Help wanted!

[Onshore]

As many of you know the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act, RSA 483-B, was amended by the Legislature during the 2007 session. The biggest change will arguably be that effective April 1, 2008 "No person shall commence construction, excavation, or filling activities within the protected shoreland without obtaining a permit from the department to ensure compliance with this chapter." The "department" in this case is the Department of Environmental Services(DES). As written this language means that anytime you pick up a hammer or shovel within 250 ft of a protected surface water you will need a permit. (Please don't hit the panic button just yet.) The people involved in putting the new language together did realize that some things just shouldn't need a permit and, therefore, they also added language to allow DES to identify "those activities that may be conducted without obtaining a permit, all consistent with the provisions of this chapter."(see RSA 483-B:17 XI). DES is in the process of developing the rules needed to implement the new permitting process. One of the most important parts of this new rules package is identifying the projects that shouldn't need a permit. DES is looking for your help in identifying these projects. As shorefront home owners, or people who perhaps work in the protected shorelands, please take some time to think about some of the little projects you do around the house and yard that might now need a permit but should probably be exempted from the requirement and list them in a response to this thread. Even if something seems ridiculously simple like planting tulips in the garden, please by all means put it out there for consideration, because if you don't, you may end up needing a permit until such time as it gets added to the list, and trust me... no one wants that to happen.

Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have.

D. Forst
Shoreland Section Supervisor
NH DES Wetlands Bureau