Sci-tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire, from David Brooks of the Concord Monitor.
Granite Geek: A snowpile in time saves nine (Proctor Academy hopes)
Proctor Academy has collected roughly a quarter-million cubic feet of snow and purchased technology from Snow Secure to store it over the summer in an effort to kick-start the ski season at Proctor Ski Area next winter.
$1.6 billion refund in electric rates is going ahead, for now
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has denied a request by Eversource and other electric utilities to halt the payback of $1.6 billion in past rate charges to customers, while other court challenges are still in play.
Granite Geek: It’s not all doom-and-gloom on the antivaxx front (although there’s a lot of doom and gloom)
A recent study found that TDAP vaccines remain popular, while HPV vaccine hesitancy has increased due to the association with sexual activity and misinformation, highlighting the need for doctors to use storytelling to promote the benefits of vaccines.
Granite Geek: Batteries are accelerating the energy transition. One weird trick can help you get one for your home
Batteries are becoming an increasingly important part of the energy transition, with utilities in New Hampshire offering customers financial incentives to install home batteries and help balance the grid.
More bears means new rules in Pemi Wilderness
The White Mountain National Forest will require all overnight visitors to the Pemigewasset Wilderness to use a bear-proof food container to store food and scented materials, starting May 1, due to a sharp increase in bear incidents involving improperly stored food.
Dry weather, winds, low humidity raise concern about fires
New Hampshire is facing a high risk of outdoor fires due to dry conditions and gusting winds, while the Southeast is experiencing a serious, long-term drought with widespread fires.
Granite Geek: What font is this? Does it meet the new standards?
The New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services has issued guidelines for online content to be accessible to people with disabilities, which includes restrictions on fonts, text formatting, and images.
Granite Geek: Shutting Bartlett Experimental Forest celebrates willful ignorance
A while back, federal and state biologists spent 12 years —12 years! — studying the reproductive cycles of mice and voles, seeing how they interact with the amount of seeds and nuts that trees produce each year. Why? Because because small mammals are a major route for seed dispersal in New England’s forests, spreading trees…
Federal body orders $1.5 billion in refunds to New England electric customers
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has ordered approximately $1.5 billion in refunds to New England electric customers, including $880 million to Eversource customers in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut, due to excess charges between 2015 and now.
Battery in EV from Bedford tolls crash re-ignited days later
Firefighters in Merrimack spent Monday pouring 60,000 gallons of water on a 2026 Lucid Gravity that had re-ignited after a crash at the Bedford tolls, demonstrating the difficulty of controlling an electric vehicle fire due to its thermal runaway.
Granite Geek: New nuclear tech would be cool, sure, but renewables are ready now
I was delighted to hear Gov. Ayotte and other New England governors recently push for ways to strengthen our energy independence through increasing use of modern technology. Because we do need more solar, wind, batteries and non-wire alternatives to keep New Hampshire strong. Oh, wait — they were talking about adding nuclear power. Well, that…
Concord has been drier than average for almost a year
New Hampshire is still in various states of drought and outdoor fires should be treated with caution, as the state’s fire danger level is listed daily by the Division of Forest and Lands.
Fixing state’s roads and bridges is going to take more money
New Hampshire’s roads and bridges are in need of repair, but funding constraints due to flat gas tax revenue, increased construction costs, and increased repayment of a 2015 bond are making it difficult to make the necessary improvements.
Granite Geek: If poets can be laureates, why not cartoonists?
Geeks have always loved comics and cartooning. So does Vermont: It has an official Cartoonist Laureate.
There’s an older crowd saying ‘I do’ in New Hampshire these days
The median age for first-time brides in New Hampshire has increased by four years from 1995 to 2025, while the number of 20- and 25-year-old marriages has fallen consistently and the number of 30- and 35-year-old marriages has risen.
Granite Geek: Neither sunlight nor used cooking oil have to go through the Strait of Hormuz
The war in Iran has caused prices of petroleum-related products to rise, but the biodiesel industry is thriving and the US should transition to an “electrostate” powered by renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.
How to double your blood donation at one visit (and get a smaller needle)
The American Red Cross is encouraging people to double their blood donation by donating “double red” donations, which allows them to donate two units of red blood during one visit and use a smaller needle.
The Overwatch Foundation helps schools thwart hackers, protect student data
A hacker infiltrating the local high school doesn’t sound like much of a threat in today’s threat-filled world, but Alyssa Rosenzweig begs to differ. She knows what the bad guys are after: students’ data. “It’s not an immediate threat but, in 10 years, when they go to apply for their first loan, then it will…
Granite Geek: Fisher’s long-distance jaunt was a tech celebration
GPS tracking revolutionizes wildlife research, reveals fisher’s epic journey
N.H. stretch of Appalachian Trail had 2.88 million visitors last year
New Hampshire’s section of the Appalachian Trail is estimated to have seen 2.88 million recreational visits in 2025, making it the second-most visited state by A.T. hikers after Virginia.
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