Category: Quality Of Life

Where are all the loons?

An Aug. 18 online article by the Laconia Daily Sun and New Hampshire Public Radio reported that there are fewer loons in the state than expected. “According to the preliminary results of the 2025 New Hampshire Loon Census, numbers are down statewide,” the article read. “There were 541 adult loons — that comes out to 270 pairs — and that’s far under what we expect our population to be,” the Sun quoted Caroline Hughes, outreach biologist for the Loon Preservation Committee. “The results from the 2024 census yielded 359 loon pairs and 100 or so unpaired loons, showing a preliminary decrease of 89 pairs.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: The Loon Preservation Committee surveys New Hampshire’s lakes each year. According to its website, “lead poisoning resulting from the ingestion of lead fishing tackle is the leading cause of documented Common Loon mortality in New Hampshire, accounting for 159 (42%) of documented adult loon deaths since 1989.”

Girls and Crocs

As reported by Nashua Ink Link in an Aug. 12 online article, 160 girls from Girls Inc. in Nashua and Manchester slipped into new school shoes “thanks to a generous gift of new Crocs from Brady Sullivan Properties. The girls — 75 from the Girls Inc. Manchester Center and 85 from its Nashua Center — traveled by coach bus to the Crocs store at Merrimack Premium Outlets to select their new shoes.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to the Crocs website, a Classic Clog can accommodate up to 13 charms per shoe.

Keep your copy of Sunrise on the Reaping

The Manchester City Library announced on Aug. 5 that it is no longer seeking book donations for its upcoming quarterly book sale.“Due to overwhelming public generosity, we are unable to accept any additional donations at this time,” according to the library’s website. “…[P]lease visit us on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. for our next book sale.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The Library’s quarterly book sales fund its collection of passes that patrons can check out for reduced or free admission to museums and other institutions.

QOL score: 62

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 63

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Name that horse!

His official registered name is Tally Ho Alphie’s Fritzmon, but the Manchester Police Department is looking for something less formal to call its new police horse — technically a “Mounted Patrol Equine Officer.” As reported by WMUR in an Aug. 7 online article, “the 6-year-old gelding is currently known as Fritz, but a new name will be selected through a community contest.” In an Aug. 6 Facebook post the MPD announced a contest to give a new name to the new officer. Name suggestions can be made through Zeffy.com. Each submission costs $5, which will support the Friends of the Manchester Mounted Patrol.

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to the Police Facebook post, one name suggestion will be accepted per entry, the deadline for submission is 8 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 18, and the chosen officer name will be announced on Wednesday, Aug. 20.

Veterinarians booked solid

Tough financial times are not limited to humans. According to an Aug. 7 online article by WMUR, the New Hampshire SPCA has expanded its available veterinary care for pets in financially strapped households but is already booked to capacity. “It’s open on Tuesdays and Thursdays and has been booked solid.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: WMUR quoted veterinarian Kristi Zimmerman-Lundt, who said the clinic largely performs wellness exams, gives vaccines and provides medicine, all at a low cost. Visit nhspca.org/community-wellness.

Get used to that haze

The Department of Environmental Services has issued eight air quality alerts this year, according to an Aug. 8 online story by New Hampshire Public Radio. “Of those, six were issued because of increased levels of fine particle air pollution caused by wildfires in Canada, which is on track to have its second-most devastating wildfire season on record,” NHPR reported. According to several climate scientists interviewed for the article, this will probably be the “new normal” in our region for the foreseeable future.

QOL score: -2

Comments: Find real time reports on air quality in New Hampshire at des.nh.gov.

QOL score last week: 64

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 62

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Animal news, part 1: Snake!

As reported by WMUR in a July 29 online article, a Derry woman was shocked to find a 5-foot python in her bathroom on Monday, July 28. “The woman called police for help,” WMUR reported. “They … found the snake inside the woman’s bathroom. Officers safely placed the snake in a tote and contacted some nearby neighbors to see if it belonged to them.” WMUR quoted the police responders who said that the snake was “docile, friendly, and clearly someone’s pet.”

QOL score: -1 because, like, this can happen? In NH?

Comment: WMUR consulted Kevin McCurley, owner of New England Reptile Distributors in Plaistow, who speculated that the snake may have gotten into the apartment through the toilet.

Animal news, part 2: Sad summer for pets

A July 31 online story by Nashua InkLink reported that area animal shelters are at capacity, due to an unusually large number of owner surrenders. According to Humane Society for Greater Nashua president and CEO Douglas Barry in the story, it’s not uncommon for newly homeless pet owners to be forced to give up their pets.

QOL score: -2

Comment: According to a recent study, the InkLink article reported, “In 2024, 5.8 million cats and dogs entered shelters and rescues in the U.S. This marks the fifth consecutive year that shelters experienced more intakes than outcomes.”

Animal news, part 3: Top dog

As reported by WMUR in an Aug. 4 online article, New Hampshire Fish and Game K9 Aspen has won a photo contest sponsored by the Vermont Police Canine Association. “Aspen will be the inspiration for the association’s next T-shirt design,” the article read. According to a post on the Association’s Facebook page, Aspen received 579 of 2,623 votes.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Aspen was recently in the news for locating a missing person, according to a WMUR report from July 27.

QOL score last week: 66

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 64

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

A big firefly summer

If it seems like there are more fireflies this summer than usual, you are right, according the New Hampshire Public Radio “Something Wild” feature posted on July 24. A wet spring created “perfect breeding conditions for fireflies” according to the feature on nhpr.org. “The larvae get bigger faster, more survive to adulthood, and adult fireflies emerge earlier,” the article said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: “New Hampshire is home to at least 15 species of fireflies, also called lightning bugs,” NHPR reported.

Pets in summer

According to a recently released study by pet insurance company Trupanion, our pets are suffering from summer heat at least as much as we are. In a July 16 online article Trupanion said, “More than 13,000 pets have been affected [nationwide] by dehydration or heatstroke since 2020. Heatstroke claims have increased by 45 percent since 2020, and dehydration claims spike by as much as 364 percent during the summer.” Trupanion reported that it has received more than 12,000 dehydration claims during that period, and that those claims rose by 20 percent between 2023 and 2024. There have been 183 claims from New Hampshire since 2020, they said, and claims in New Hampshire rise by an average of 104 percent during the summer.

QOL score: -1

Comment: “Fresh water, shade, avoiding the hottest parts of the day and never leaving pets in cars are some simple steps that can save lives,” the article said.

Shark summer?

As reported by WMUR in a July 16 Chronicle story, researchers have spent this summer studying the appearance of great white sharks in New Hampshire waters. In 2024 there were confirmed sightings of the apex predators at Wallis Sands, Foss, Cable, Sawyers, and North Hampton beaches, as well as two sightings in the Isles of Sholes. Chronicle quoted Dr. Nathan Furey, a marine biologist at the University of New Hampshire, who said the sharks are drawn in part by migrating populations of seals.

QOL score: +1

Comment: See the report at wmur.com. And for more fun New Hampshire shark facts see seagrant.unh.edu/shark-safety-facts-new-hampshire.

QOL score last week: 65

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 66

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Your next picnic just got more expensive

According to a July 15 press release from the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee (jec.senate.gov) the prices of ground beef and ice cream have risen to record levels. Quoting a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov), ground beef is 11 percent more expensive than it was in May, and ice cream has increased by five percent. “This is the first time that beef has been above $6.00 since CPI [Consumer Price Index] data collection began,” the press release read.

QOL score: -2, one for the burger and one for the ice cream

Comment: This comes on top of a JEC report from July 3 that the price of domestic beer has gone up 13% since April.

The future of grapes in New Hampshire

As reported in a July 20 online article by WMUR, a team of scientists at the University of New Hampshire worked for the past seven years to develop new grape varieties to grow in New Hampshire’s climate. There are currently more than 100 acres in New Hampshire planted with seedless table grapes. In a July 15 online story, UNH Today (unh.edu/unhtoday) reported, “There are several seedless table grape varieties that are well adapted to our region…. These varieties bring delicious and unique flavors to consumers, and they expand the options for local producers.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: “Officials said varieties such as Mars and Lakemont show the most promise for supporting a local grape-growing industry,” the WMUR story reported.

Data breach

As reported in a July 20 online article by WMUR, more than 2,000 New Hampshire residents have been impacted by a recent data breach. The breach, the story read, happened “at Covenant Health, the parent company of St. Joseph Hospital, according to a recent letter sent to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. In letters sent to those potentially impacted, officials said an unauthorized party gained access to Covenant Health’s IT environment on May 18.” According to Covenant Health, some of the accessed information may have included medical, health insurance and Social Security information.

QOL score: -1

Comment: “In response, Covenant Health is offering complimentary memberships and fraud monitoring systems to affected individuals and is enhancing its IT security measures,” WMUR reported.

QOL score last week: 67

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 65

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Home-grown talent

As reported by WMUR in a July 14 online article, 21-year-old Derry native Liam Doyle has been drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the Major League Baseball draft. He is a graduate of Pinkerton Academy. “As a junior at the University of Tennessee,” the WMUR story read, “Doyle was second in the nation in strikeouts with 164 in 95 innings pitched. He had a 10-4 record with a 3.20 ERA, earning SEC [Southeastern Conference] Pitcher of the Year.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: “Charlestown’s Carlton Fisk remains New Hampshire’s highest MLB draft pick,” WMUR reported, “selected fourth overall by the Boston Red Sox in 1967.”

Girl Scouts have our back

Over the past two weeks, press releases from the Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains (girlscoutsgwm.org) have reported community service projects by area Girl Scout and Brownie troops. A June 30 press release announced that Brownie Troop 62987, comprising rising fourth-graders from Windham, consulted with experts, lobbied local government officials, and built and placed first-aid boxes along local hiking trails. A July 2 press release reported that Merrimack Girl Scout Troop 62031 has installed a new trash receptacle at Veterans Memorial Park to reduce pollution along Naticook Lake. Finally, a July 10 press release announced that Girl Scout Troup 62222, also from Merrimack, provided signage on their playground at Mastricola Upper Elementary School to improve communication for deaf and autistic students. “The Girl Scouts have a goal of making their community more inclusive for everyone,” the press release read.

QOL score: +1

Comment: In a telephone interview with the Hippo, spokesperson Ginger Kozlowski pointed out, “All of those projects were thought of by the girls themselves. This is not something that grown-ups do. Girl Scouts decided for themselves how they wanted to take action and they made those projects happen. They really do good in the world.”

Rhymes with “Ick!”

According to a July 7 online article by the Boston Globe, “New England is seeing one of its worst tick seasons in years.” Compared to recent years, the Globe story read, this year is particularly tick-y. “In June, visits to emergency rooms for tick bites reached their highest levels in at least five years in New England and other nearby states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [cdc.gov]. Last month, 233 out of 100,000 ER visits in the Northeast were for tick bites, nearly double the national average of 118.” According to data on the CDC website, every county in New Hampshire has an “established” population of black-legged ticks.

QOL score: -1

Comment: On its website, Tick-Free New Hampshire (tickfreenh.org) recommends “wearing tick repellent clothing, tucking long pants into socks, wearing long sleeves, using insect repellent, and staying to the center of paths.” The group also advises using insect and tick repellent: “When tested, the highest performing products contained one of these three active ingredients: 15%-30% DEET, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), or 10-20% picaridin. All three ingredients are safe for adults, including pregnant women, when used as directed.”

Last week’s QOL score: 66

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 67

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.