictions and fire requirements, and conserve water where you can.

QOL score: -3 (because see also page 4)

Comment: More than half of New Hampshire residents depend on private wells for their water. Visit des.nh.gov/climate-and-sustainability/storms-and-emergencies/drought.

But relief might be on its way

As of Sept. 22, WMUR’s extended forecast shows a likelihood of at least one day of rain in the next week, with a 90 percent chance of rain. The National Weather Service is more cautious in its estimates, predicting a maximum of a 70 percent chance of rain.

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to the National Weather Service, Concord experienced 18 days in August (the latest data available) with temperatures above average, and 1.18 inches of rain, compared to the 3.36 inches of a normal year. Visit.weather.gov.

Is ‘stagnant’ as bad as it sounds?

In a Sept.11 report, the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute (nhfpi.org) analyzed U.S. Census data and concluded, “While Granite Staters’ economic well-being did not worsen, it also did not improve. From 2023 to 2024, median household incomes were essentially flat when adjusting for inflation, poverty rates remained unchanged. These stagnant indicators suggest that while New Hampshire has avoided backsliding, many families continue to face persistent challenges meeting basic needs.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: According to the Institute’s report, “A limited supply of housing units in New Hampshire is contributing to both higher rental costs and increased sale prices for single-family houses across the state, making purchasing a home, and associated wealth-building opportunities, more difficult to access for those who currently rent.” Visit nhfpi.org/blog/acs2025.

‘I owe how much!?’

According to a recent study by the online finance website WalletHub.com, New Hampshire ranks second among states with the highest rate of student loan debt. “[New Hampshire] Borrowers owe an average of close to $40,000, the highest amount in the country,” the report read. New Hampshire came first in the average amount of student debt, second in the proportion of students with debt, first in the percentage of student loans past due or in default, and — perhaps a good sign — third in grant growth. Only Mississippi scored higher.

QOL score: -1

Comment: According to the WalletHub report, “At the end of the first quarter of 2025, total outstanding college-loan balances stood at over $1.66 trillion, according to the Department of Education. That comes out to an average of over $39,000 for each of the 42.5 million borrowers.” Search for “States with the Most and Least Student Debt (2025).”

QOL score last week: 72

Net change: -4

QOL this week: 68

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

It’s really dry

As noted by WMUR in a Sept. 11 online report, New Hampshire is very, very dry. According to the report, a small portion of Grafton County, about 7 percent of the state, is suffering from conditions of “extreme drought.” Conditions in much of the rest of the state are classed as “severe drought.” “Just three months ago,” WMUR reported, “100% of the state was not considered to be even abnormally dry, but the situation has progressively worsened since the end of May.”

QOL score: -2

Comment: The New Hampshire Department of Forests and Lands said on its X, formerly Twitter, feed (@NHForestRangers) on Sept. 11, “The predicted Fire Danger in all FDRAs [fire danger rating areas] is HIGH.” See a map of the different fire danger rating areas at

nhdfl.dncr.nh.gov; click on “Daily Fire Danger” under “Forest Protection.”

But there are lots of falcons

According to a Sept. 15 online report from NH Audubon, the number of peregrine falcons in New Hampshire has risen dramatically since last year. “NH Audubon staff and volunteers confirmed a record-high 37 territorial pairs statewide,” the report read, “up a remarkable 30% from 28 pairs found in 2024. This is the largest single-season jump for NH’s state-threatened Peregrine pairs in the last half century!”

QOL score: +1

Comment: NH Audubon counted a slightly smaller number of peregrine hatchlings in 2025 (44, as opposed to 50 in 2024), “but NH recovery data suggests that rebounds often follow down years,” the report continued, so more territorial pairs now could lead to more fledglings next year.”

Ending the season with a W (6 Ws)

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats have wrapped up their 2025 season in triumph. A Sept. 14 Fisher Cats press release game recap said, “The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (27-41, 56-81) ended the 2025 season with their first six-game sweep in franchise history by taking down the Chesapeake Baysox (28-41, 59-77) at Delta Dental Stadium on Sunday afternoon, 7-3.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The Fisher Cats will open their 2026 season with a home game in Manchester on April 3 against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

QOL score last week: 72

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 72

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

A little off the back, and not so fluffy

WMUR reported in a Sept. 5 online article that a family of baby squirrels was rescued from a Manchester barbershop on Tuesday, Sept. 2. “[The squirrels] had become trapped inside the wall of a local barbershop after a repair accidentally sealed them in, locking their mother out,” the story read. Staff at the barbershop became aware of the problem — presumably by frantic scratching on both sides of the wall — and re-opened the wall.

QOL score: +1 for a happy ending

Comment: “Manchester Animal Control safely removed the babies and reunited them with their mother,” WMUR reported.

Emu spotted

The Concord Monitor reported in a Sept. 5 online article that an unidentified emu was spotted near the shore of Penacook Lake in Concord on Wednesday, Sept. 3. “The owner of the emu is still unknown,” the Monitor story read. “Authorities from the Concord Police Department said no one has reported an emu missing. While not their normal missing animal post, Granite State Dog Recovery did alert its followers that the emu was spotted on the loose in Concord. ‘Is anyone missing an emu?’ the alert read.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: Good luck catching the emu. According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo website, “The emu is a fast runner and can reach speeds of up to 31 mph (50 km/hr). Their long legs enable them to walk considerable distances or outrun danger. Emus are also strong swimmers.”

Butterfly survey

In a Sept. 1 press release New Hampshire Audubon (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, 224-9909, nhaudubon.org) conveyed the results of its Butterfly Survey earlier this summer. “On July 26, 32 volunteers divided into 5 teams and surveyed 14 sites across the Capitol Area,” the statement read. “Together, NH Audubon volunteers and staff counted a total of 482 individual butterflies of 35 species.” While fewer species were spotted this year than in 2024, that might be explained by our extremely wet spring, followed by the area’s hot, dry summer, the report concluded.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Highlights included “two Common Sootywing — a species which is uncommon in New Hampshire … [and] the newly described Midsummer Tiger Swallowtail,” the Audubon said.

QOL score last week: 69

Net change: +3

QOL this week: 72

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.