Extension Update: June 2007 Archives

The Communications and ITDE Units will merge under the leadership of David Foote, effective July 1, 2007. This decision is due in large part to the new, 2007-2012 Strategic Plan for UNH Cooperative Extension, which calls for seamless coordination among program area staff and support units, such as administrative support staff, Program Development and Evaluation, Information Technology and Distance Education, Communications, Staff Development and the Business Service Center.

This concept of a merger, however, isn’t new. There have been several “white” papers from both David and Holly Young, and a communications assessment from Holly and Peg Boyles, recommending an integrated unit, comprised of staff from the existing ITDE and Communications staff. We consider this move essential, bringing to Extension a unified team, working collaboratively to further Extension’s mission and program delivery.

As part of this consolidation, David will become a member of the Leadership and Strategic Plan Implementation teams. This will enhance administrative and program needs communication, and help set future direction of Communications and Information Technology in an ever changing environment.

David will continue to provide administrative and directional leadership for distance education and other extension initiatives such as emergency preparedness and eXtension. There will be a close working relationship to distance education support, program development/evaluation and instructional design, as David works with Lisa Townson and Barbara Wright ensuring the delivery of courses and workshops through various distance education technologies.

June 21 was a fine day for a tour. That was the consensus of New Hampshire legislators who came to campus for an introduction to UNH Cooperative Extension’s programs and research. State Rep. Jane Beaulieu contacted me earlier this spring with a request to learn more about on-going Extension initiatives and outreach. The result? Legislators, most serving on the Environment and Agriculture House committee, gathered for lunch and a whirlwind bus tour of UNH research farms.

Guided by Becky Grube, Extension Sustainable Horticulture Specialist, and John Porter, Extension Dairy Specialist emeritus, 20 participants did a fly-by bus tour of the Woodman Horticultural and Kingman Farms. The tour ended with a walking tour of the Burley-Demeritt Farm, site of the first land grant organic dairy in the country.

Grube, John McLean, farm manager of the horticulture farms, and Dorn Cox, a farmer-cooperator working with Grube on oilseed and biodiesel production, told the group about research conducted at both Woodman and Kingman farms, including Grube’s field trials for high-value edible crops, such as New Hampshire sweet potatoes, thornless blackberries and cold-tolerant broccoli. They also learned about Extension Specialist Cathy Neal's ornamentals research and long-term fruit research. Dr. Ihab Farag from the UNH Chemical Engineering Department, also explained his research in biodiesel development using oilseeds.

While driving through Lee, Phil Auger, Extension Land and Water Conservation Educator, explained how conservation easements protect valuable resources in a region of the state under constant pressure from development.

At the Burley-Demeritt Farm, legislators listened to Porter showcase the history of the relatively new organic dairy, complete with a herd of Jersey cows. The Jerseys now include a local celebrity, a young heifer, Bonnie, named in honor of interim President Bonnie Newman. Dot Perkins, an Extension Program Coordinator, Agricultural Resources, explained how her research into plant species at the farm will add knowledge to organic management of animal health. The group also learned about rotation of pastures at the farm from Frank Saglio, acting dairy manager.

Organic milk offers a value-added opportunity for dairy farmers in the Northeast with consumer demand increasing by more than 24 percent each year for the past decade. The UNH organic dairy farm offers a regional research site to assess agro-ecosystem interactions as well as grazing, pasture, and animal nutrition issues.

This day truly showcased some of the important work being done for New Hampshire residents. We are proud to share our research and outreach efforts with interested legislators who represent committees such as Science and Technology and Environment and Agriculture. Their interest ensures our relevancy for all New Hampshire citizens.

Beginning July 1, Patrice Mettauer from the Department of Communication Arts at UNH Manchester joins UNH Cooperative Extension in a 40 percent appointment in Community Outreach and Leadership. Thanks to support and resources made available through Associate Vice President for Research and Outreach Scholarship, Julie Williams, deans from UNHM and Cooperative Extension signed an MOU formalizing their commitment to working collaboratively to provide community outreach to the greater Manchester area.

Specific responsibilities for this position include:

• Identifying community needs that would benefit from the knowledge and skills available at UNH Manchester and UNH Cooperative Extension. Once identified, these needs will serve as a basis for establishing appropriate community partnerships where congruent missions and goals exist.
• Working with UNH Manchester faculty and Extension staff to develop service learning and community engagement opportunities in courses that study issues critical to urban areas such as economic development, land use, and community and civic engagement.
• Overseeing student internship programs at UNH Manchester.
• Coordinating and promoting campus-to-community initiatives through lectures, seminars, workshops, and one-credit courses at off-campus locations.
• Working closely with an advisory council including Extension staff, UNHM faculty and other external community members as appropriate to plan and implement programs.
• Teaching UNH Manchester courses in the field of expertise.
• Joining the public discourse on outreach scholarship through publications and conference presentations.

Patrice is housed at UNHM and will work with Family, Home & Garden Education Center, Hillsborough County and other Extension staff to develop and deliver educational programs. Welcome Patrice!

Cobb was nominated by the Cheshire 4-H Council. He is a former member of the Hilltop 4-H Club in Lebanon. Wes met his wife, Ruth at 4-H activities. They had 4 children, all girls, who were active in the Cheshire County 4-H program. Both Ruth and Wes were active in the Leaders Association.

Shown at left is 4-H Youth Development Program Leader Wendy Brock presenting Wes with a plaque during State Activities Day.

To this day, Wes continues to be very active. He serves as the Cheshire 4-H Council treasurer, began a term of service on the Extension Advisory Council in 2003, and chairs the nominating committee. He is on the State Extension Advisory Council. He helps interview candidates for Teen Conference, manages the finances for the Fair 4-H Kitchen and is a continual advocate for the 4-H program. He has over 27 years of active leadership for the 4-H program and a number of other years of volunteer service to UNH Cooperative Extension. Congratulations, Wes.

Cooperative Extension's 2007-2012 Strategic Plan has received the endorsement of UNH Interim President J. Bonnie Newman and Provost Bruce Mallory.

In their letter of endorsement, both said the plan "is grounded in the real challenges faced by New Hampshire's rural and urban communities." They also said they "place great value on the work of Cooperative Extension throughout the state."

Copies of the plan were distributed to UNH administration. The Strategic Plan Implementation Team, with Jim Grady as chair, is already at work taking the next steps of actualizing the plan with assignment of responsibilities, resources, time frames for each action, and tracking/reporting of the plan's progress. Members of the Strategic Plan Implementation Team include Charlene Baxter, Darrel Covell, Charlie French, Mike Koski, Amy Ouellette, Julia Peterson and Lisa Townson.

Building on our past efforts, the implementation of our new five year strategic plan describing the organization we intend to become is a formidable charge.

The Community Assets for People Mapping Project (CAP-Map), is a collaborative effort between UNH Cooperative Extension, UNH's Complex Systems Research Center, Research Computing, and the New Hampshire Endowment for Health.

Its purpose is to help New Hampshire communities, organizations and agencies share and access information about a range of community and regional resources. The ultimate goal of the project is to help any group or organization that wants to share information about a particular resource, to do so on the web. This information would then be displayed in map form and be accessible to anyone who wants to learn more about that particular resource over the Internet.

If you would like to learn more about CAP-Map, there will be a demonstration from 10 to noon at the Holiday Inn in Concord on June 20. At the demonstration, participants will see how this GIS-based system could ultimately help them to:

• Make unmapped data mappable, even by those without GIS experience.
• Share information about resources or data their organization maintains.
• Convey complex information in a visual, easy-to-understand format.
• Explore relationships between community or statewide assets/resources and demographic data.