Environment

Lifeguards rescued 144 people last week, and the state’s beach patrol says there has been an increase in rip currents lately. Risk is also high later this week as Hurricane Erin moves north.

Phoenix Tailings says they plan to have all operating permits by this fall. They aim to produce more heavy rare earth metals than originally planned, to make up for limited exports from China.

Just about half of the hudsonia-silverling plant community sites along the Saco River have disappeared in the last several decades, likely because of climate change, say two state botanists.

Since 2023, the state has focused on increasing awareness and funding mitigation projects through its cyanobacteria mitigation fund. But the money is now running dry, and the future of other water bodies in the state threatened by blooms remains uncertain.

The amicus brief, filed by the Conservation Law Foundation on behalf of almost 20 community organizations and local governments, including one in New Hampshire, urges the Environmental Protection Agency to release grant money that was abruptly terminated this spring.

The company is proposing remediation options that include monitoring pollution and limiting the use of the site moving forward, instead of actively cleaning up the PFAS chemicals present at high levels. State regulators are pushing for different options.

Researchers from the University of New Hampshire are using solar-powered tags to track salt marsh sparrows and collect data which can better inform marsh restoration and preservation efforts across New England.

Snow banks help plants thrive in the mountains, providing water and nutrients for soil. But as climate change warms the atmosphere, their support systems are changing.

The volunteers met at the Jackson Estuarine Lab in Durham as part of a project that supports oyster farms and restoration sites across coastal states.

The report also found signs of improving pH levels in most sampled sites.