Extension Update: August 2006 Archives

People who know Bob know that his employment with Cooperative Extension has been only one phase of his Extension life. As he wraps it up, he shared the following:

I am a long term product of Cooperative Extension. The lifetime gains I have received from Extension go well beyond the paychecks I have been getting for the past 22 years. When I was a young boy, it brought me great pleasure watching my Mom thoroughly enjoying projects in Home Bureau, an Extension program of its day. As a forester working in the forest industry over 20 years, Extension people like you provided me with the valuable assistance that I needed. For example, I was blown away by a really cool ag agent in Ohio, who immediately following our first meeting, produced a full page feature story in the local newspaper to herald the rise of a new enterprise in his county, a lumber manufacturing company I was heading up. Over those years, Extension people were among my closest forestry colleagues. Extension was always there, ready, willing and able to work with me as I needed help with complicated technical information, working with loggers, influencing public policy and much, much more. In New York State, Extension hooked me on 4-H Camps. I can keep up with my family, which has a number of camp managers among the clan.

Extension staff like you helped me as I rose to leadership roles in landowner and industry organizations. I learned how to run meetings, put on conferences, write newsletters, work with politicians and effectively address conflicts within organizations. My community experience was a direct benefit of Cooperative Extension involvement. As president of a County Cooperative Extension Association in New York, I was actually an employer of Extension people long before I was an employee of Extension. In New York, Cornell University was the advisor and the County Cooperation Extension was an incorporated non-profit organization with a board of directors. It was there that I learned valuable Extension lessons from seasoned professional Extension staff such as:
* Programs are more important than facilities
* Extension gets things up and running and turns them over to others to carry on and then addresses other emerging issues
* It's all about helping folks make informed decisions

These few examples are among many Extension lessons that guided me in my personal life, my work life and my volunteer activities. I gained half my family through Extension. The County Extension Director where we lived in New York was a match maker, connecting me, a single parent, with another single parent. As a result, we now have a large family with our kids and lots of grandchildren. This Cooperative Extension benefit dwarfs even my many years of employment in personal rewards to me.

I am a Cooperative Extension volunteer. Like many of our volunteers, I look in awe upon those Extension professionals who serve us so very well. Volunteering is one of our family traits, with my young grandchildren already water sampling in the UNH Cooperative Extension Lay Lakes Monitoring Program.

I am definitely a product of Extension. It would be that way even if I had taken another employment route over the past two decades. Experiences, opportunities and challenges have been mine as a result of people like you working with people out in the world like me.

It is without reservation that I recommend to bright energetic self-starters that Cooperative Extension provides the best jobs in the world. People will pay you to help others everyday. An Extension person can get that super fine altruistic inner feeling that comes from positively influencing the lives of individuals in need. A successful Extension person can see over the years that he or she has made the world better. Personal rewards far exceed those that can be captured in most jobs.

I have had the greatest opportunity to work with the greatest dedicated people who truly believe in what they do. Bright people - you who are making New Hampshire forever better than it would have been without you. Soon, I will be wrapping up my University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension career.

Thank you for sharing with me the great times, lasting relationships and positive efforts over the years.

Extension colleagues, you are the greatest!

The search committee for the 4-H Youth Development specialist for Animal Science and Science and Technology invite you to seminars the two candidates will present on September 11.

Each candidate will present a 20-minute seminar, followed by questions on the topic: "A vision for the future of animal science and other science and technology programming in UNH Cooperative Extension's 4-H Youth Development program."

The candidates are Steve Schafer, who will present from 1:30-2:30 p.m. and Trent Schriefer, who will present from 3-4 p.m.

Schafer is currently a youth development specialist for livestock, equine, poultry and rabbits from the University of Wyoming, Cooperative Extension Service.

Schriefer is currently the founder/consultant for AgriTrain International and an adjunct principal and science teacher, Grace Prep High School, State College, PA.

The seminars will be held live in the Piscataqua Room in Holloway Commons on the UNH campus, or by Pic-Tel in Grafton, Sullivan and Merrimack counties. Please notify Nancy Oakley at 862-2180 or email Nancy.oakley@unh.edu if you plan to attend and at which site, so we may be sure the appropriate number of handouts are available.

Thank you for your interest in learning more about the candidates.

UNH Cooperative Extension Forest Resources Educator Don Black is the 2006 National Tree Farm Inspector of the Year.

Don will receive the Wesley R. Meier Outstanding Inspecting Forester of the Year Award at the 2006 National Tree Farmer Convention in Mobile, Alabama, Oct. 19-22. Don began his association with the Tree Farm program almost 40 years ago in South Dakota and now continues this effort in New Hampshire. Don not only has an outstanding record for completing his own reinspections, but also takes the initiative to conduct inspections for others.

Don has served as chair of the NH Tree Farm Committee in the past and currently serves as vice chair. He also is involved with local and national chapters of the Society of American Foresters. Since 1971, Don has organized countless Tree Farm banquets, tours, field days and media campaigns. Thanks to Don and all of our dedicated Tree Farm Inspectors for their hard work.

Congratulations to our staff for participating in the recent round of mini-grants offered through JC Penney 4-H Afterschool. In total, New Hampshire programs will receive $138,395 to serve 171 afterschool children in programs that need to secure new funds to either sustain or create slots.

The programs funded must provide 100 percent matching funds, remain open Monday-Friday during the school year, serve children in grades K-12, partner with a local 4-H program, and be within 20 miles of a JCPenney store. The recipient programs from New Hampshire include:

* Cheshire YMCA, serving local schools in Westmoreland, Chesterfield and Fitzwilliam, $18,660 for 12 children - Lauren Bressett
* Project REACH, Littleton, $30,000 for 30 children - Kathy Jablonski
* Hinsdale Elementary and Middle/High School, $18,690 for 35 children - Lauren Bressett
* Marl-Harris Before and AfterSchool Program in the Harrisville School District, $18,935 for 23 children - Lauren Bressett
* Crispin's House, Goffstown, $9,250 for 37 children - Julia Steed-Mawson
* Winchester School's ACCESS Program, $36,640 for 24 slots - Lauren Bressett
* Seacoast Youth Services, Seabrook, $6,220 for 10 children - Rick Alleva

The University of New Hampshire's public service efforts and initiatives will now be managed from the Office of Academic Affairs. This includes Cooperative Extension and the Outreach Scholarship Office. To learn more about this transition, click on this Campus Journal article.

More than 195 school food service managers, school nurses and UNH Cooperative Extension staff attended the August 16 Building Blocks for an Effective School Team conference at the Grappone Center in Concord.

Co-sponsored by the UNH Cooperative Extension Nutrition Connections program and the NH Dept. of Education Bureau of Nutrition Programs and Services, this conference was the kick-off for implementation of school wellness policies in New Hampshire.

Schools play a critical role in promoting student health, preventing childhood obesity, and combating problems associated with poor nutrition and physical inactivity. To formalize and encourage this role, Congress passed a law mandating that each local educational agency participating in a program authorized by the National School Lunch Act must establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006.

The legislation places the responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level, to address the individual needs of each district. School districts must set goals for nutrition education, physical activity, campus food provision, and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. Additionally, districts must involve a broad group of individuals in policy development and have a plan for measuring policy implementation.

The Building Blocks plenary sessions and workshops were designed to help school personnel implement their school wellness policies. Featured speakers included Tracy Fox, National Food Service Management Institute, Dr. Joanne Burke, UNH Department of Agriculture and Nutritional Sciences, Dr. Colette Janson-Sand, UNH Department of Agriculture and Nutritional Sciences and Claudia Boozer-Blasco, UNH Cooperative Extension, Rockingham County.

This conference provided school personnel with a UNH/UNH Cooperative Extension/NH Department of Education link for resources to better help them implement these very important policies.

Don't forget to sign up for workshops now available through our 2006-07 Inservice Calendar

Registration will again be done electronically. When you submit your registration, it will automatically be sent to your program leader/supervisor, as well as actually registering you for the courses selected. A copy of the notification to your supervisor will also be sent back to you for your records.

Submit your selections by September 5. If you have any questions or concerns, call Lisa Townson at 862-1031 or Deb Russell at 862-2034. Thank you for your participation in UNH Cooperative Extension's professional development.

UNH Cooperative Extension Educator Tom Buob received the Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding county program on soil fertility and financial management in cropping systems at this year's National Association of County Agricultural Agents meeting.

Acquiring over $500,000 in grants, he developed and implemented a statewide nutrient management research and educational program. He also established a greenhouse facility for continued nutrient management research and education.

Extension Educator Amy Ouellete received the Achievement Award for excellence in programming for commercial fruit and vegetables growers on topics that include season extension, variety selection for northern cilmates and pesticide safety. In addition, Amy coordinates and teaches part of a popular annual workshop series for horse owners and equine business owners. And, because Belknap County has considerable lakefront property, she also focuses on lake-friendly lawncare programming for homeowners.

We have several Community Profiles coming up, including:

* Landaff (Grafton County) September 29-30
* Rumney (Grafton County) October 20-21
* Auburn (Rockingham County) November 4 (pilot one-day Profile)
* Epping (Rockingham County) April 14 (one-day Profile)

When we finalize the Community Profiles Regional Themes Report (1996-2004), we will share them with staff through presentations and executive summaries. We also are updating the Community and Economic Development website to include more information about other staff activities that fit into the work of Strengthening New Hampshire Communities and the Citizen Participation and Leadership Team. We also are partnering with Frank Mitchell and Amanda Stone on a bi-annual electronic newsletter that provides information on upcoming Community Development activities/updates.

Any questions, contact Michele Gagne at 862-5046 or michele.gagne@unh.edu

Shane Bradt, Geospatial Extension Specialist, is the recipient of two new grants. The first is a $9,000 grant from Utah State University and the U.S. Geological Survey for Spatial Analyses of Trophic Linkages between Basins in the Great Salt Lake.

The second is a $10,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for On-Lake Remote Sensing of Chlorophyll and Cyanobacteria as a Lake Monitoring Tool. Bradt will conduct all remote sensing analyses for these projects.

New Hampshire's Natural Resource Outreach Coalition (NROC) has been working with New Hampshire's coastal communities since the late 1990s to promote better land use decisions. NROC provides education, technical assistance and facilitation to community groups to help them better protect their natural resources while accommodating growth.

The NROC team is made up of representatives of various agencies and organizations who work on coastal environmental issues. UNH Cooperative Extension is currently the lead organization, with Amanda Stone as NROC coordinator. NROC works with up to three communities each year for at least a year in duration.

NROC helps communities improve their capacity to address issues by increasing their human, financial or technical resources. NROC has a strong record of improving community capacity. Over 50 percent of the communities NROC has worked with report:
* improvements in communication,
* formation of new committees,
* re-energized boards and committees, and
* an improved capacity to connect with other communities or organizations that can help them with their natural resource protection and growth management.

NROC also helps communities with outreach campaigns. Through these campaigns, community members learn more about various natural resource and growth issues which in some cases, result in passage of key regulations or warrant articles at town meetings. NROC offers communities small grants to fund activities related to natural resource protection. NROC helps communities apply for other grants as well for projects that exceed NROC implementation fund amounts.

Other communities improve background knowledge for future decision-making. These information-gathering activities help provide local data on which rational land use plans and decisions can be based. About half the NROC communities conduct community-wide surveys as part of their information-gathering efforts.

A number of communities also recognized a need to either initiate or update their Natural Resources Inventory (NRI), a first step to natural resource-based planning. NROC, often in collaboration with University of New Hampshire students, help communities complete their NRIs. A couple of communities initiated or revived volunteer water quality monitoring as a result, and one community used a small grant to support a scientific synthesis and analysis of their existing water quality data.

Some communities work with NROC to ensure the way they wish to grow is both articulated and publicly documented. Planning documents proved the vision, goals and priorities of the community. About half the NROC communities initiate conservation planning with NROC assistance. About one-third of NROC communities will update their master plan or develop a new chapter such as a water resources chapter. About one-third of NROC communities also develop open space plans.

Some communities focus their work with NROC on changing their policies and regulations - giving teeth to their plans. About one-third of NROC communities actually review and change zoning regulations.

Most communities work towards implementing some natural resource protection strategies. Over 50 percent of NROC communities will implement permanent land protection with NROC assistance. This protection usually comes in the form of conservation easements purchased by the community in conjunction with a local land trust. Millions of dollars have been bonded in NROC communities to make this permanent protection possible.

Heather Carter joined the Nutrition Connections staff in Coos County in July. She worked for the White Mountain Regional School District as a paraprofessional and at Weeks Medical Center as a home visitor. In these capacities, Carter worked with children with learning disabilities and with pregnant women. Heather is from Lancaster. Her past experience makes her especially suited for the Nutrition Connections Program.

UNH Cooperative Extension is an approved financial management education provider for bankrupt debtors.

Anyone who has filed for bankruptcy needs to complete a financial education program for discharge of their bankruptcy case. The United States Trustee Program granted approval of the Starting Over: New Choices - New Direction program, written by Suzann Enzian Knight and Kathe Fredette, in early 2006. UNH Cooperative Extension educators are trained in the program, which focuses on:

* Developing a spending and savings plan
* Developing money management skills
* Using credit wisely
* Accessing consumer information

Most debtors are in poor financial shape at the time they file for bankruptcy. A study conducted in 2001 found that nearly 90 percent of all Chapter 7 debtors had a negative net worth at the time of bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy provides an opportunity to make a fresh start with finances. There are a number of causes for filing bankruptcy, most often:
* A loss or lack of adequate income from job loss, divorce, business failure, alimony or child-support problems,
* Uninsured medical expenses from an illness or injury,
* Overspending or credit card use to pay ever-increasing expenses,
* Birth of a child with special needs,
* Caring for a sick parent or relative, or any combination of causes.

Extension educators who teach Family Resource Management schedule the program monthly. To learn more, contact Suzann Enzian Knight or Kathe Fredette.