Art school leaves Manch

New England College will be relocating its Institute of Art and Design program from Manchester to its main campus in Henniker starting in the fall of 2023. According to a community update from NEC President Wayne Lesperance posted on the college’s website, the consolidation is part of the school’s efforts to create a more integrated campus community and to offer students greater access to the resources available on its main campus. “Covid-19 depressed participation in the arts and arts education nationally,” Lesperance said in the update. “Unfortunately, NEC was not immune to this downward trend. With this move to unify our academic offerings in Henniker, NEC re-doubles its commitment to its art and design students and faculty, and the arts generally, by dedicating facilities and creating new opportunities in a welcoming setting.” NEC’s Institute of Art and Design is the successor to the New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA), which merged with the college several years ago. A new “Art Village” on the Henniker campus will provide dedicated spaces for art and design students to work and collaborate, as well as a new theater in NEC’s Putnam Center for the Performing Arts for students studying performing arts. NEC will continue to hold events at its galleries and assembly space at French Hall in Manchester, according to the update.

Bio-pest control

The University of New Hampshire’s team of New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station scientists has published research in Environmental Entomology on the role of annual insectary plants as habitats for syrphid flies. According to a press release, the team studied flowering plants grown to attract, feed and shelter syrphids, also known as hover or flower flies, which are known to act as biological pest controls, consuming large numbers of common pests, like aphids. The research revealed that sweet alyssum, a low-growing cool-season annual in the Brassicaceae plant family, as well as buckwheat, dill and cilantro attracted and maintained significant numbers of syrphid flies. “We’ll use this information as a springboard to study the behavior and life histories of the key players in our vegetable agroecosystems, which will lead to better landscape management techniques and more sustainable pest management down the line,” Anna Wallingford, NHAES scientist, research assistant professor in UNH’s agriculture, nutrition and food systems department and co-author of the published article, said in the release. The team is considering further study to investigate if and how native perennial plants could be used to attract syrphids.

Autism Acceptance month

Applied ABC, an ABA autism therapy company in Manchester, invites the public to its Autism Acceptance month celebration at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Minor League Baseball team, on Saturday, April 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. The free event will feature booths set up across the stadium and field as well as ABA games and activities that promote social, cognitive and motor skills in children with autism, according to an email from the organizer. Visit appliedabc.com or call 403-3741 to learn more.

New Chair

Greater Nashua Mental Health has named James Jordan its new Chairman of the Board of Directors. According to a press release, Jordan has been a New Hampshire resident for more than 25 years and has decades of business experience, including having worked for Verizon Communications for 31 years before starting his own telecommunications consulting business. He currently runs Adaptive Techniques & Concepts, a consulting firm for large to mid-size companies across the country.

Drug take-back

The DEA’s bi-annual National Drug Take Back Day is happening on Saturday, April 22. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., New Hampshire town and city police departments will be hosting collection sites across the state for people to drop off their unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications, which can pose public safety risks such as accidental poisoning, overdoses and abuse when not properly discarded. The DEA will accept pills, patches and vaping devices and cartridges, but not liquids, needles, sharps or devices with lithium batteries. For a collection site locator to find a drop-off point near you, visit dea.gov/takebackday.

Looking for lead

The Nashua Regional Planning Commission and the Loon Preservation Committee are calling for anglers in the Nashua Region to check their tackle boxes for illegal lead tackle and dispose of it responsibly at the Household Hazardous Waste Event on Saturday, April 22, from 8 a.m. to noon, at 25 Crown St., in Nashua. The use of small lead tackle has been banned in New Hampshire due to its negative impact on the threatened loon population; according to a press release, lead tackle ingestion is the primary cause of documented adult loon deaths and accounted for 38.5 percent of documented adult loon deaths in the state between 1989 and 2022. There are a number of tests that can be done to identify tackle that is made of lead: according to Harry Vogel, LPC’s Senior Biologist and Executive Director, “When rubbed on paper, lead will leave a gray mark. Lead is soft, so lead tackle can be easily dented with a fingernail or with pliers.” If in doubt, consider the age of the tackle, Vogel added; tackle bought in 2010 or before is likely to be made of lead. The Household Hazardous Waste Event is open to residents of Amherst, Brookline, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, Merrimack, Milford, Mont Vernon, Nashua, Pelham, and Windham, with a fee of $15 per vehicle. Find a list of accepted items at nashuarpc.org/hhw. Additionally, LPC and the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game are offering a Lead Tackle Buyback Program in which anglers who turn in one ounce or more of illegal lead tackle at participating local tackle shops can receive a $10 voucher for that shop. For a list of participating shops, visit loonsafe.org.

Road work is underway on Interstate 393 between Concord and Chichester, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation announced, which includes ramps for exits 1, 2 and 3 and will require intermittent lane closures this summer. The work is part of a $500,000 sign replacement expected to be complete by mid-October. Real-time traffic news can be found at newengland511.org, and travelers can sign up for “My511” alerts to stay informed about incidents and construction work.

Manchester Community College (1066 Front St.) is holding an open House on Thursday, April 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. Prospective students are invited to visit the campus, meet with faculty and staff, and learn about financial aid and transfer opportunities with the New Hampshire Dual Admission Program. Attendees are encouraged to bring their transcripts to have previous credits evaluated for transfer. Visit mccnh.edu/admissions/openhouse or call 206-8000.

United Way of Greater Nashua is inviting people to dispose of their unwanted electronics at its e-recycling event, United w(E)-Recycle, Friday, April 21, through Sunday, April 23, at its location at 20 Broad St. in Nashua, with drop-off times Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. According to a press release, proceeds support the Greater Nashua School Supply Pantry. Email info@unitedwaynashua.org or visit unitedwaynashua.org for a list of accepted items and suggested donation amounts for their disposal.