Coös County - Programs

Cooperative Extension staff in Coös County make an important difference in specific ways, among them:
Assistance to forest landowners focuses on forest stewardship and management of forests and wildlife.  Individual technical assistance covering wildlife habitat enhancement, silviculture, timber sales, estate planning, Christmas tree production, maple sugaring and other topics conducted for 131 landowners in one year alone affected practices on 84,000 acres.

The Coös Foresters Mudseason Breakfast and all-day seminar attracts 100 natural resource professionals, updating them on regional changes in the working forest, ownership patterns, evolution and challenges in forest industry, and impacts on the local economy.

Global Positioning System (GPS) interoperability with other technology such as computer mapping, remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) helped natural resources professionals at one training refine equipment requirements and update methodologies. Collaboration and support by UNH Complex Systems, UNH Thompson School, and Extension specialists are valuable to the success of these efforts.

Three courses on the use of high tunnels for growing tomatoes focused on site/structure, crops and Integrated Pest Management. An added feature was the distribution of hybrid tomato plants - started by White Mountains Regional High School Vocational Agricultural Students - specifically selected to address problems in tunnel culture (earliness, green shoulders, disease resistance). Feedback this growing season was positive.

The Weeks State Park lecture and workshop series, cosponsored by the Weeks State Park Association, Cooperative Extension and the White Mountain Interpretive Association along with state agencies, served as a successful medium for broad outreach to the public. The series promotes a better understanding and appreciation of local natural resources, and cultural and historical heritage. This program attracted capacity audiences over the past 12 years, with 1,500 people participating each year.

4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Resources educators have been central players in the formation and leadership of the Coös County Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention. Since 1999, this group has obtained over $1,100,000 in funding for programs focusing on prevention for local youth and families.

Coös County Extension educators played a pivotal role in delivering the Strengthening Families Program for parents in three North Country communities. The seven-week program, to youth and their parents, focuses on reducing adolescent substance abuse and other problematic behaviors in youth ages 10-14.

The Coös County Sharpshooters 4-H Club distributed over 2,300 free gun locks and firearms safety kits as a community service project and as part of Project ChildSafe. The goal is to promote safe firearms handling and storage practices among firearms owners. All 4-H shooting sports volunteer leaders are trained and certified to teach life skill development, as well as to deliver this specific program.

Nutrition Connections works with schoolchildren, covering food, nutrition, food safety, exercise, and basic money management this past year. Through Nutrition Connections, every food stamp recipient in Coös County received three newsletters containing tips on healthy eating and saving money at the grocery store.

Food service providers receive training in ServSafe®, a food safety curriculum of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

Committed to reaching as many at-risk parents with young children as possible, the Coös County Coalition for Substance and Abuse Prevention sponsored DARE To Be You, a 12-week, intensive parent education for families. It is a collaborative project involving volunteers and staff from multiple agencies and organizations, including Extension. Programming topics include developing a personal parenting philosophy and setting goals for children, child development, fostering a child’s self-esteem, effective discipline and understanding different parenting styles. This coalition is regarded as a model program and coalition at the state-level.

Risk management and production efficiency are closely linked. A decision to apply for a substantial Risk Management Agency/USDA grant turned out to be a good one. While helping acquaint farms with improved market-based programs like crop insurance, Extension has used the funds to present many educational sessions on all concepts of reducing risk.

The 4-H program mobilizes and empowers adult volunteers to provide youth development programming. In one year alone, Coös County 4-H volunteers provided approximately 12,500 hours of volunteer service with a dollar value of $214,875 (Independent Sector).

Extension educators provided educational and technical assistance to the Randolph Forest Commission during development of a new forest stewardship plan for the 10,000-acre community forest. Selectmen and conservation commission members were provided assistance in preparing color infrared photography for use with their town GIS.

Educational and technical assistance also was given to representatives in the towns of Colebrook, Randolph, Jefferson, Dalton, Dixville Notch, Pittsburg and Lancaster in planning and preparing natural resources inventory updates, use of GPS and GIS technology, and/or use of color infrared aerial photography to support planning and mapping efforts.