(Reprinted, with permission, from the Portsmouth Herald; Aug. 28, 2008)

Newmarket resident Peter Wellenberger could tell you that the Great Bay has five distinct, water-dominated habitats. In order of abundance, they are eelgrass meadows, mudflats, salt marsh, channel bottom and rocky intertidal.

Wellenberger could also tell you these habitats are home to 162 bird,fish and plant species - 23 of which are threatened or endangered - and countless invertebrate species. There's even an occasional harbor seal who swims in for a meal or two.

Wellenberger knows this and much, much more because he has managed the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve since 1990. His knowledge extends far beyond Great Bay and into the larger arena of research into the ecological wonders that are estuaries.

For his work and devotion going back some 35 years when he was an undergraduate student at the University of New Hampshire, Wellenberger was recently honored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Wellenberger was presented the 2008 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award for his three decades of commitment to the stewardship, research and outreach for the nation's estuaries.

"Peter Wellenberger was an advocate for the Great Bay estuary while still in college and he has grown into a national leader for research and stewardship of estuaries," said James Balsiger, acting assistant administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Service.

The award is names for the late Dr. Foster and her work. The first award was presented in 1997 to Foster, who was instrumental throughout her career with NOAA in protecting, conserving and restoring threatened habitats for living marine resources.

Wellenberger said he was "honored" by the award, and when talking to the Herald, he cited a wide range of political and environmental leaders for their dedication to Great Bay - including the former Gov. John Sununu, the later former Gov. Hugh Gregg (who has an education center named after him at Great Bay, U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg and Kelly MacKenzie, director of the Great Bay Discovery Center.

We salute Wellenberger as well for a devotion to Great Bay that goes back to 1973, when he was one of many locals who banded together to stop a plan by Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis to develop the world's largest oil refinery at Durham Point. Today there are new concerns about the health of Great Bay that could have profound ecological and economic impact on the region.

"The eelgrass is not doing as well as we'd like, and that is a habitat concern," he said about the crucial role that eelgrass plays to keep Great Bay healthy.