Strafford County's new Extension Educator, Forest Resources is Deborah Goard of Manhattan, Kansas.

Deborah is originally from Massachusetts, where she earned her B.S. degrees in both forestry and biology from the University of Massachusetts. She earned her M.S. degree in forest hydrology with a minor in silviculture from Oregon State University. She has worked for the Kansas Forest Service/Kansas State University for nearly four years as both a forest resource specialist and a watershed forester.

Her Kansas job experience has helped her gain a strong appreciation for good forest stewardship and the need for quality education of landowners and natural resource professionals. She has served in an "Extension-education-like" role in her jobs in Manhattan.

Deborah begins work February 4. Many thanks to Search Committee members Darrel Covell, Wendy Scribner, Dan DeHart, Dave Dallaire, Anna Boudreau, Holly Avery and Geoffrey Njue, as well as the Strafford County Advisory Council members. And, of course, thanks to Don Black for his 37 years of service, and for positioning UNH Cooperative Extension well in Strafford County as we continue into the coming decades. Welcome, Deborah!