Extension Update: June 2005 Archives

The last quarterly meeting of the NH Research Group focused on the direction of juvenile justice research in New Hampshire, a demonstration of the Carsey Institute (not yet live) database on northern New England and the recently published New Hampshire Death Report by the NH Dept. of Health and Human Services.

To join the NH Research Group, which meets quarterly, contact Katie Merrow, NH Center for Public Policy Studies, at kmerrow@nhpolicy.org

It's once again time to submit in-service and other training offerings for October, 2005 through September, 2006.

The call for in-service offerings goes to all Extension staff, because we have interdisciplinary Plan of Work teams and core competencies in the performance management system.

Please submit information for inservices you plan to offer and then email the form by July 22 to Deb Russell, which you can then email as an attachment.

The inservice calendar will be available for staff to register electronically approximately by August 5.

Thanks in advance for all who will participate in this process of promoting staff professional development.

I had various early retirement packages dangled in front of me the last few years. Some of my colleagues across the state took advantage of the offers and seemed to survive at such a young age (61, I never thought I'd reach 31). The one offered last fall by UNH caused me to reach out, grab the ring and take advantage.

As a result, I will "retire" June 30, but return on a 50 percent non-benefit basis through the end of the year. I will provide assistance as in the past but will wean some of my duties and pass some to others.

What happens after December 31? There will be limited program coverage without the presence of a full time Extension Educator in forest resources in Cheshire County. Given the resource (84 percent of Cheshire County is forested and owned by an estimated 6,500 private non-industrial landowners) and the expressed needs of those involved, I hope a full time educator will be funded.

I've been tromping around New Hampshire's forests as a professional forester for about 34 years and I've seen a lot. I virtually spent my whole professional career with UNH Cooperative Extension assisting landowners, decision makers and the general public helping them make informed decisions about the forest resource, first in Coos County and then in Cheshire starting in 1981.

I estimate that through the years I walked over more than 150,000 acres of forest land and provided help to about 20,000 individuals. I generated more than 500 electronic and written media items (news articles, radio, TV, publications and other stuff) and given more than 300 public presentations. How do I know all this? Reports! Our partners require some fairly detailed reports.

It's been a great run and still is with the only disappointment being the days I didn’t learn something. The questions, concerns and issues confronting owners and managers of the forest resource, the homeowners and general public are challenging. I hope I had a positive impact on them all.

How can I possibly thank the landowners, decision makers, co-workers, fellow resource professionals including foresters, school kids, the general public, all the others and the support of my family that have made this go so quick and be so enjoyable? I'll just say thanks.

How can you beat the surrealism of brilliant colors while walking through the forest on a crisp fall morning, the crunch of undisturbed fresh snow under your feet while traversing a northern hardwood forest, observing the youthful excitement of discovering that black birch twigs taste like wintergreen, the positive forest response of past management recommendations, the discovery of back country abandoned cellar holes and stone walls, the soulful cry of a loon in the solitude of a pond off in the woods?

The forest resource is in reasonably good shape, it is resilient yet fragile and its health so terribly important for the quality of life, pure water, forest products, clean air and our wildlife. For the most part it's in good hands as long as folks stick with a stewardship ethic to see it through. We all do things to touch the lives of the next generation, I hope I did my share. I hope I was able to contribute to an increased natural resource knowledge and ethic over the years. I certainly appreciate the opportunity to have given it a try. Thanks.

Staff seeking reimbursement for travel and other expenses through the BSC for April, May and June must submit them before the end of the month. This includes grant-sponsored programs. Timeliness enhances management of our budget deficit. Thanks for observing this important deadline.

The latest issue of the Journal of Extension (JOE) continues to offer excellent resources, including articles on Burnout: How Does Extension Balance Job and Family? to Listening to the People: A Strategic Planning Model for Cooperative Extension and Increasing Educational Impact: A Multi-Method Model for Evaluating Extension Workshops.

JOE expands and updates the research and knowledge base for Extension professionals and other adult educators to improve their effectiveness. In addition, JOE serves as a forum for emerging and contemporary issues affecting Extension education, and the latest issue is no exception!

The director of UNH's Survey Center, Andy Smith, provided a look at state and county demographics in Hillsborough County June 9. The Hillsborough County Extension staff and Advisory Council invited Smith as a follow-up to the Hillsborough County Conversation January 10 where legislators and others expressed an interest in learning more about Hillsborough County's rapidly changing demographics.

This meeting is part of an overall effort to continue to build relationships with decision-makers and provide them with better access to UNH resources.
Over 40 people attended Smith's presentation, including 12 elected officials. The Advisory Council is already discussing conducting future informtion forums with UNH faculty and staff due to the strong interest shown in Andy's presentation.

The ITDE office has a new ergonomics section on its blog. Ergonomics is the study of making a work environment fit an individual person.

Every year thousands of people are injured due to preventable injuries caused by incorrect work station layouts. These injuries often take people by surprise, since there are few warning signs that are easy to ignore. Most people don't realize they are developing an injury until they experience pain. A proper workstation layout is key to injury prevention.

You can search for a desired topic, such as stretches, layout and other topics in the ergonomics area of the blog.

The ITDE Blog is constantly expanding. Search for entries within the ITDE blog in the upper right corner of the blog.

Malin Clyde is taking a leave for the summer to go to Alaska with her family. We welcome Michelle Veasey, a Coverts Cooperator from 2003, who will help run the New Hampshire Coverts Project for the next few months until Malin's return in late August.

You may reach Michelle at mveasey@ceunh.unh.edu

Welcome to Emily Douglas, Ph.D. and new in the position of Extension Faculty and Specialist, Family Education & Policy. Emily is based in UNH's Department of Family Studies. She previously worked at UNH's Family Research Laboratory as a research associate and postdoctoral reseach fellow. Emily is also the co-chair of the 9th International Family Violence Research Conference taking place next month in Portsmouth.

Emily completed her doctoral work in public policy in 2002 at the University of Massachusetts and specializes in the effectiveness of social policies, with a special emphasis on child and family well-being. She will be active in establishing a new family policy focus with Cooperative Extension as well as hold a teaching assignment beginning this fall. Emily conducted research on divorced families and the social policies intended to help improve their lives. Her dissertation research examined the effectiveness of a presumption for joint legal custody. In 2006, Rowman & Littlefield will publish her upcoming book, Mending Broken Families: Social Policies for Divorced Families - Are They Working?

During her postdoctoral research fellowship at the Family Research Laboratory, she worked with Dr. Murray Straus on the International Dating Violence study. This research project collected data from college students about the use of violence in their intimate relationships. Through last summer, they had collected data from 40 sites in 20 countries throughout the world.

She is a life-long resident of Maine and completed her undergraduate work in psychology at Clark University in Worcester, MA. She also is a Girl Scout leader in her community and a member of the Saco Conservation Commission.

The Spirit of New Hampshire awards program recognizes outstanding contributions to volunteerism at the state level and expands on the many local and regional volunteer recognition events that occur throughout New Hampshire each year.

The 2005 Spirit of New Hampshire Awards, administered by Volunteer NH! in collaboration with the office of Gov. John Lynch, provides a yearly "snapshot" of the ways citizens and organizations from all regions of the state contribute to life in New Hampshire.

You can make a nomination through August 1. The award ceremony takes place November 2 at the Grappone Center in Concord.

Charlie French received a UNH Faculty Technology Development Grant to institute a cross-disciplinary course within UNH's Resource Economics Department. The course will expose students to the theory and practice of Cooperative Extension and outreach: the conversion of University research and knowledge into programs that benefit the public. Picture Tel, a two-way, interactive video/internet system, will connect 15 campus-based students with Extension Educators from County offices who work in natural resources and other fields.

The Extension Educator featured in each class session will discuss their community outreach work, their experiences fulfilling the Land Grant University’s outreach mission, and the lessons they have learned. Students will ask questions and engage in dialogue with the speakers. The course focuses on exposing students to professionals they would not normally have a chance to interact with through the use of Picture Tel technology. A second goal of the course includes involving the students and guest speakers in evaluating the effectiveness of using Picture Tel as a learning/teaching tool so future Picture Tel classes can benefit from the lessons learned.

The course will be offered in the Spring of 2006. Extension staff willing to participate in a session are needed and would be appreciated. $100 will be given to the presenter's Extension office budget to compensate for staff time and use of equipment.