Sullivan County Profile 2003-2004

The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension provides practical education to people of all ages. The partnership of Sullivan County, the State of New Hampshire and the U.S. Department of Agriculture forms UNH Cooperative Extension. In every Sullivan County community, this program is at work, increasing economic development, enhancing the environment, supporting community needs and developing human potential. Sullivan County Extension educators provide non-formal educational programs in Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, and in Family, Community and Youth Development, with the assistance of a local advisory council. Sullivan County residents also benefit from a wide range of statewide Extension programs directed by state Extension Specialists. These efforts focus on monitoring water quality in Lake Sunapee, reducing the use of pesticides, and Community Profiles to name a few.

  • Educational radio spots and newspaper articles throughout the year by Extension Educators - WNTK, Eagle Times, Valley News and other local newspapers; five newsletters to 1700 households in Sullivan County.

  • Extension educators participated in numerous countywide events, forums, fairs and public exhibits including the Cornish Fair, County Government Week, Career Days and Health Days for area high schools and the County Commissioners' Pancake Breakfast in Unity.

Agricultural Natural Resources & Community Development Programs

  • The Sullivan County UNH Cooperative Extension Agricultural Resources program area assisted commercial and non-commercial growers in all phases of agricultural production and management. This includes crop production methods, pest management, farm management, financial management, animal husbandry, risk management, nutrient management, and marketing.

  • Five major areas of agricultural programming were offered to growers this past year, these include: agricultural business management, agricultural marketing, grass farming/pasture management, whole farm planning/holistic management, and advancing sustainable agricultural practices.

  • In addition to these outcome based educational programs, 176 farm visits were made, and 305 phone calls were responded to. To assist on some of these farm visits, 16 different agricultural specialists were brought to Sullivan County to assist producers with their farming practices. Additionally, five grants were funded this past year resulting in over $15,000 worth of materials or expertise brought into Sullivan County. Grant writing assistance was also provided to two farms seeking funding for projects.

  • Sullivan County UNH Cooperative Extension office has provided support to the agricultural community in diverse areas including: agricultural engineering, nutrient management, home gardening, organic production methods, pesticide re-certification credits, on-farm research projects, and support for new and beginning farmers groups.

  • The Sullivan County Master Gardener Program continued to expand over the past year. An active core of 20 Master Gardeners was augmented by four new interns in May 2004. Sullivan County Master Gardeners have conducted educational programs around the county.

  • In addition to the activities listed above, the Agricultural Resources educator provided support to Sullivan County Farm Bureau, the Cold Pond Community Land Trust, NOFA-NH, County Garden Clubs, the Newport revitalization Committee, the Sugar River Vocational Technical School, Stevens High School, the Cornish Fair and other county organizations. He also has worked to help producers deal with production problems and implement new technologies.

  • The activities listed above have resulted in increased farm profits, increased efficiency, improved environmental conditions, and a more robust agricultural community here in Sullivan County.

4-H Youth Development Program

  • With the help of 92 volunteer leaders, the 4-H Youth Development Program fostered life skill development in youth. This year 307 youth took part in 26 community clubs and 2 family clubs to build personal skills in communication, relationships, leadership and management through their participation in club and county project activities.

  • Some of the most well-attended county 4-H events this past year included: Cornish Fair (155 members showed their 4-H projects), Rally and Awards Night (175 adults and youth), International Foods Day (178 members and leaders), County Activities Day (117 youth and adults) and the 4-H Fashion Show in which 47 boys and girls participated and about 100 more audience members attended.

  • An "Issues Identification" meeting was held in October and people were invited to participate from all over Sullivan County. The event was a great success with 21 adults and 10 teens voicing what they felt were the top needs in Sullivan County. Some of the recommendations have started to become reality this year. Youth needs were a high priority. A Claremont Teen Center opened this past year with some support from Extension. A Newport Teen Center is scheduled to open soon as part of the Newport Enrichment Team grant. (This grant was a collaborative effort spearheaded by Extension and currently funds a full time director for out-of-school programs and several part-time program supervisors.) Another identified need was for financial education for teens. Two teams of teens from Newport and the Claremont area were formed and competed in the state Life Smarts Contest in March. The contest focused on financial and consumer literacy.

  • A multi county training in Youth and Adult Partnerships was offered in March.  Three teams of youth and adults (14 people) from Sullivan County participated in the day long training.  Two of the teams were from the Claremont Teen Center.  Participants reported that the day inspired them to continue working to develop a teen center and gave them the enthusiasm and confidence to voice their opinions to their peers as well as adults.

  • The Sullivan County 4-H Teen Club continued to meet monthly and grow in popularity. The club hosted 18 4-H teens from Franklin County, Pennsylvania for a week in July. We took our visitors to Concord, Hampton Beach, canoeing on the Connecticut River as well as to Boston. This past year was spent raising funds for seventeen teens to travel to Pennsylvania as the second part of the 4-H Teen Exchange program. The Teen Club also hosted 31 4-H teens from NH for a Teen Winter Day in January.

Family & Consumer Resources Program
  • A total of 455 parents participated in parent education programs offered through the Sullivan County office by attending Family Focus parent education program series, workshops, one-on-one sessions and receiving Cradle Crier/Toddler Tales age-paced, monthly newsletters focused on early childhood development.

  • Food Safety programs were attended by 41 food handlers.

  • Strengthening Families Program, the 7-session drug and alcohol prevention program for parents/care givers and their 10-14 yr. olds reached 11 families in Sunapee this past year who said the program had strengthened their families and made a difference in their lives.

  • Two National Satellite Conferences on Parenting & Bullying were downlinked to Sullivan County and attended by 17 area educators, health and social service providers.

  • UNHCE money management programs were offered around the county. Making Money Work for You five session, money management program series reached 35 Sullivan Academy Alternative Sentencing Program members referred. Planning Ahead/Staying Ahead money management program was offered at Sullivan County House of Corrections Transitional Housing Program to the inmates. Taking Charge of Your Finances reached a total of 10 individuals and couples in Sullivan County saddled by consumer debt and looking to save more money. A Legal Check-up Seminar reached 20 people who are making sure their "legal health" is on track as they continue to plan for their future financial security.

  • Planning Ahead/Staying Ahead nutrition and money management agency training program reached 14 providers from health, social service, and educational agencies who will now use the program resources to help their caseloads in the areas of budgeting, food safety, nutrition and efficient use of their limited food resources.

  • Sullivan County Drug & Alcohol Symposium two session strategic planning meetings were jointly planned with County Manager and West Central Behavioral Health and facilitated by UNHCE Family & Consumer Resources gathering people from diverse backgrounds, but all with the same concern, to discuss drug and alcohol threats in our communities, programs currently available and programs needed throughout the county. Follow up has been ongoing.

  • Sullivan County Strengthening Families Program 10-14 (SFP 10-14) Project was designed by Family & Consumer Resources and 4-H Youth Development Educator and successfully funded for $30,000 through the Governor =s Drug Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Treatment Fund. The primary goal of the project is to train & support teams of people to teach Strengthening Families 10-14 Programs (SFP 10-14) in different locations around Sullivan County. SFP 10-14 is a family strengthening program that involves youth ages 10-14 and their parents/caregivers meeting for seven consecutive weeks and has been shown to be effective at preventing alcohol and drug abuse in youth.

Nutrition Connections Program
  • Limited income residents from Claremont, Newport, and Charlestown participated in a series of food and nutrition or basic money management lessons. 42 people participated in lessons either in a group series, the home study course or individual visits.

  • Using a series of lessons, Nutrition Connections programming in schools reached 359 youth from Claremont, Newport and Charlestown. The North Walpole School serves students from Cheshire and Sullivan counties and the lessons are co-taught with Christine Parshall, program associate from Cheshire County. Additional programming reached 42 preschoolers in Claremont and Newport Head Start programs.

  • Families were referred by various agencies including Southwestern Community Services, WIC, Southwestern Homeless Services, Good Beginnings, Sullivan Academy alternative sentencing program, Developmental Services of Sullivan County, and Claremont City Welfare. Some food stamp recipients referred themselves to the program through information provided in the state-wide Smart Choices Newsletter.

  • A series of nutrition and money management lessons were presented to the Claremont Homeless Shelter, the County Jail Transitional Housing program, and Senior Housing partnering with Gail Kennedy, Family and Consumer Resources Educator.

  • Planning Ahead YStaying Ahead training for agencies was presented to 9 participants from four different agencies, with follow-up sessions. This program is a series of lessons on money management and nutrition for agencies to use with the people they serve and was presented with Gail Kennedy, Family and Consumer Resources Educator.

  • Nutrition Connections was promoted throughout the county by the distribution of materials and brochures, school and agency contacts and visits, and newsletter articles.

Family Lifeskills Program
  • Working with TANF recipients in the three week intensive LEAP program and individually, the Family Lifeskills program has reached families within Sullivan and Grafton counties; including parents from Claremont, Enfield, Lebanon, Newport, Orford, Springfield, Washington and West Lebanon. For several parents, participating in the Family Lifeskills Program has helped them to become connected with the larger community, to gain access to community resources and supports and been the first step toward the larger goal of self-sufficiency.

  • Many parents referred to the Family Lifeskills Program have children with disabilities. The addition of lessons that assist parents with recognizing and appreciating children's unique differences and learning styles, helped parents to have a greater understanding of the parental challenges they 've faced within their home and with the educational system. A review of learning styles, supporting learning and Individual Education Plans (IEP) equips parents with much of the information needed to meet their children's educational needs and to feel comfortable advocating on their behalf. Participants have commented that the information covered in these lessons helped them to become more sensitive to their child's difficulties with learning and less critical and frustrated with school. With the knowledge gained from these lessons, some participants were prompted to take different approaches to assisting their children with their homework and became more involved in what was going on at school. All participants receive information about the IEP process, 504 Plan's and resources they can contact.

  • Graduates of the Family Lifeskills Program have gone on to Alternative Work Experience Programs (AWEP), where they have begun to acquire transferable skills in a career area of interest. Other graduates have gone on to obtain their GED and some have taken college level classes to enhance their employability. Most are closer to their employment objectives and managing better on their limited resources. Others have begun working with other job readiness programs or are employed at least part time. The Family Lifeskills Coordinator provides continuation of support to graduates for assistance with skill building and the application of life skills, as it relates to enhancing their ability to become employed.

Forest Resources Program
  • Extension Educator for Forest Resources Program, Sullivan County UNH Cooperative Extension, examined 673 acres of forest land and advised 43 landowners on forest and wildlife management.

  • Eleven forest landowners improved 315 acres for timber production, wildlife habitat, and recreation.

  • Educator assisted 34 forest-related enterprises, including private foresters, timber buyers and harvesters, sawmills, and Christmas tree growers.

  • Eighteen Sullivan County community organizations/agencies were provided assistance in community forestry issues in the city of Claremont, and towns of Cornish, Goshen, Grantham, Newport, Plainfield, Sunapee, and Unity.

  • Educator assisted with and participated in a Sugar River Watershed Council-sponsored public tour of the Sugar River recreational trail in Newport.

  • Sullivan County Extension Educator for Forest Resources and Extension Forest Industry Specialist teamed up with two private foresters to lead a local training session for NH's Certified Loggers Program. Twenty-five loggers learned how foresters sample and measure trees to determine timber volumes before conducting a harvest.

  • Educator served on the Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center's Agriscience Committee and provided educational forestry material to the Vocational Agriculture instructors.

  • As a result of a request from Dennis Kathan, educators from both Sullivan and Cheshire Counties planned and conducted a Christmas tree growing and management workshop held at Kathan Gardens' plantations in Newport and attended by eleven Christmas tree growers from around the county.

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