Extension Update: February 2008 Archives
Stormwater is a topic that can make community leaders uneasy with worries about pollution, flooding, aging infrastructure, erosion and regulations. But, what if communities thought about stormwater in a positive way, such as recharge for groundwater supplies, irrigation for plants, and adequate water for stream critters?
Often in the past, developers and engineers viewed stormwater as something that should be collected and removed from a site as quickly as possible, usually through drains, pipes and other municipal infrastructure. More contemporary views consider stormwater an asset that sustains green plants and replenishes groundwater systems, important as drinking water sources and for adequate water flow in streams.
At its best, stormwater management in the built environment would create as many opportunities as possible for water to infiltrate into the ground, be filtered through the soil and used by plants not far from where rain and snow fall. Low impact development (LID) attempts to do just that and allows the water cycle to function as similarly as possible in the built environment as it would if the site were in a natural state. Under such a circumstance, there would be no need to collect and convey large amounts of water off the site.
If you are interested in New Hampshire’s water resources, community resiliency and innovative building techniques, save the date of June 12, for New Hampshire’s stormwater and low impact development (LID) conference. It will take place at the Great Bay Gallery in Somersworth and is designed to address the information needs of community board and staff members. In the fall of 2008 a similar conference will take place for all the northern New England states for development professionals including engineers, architects, business owners and landscapers.
LID is a relatively new way to think about stormwater management. LID is typically carried out in two major ways, better site design and structural LID techniques. Better site design is achieved when engineers and developers preparing to build do everything they can to protect existing natural areas, wetlands and plants, minimize hard surfaces such as pavement, and avoid excessive clearing and grading. Structural LID techniques are deliberately designed and constructed landscape features or devices that allow water to infiltrate soil, be filtered by soil and plants, and be stored and treated on the site. Examples of structural LID techniques include rain gardens, gravel wetlands, and vegetated swales.
The Stormwater Center at UNH has been testing the performance of various LID techniques to see if, and how well, they work. After several years of evaluation and monitoring, the results are exciting and overall, positive. So why aren’t more communities using LID? There are a number of reasons ranging from fear of trying something new to regulations that unintentionally discourage or prohibit it.
UNH Cooperative Extension is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Universities of Maine and Vermont Cooperative Extensions to design a conference on low impact development for local board members and municipal staff members in each of the northern New England states. While each state is working from a similar set of objectives, each state is incorporating its own speakers, topics and case studies. UNH Cooperative Extension is planning the New Hampshire conference with help from New Hampshire’s Dept. of Environmental Services and Coastal Program, NH Estuaries Project, the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Strafford Regional Planning Commission, Rockingham Planning Commission, Hodgson Brook Restoration Project, towns of Durham, Dover and Exeter and, of course, the UNH Stormwater Center.
For more information on either conference, contact Extension Specialist Julia Peterson at 749-1565 or by email at julia.peterson@unh.edu
After an extensive, nationwide search, Andy Fast is our new Belknap County Extension Educator, Forest Resources.
Andy's diverse background has been focused on forests, most recently as the Reservation Stewardship Specialist at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. In his current job, he developed and implemented land stewardship educational programs for a growing group of volunteers.
Andy has spent much of his non-work time volunteering on his town conservation commission, developing a town forest management plan and working on a prescribed burn crew. Previously, he worked as a U.S. Forest Service forestry technician in Alaska and a natural resource crew supervisor in California. Andy also has connections to the University of New Hampshire, where he received his M.S. degree in Natural Resources, studying northern forest wind disturbance and coarse woody debris under Dr. Mark Ducey.
Andy will begin his work for us March 10. Please welcome him to Extension!
Mark your calendars now! UNH Cooperative Extension’s annual conference takes place Monday, May 19, at the MUB on the Durham campus.
With a theme of “UNH Sea to Sky: Research to Outreach,” the conference promises an excellent variety of workshops during the morning session, and the opportunity in the afternoon to tour some of UNH’s award-winning institutes and research labs.
This year’s conference committee includes Wendy Brock and Darrel Covell as co-chairs, along with Sue Cagle, Tim Fleury, Michele Gagne, Lynn Garland, Gail Ramsey, Thom Linehan, Deb Russell and Holly Young.
Stay tuned for more information on the conference’s keynote speaker and registration details.
For the past three years, UNH Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development program has participated in a nation-wide program called Operation: Military Kids (OMK). New Hampshire OMK was recently chosen as one of 15 states to receive a grant to expand the current program.
The grant includes hiring new employees and having an active partnership with the Joint Family Support Assistance Program (JFSAP), located in Concord. The newly-created JFSAP was established by the U.S. Department of Defense; a major goal of the program is to integrate programs and services into a well-defined and well-publicized system of support, accessible by military members and families throughout the deployment cycle.
JFSAP works with all military branches, as well as active duty Guard and Reserve, serving as a resource for families while paying particular attention to those geographically dispersed from a military installation. As part of the new collaboration, OMK will have its own representative in the JFSAP office to act as a liaison between the two partner programs.
The OMK expansion grant provides an additional $50,000 of funding, to be used in part to hire an OMK program coordinator, who will assist with the expanded programming of OMK. This added position will help us widen the scope of military family programming. We project that the new OMK program coordinator will be in place by early March.
This grant also designates funding for a new babysitting program designed to train baby-sitters for military families. This project will be a partnership between OMK, 4-H County Extension Educators, the local Red Cross and the National Guard Family Program.
These collaborations will result in a “train the trainer” education program in which adults statewide are educated in the curriculum. Those trained will present the babysitting program to others who wish to conduct the programs locally, or present the program directly to youth in their own area (i.e. 4-H Clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs, etc).
In addition to the expansion grant, New Hampshire OMK was notified it received another grant that will provide funding for a weeklong overnight camp for military children during the summer. This grant will help a certain number of military youth from New Hampshire, and a surrounding radius, attend this camp free of charge. In addition to this camp, which takes place at Bear Hill 4-H Camp in Allenstown, there are also plans for a camp in the North Country. This will allow OMK to reach out to military children across the state.
These camps will give military kids a chance to connect in a fun, relaxing atmosphere. In addition to traditional camp activities, both camps will include special military-themed events, such as a mock deployment and field trips. For the past two years, the Speak Out for Military Kids (SOMK) team has come to camp and created a DVD that sheds light on issues faced by military kids. First-hand interviews from campers and footage of camp activities provides insight into the life of a military kid and educates others on ways they can help. The SOMK team will take part in this summer camp experience and create a similar multi-media project. These DVD’s are made available to all who request them.
During the months of September through January, we reached 61 people with seven different “Ready Set Go!” trainings around the state. These presentations are offered to participants who want to gain an understanding of military culture, the deployment cycle and learn how they can partner with OMK and others to meet the needs of military kids. The OMK program also was involved in specific youth focused partner programs. A few examples include the Apple Hill Farm Military Appreciation day reaching approximately 100 military folks, a Military Appreciation Day at FunSpot with approximately 375 attending and a Family Fun Ski Day with 100 people from all different branches of the military having a great time skiing and snow-tubing.
UNH Cooperative Extension is part of the eXtension educational partnership, helping you find real answers in real time based on “objective, peer-reviewed scientific results” with the backing of more than 70 universities from across the country.
eXtension.org is unlike any other search engine or information-based Web site. It's a space where university content providers gather and produce new educational and information resources on wide-ranging topics.
For the last three years, Extension faculty, specialists and educators have been working across the country to develop the best content available. Currently with 16 resource areas, called “Communities of Practice,” consumers can easily navigate the site to find exactly the answers they need. A Community of Practice is typically multi-institutional, multi-state and multi-disciplinary, bringing the "best of the best" educational resources to the public.
The official launch of the eXtension Web site takes place Thursday, February 21, 2008 at 3:15 pm eastern time in Washington, DC. We will view the launch on campus in Taylor Hall by video conference. Each Extension office (or anywhere with high speed access) will be able to participate by linking to this site by 3 pm.
eXtension.org also offers opportunities for consumers to interact with each other to “grow” their knowledge in a particular field. Drawing on the popularity of online social networking, individuals interested in a specific topic or subject matter area can “gather” to form a Community of Interest. As that Community of Interest grows, professional educators with expertise in that topic or subject matter area join together and form a Community of Practice.
eXtension.org uses the most innovative and advanced features available on the Internet to enhance the learning experience. The site provides contact to over 3,000 Cooperative Extension offices throughout the country and already has a database of 36,000 frequently asked questions.
For more information on eXtension at UNH Cooperative Extension, contact Paul Bonaparte-Krogh (paul.bk@unh.edu) or David Foote (david.foote@unh.edu)
Dr. Brian Krug recently joined UNH Cooperative Extension as the Greenhouse/Floriculture Specialist. As the Greenhouse/Floriculture specialist, Dr. Krug will provide support in the areas of greenhouse management and floriculture crop production to county educators and growers.
Past research by Dr. Krug has focused on bedding plant nutrition and use of plant growth regulators. To complement his extension appointment, Dr. Krug will pursue applied research in the areas of plant nutrition, plant growth regulators and sustainability.
He recently completed his PhD in Horticultural Science from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, his Master’s in 2004 from North Carolina State University and his Bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in 2000.
While at North Carolina State University, he also developed computer software to assist greenhouse growers in fertilizer and plant growth regulator applications. He has spoken at many grower meetings including the Ohio Florists’ Association Short Course, the Southeast Greenhouse Conference and the Southern Nursery Association, and has authored articles in refereed journals and popular press publications.
In addition to his formal training in greenhouse and floriculture production, Dr. Krug has a wealth of hands-on experience in the floriculture industry. He was employed by Yoder Brothers, Inc., in Parrish, FL, a large scale vegetative propagator, DeJong Greenhouses, Inc., in Pella, Iowa, a wholesale producer of pot crops and bedding plants, and BallHolland, in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands, a young plant producer. This combination of experience and education gives him a unique perspective on greenhouse and floriculture production that will serve the growers of New Hampshire well.
Dr. Krug brings with him to New Hampshire his wife, Tina, and young son, Henry (born Dec. 10, 2007).
UNH Cooperative Extension is the recipient of the following new grants:
* Matt Tarr, $50,569 from the NH Dept. of Fish and Game, for the "Taking Action for Wildlife" project. This project will provide and enhance private landowner assistance leading to the protection, restoration and management of habitats that benefit species at risk, as identified in New Hampshire's Wildlife Action Plan. Frank Mitchell and Amanda Stone are working with Matt on this project.
* Cheryl Smith, $33,000 from Cornell University, for the Regional Center Plant Diagnostics Network facility. Activities include accepting, diagnosing and documenting plant disease and pest samples, participating in collaborative digital diagnostic efforts and educating appropriate clientele.
* Michael Sciabarrasi, $173,000 from the USDA Risk Management Agency, for "Crop Insurance Education for New Hampshire" program. This project will provide New Hampshire farmers with an understanding of existing and new crop and revenue insurance products available in the state.
* Frank Mitchell and Amanda Stone, $30,000 from the NH Dept. of Environmental Services, for Natural Resources Outreach Coalition (NROC) program coordination and delivery.
* Val Long and Deborah Luppold, $801,265 from USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, for the 2008 Food Stamp Nutrition Education Plan. UNH Cooperative Extension has received funding for the plan since 1989.
* Suzann Enzian Knight, $25,000 from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to build a social marketing campaign to increase the number of eligible workers filing claims for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Suzann also is the recipient of another $8,066 from the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation for "Linking Workers with the Earned Income Tax Credit."
* Charlene Baxter, $15,000 from the Linden Foundation, in support of Extension's parenting educational efforts for incarcerated fathers housed at the Lakes Regional Facility in Laconia. Charlene also is the recipient of $7,500 from the NH Charitable Foundation that also will support Extension's educational efforts at the facility.
* Charlene Baxter and Thom Linehan, $4,000 from the Brookdale Foundation, in support of the "Brookdale As Parents" project. The funding will focus on a set of initiatives addressing the educational needs of families with kinship care situations, including grandparents raising their grandchildren.
Cheers for Peers provides a way for UNH Cooperative Extension staff to simply and immediately acknowledge the positive contributions co-workers make to each other, the work place, our clients, the organization and the University.
Recognition from co-workers for a job well done is especially valuable and can reinforce good work and build collegiality. Cheers for Peers is for all UNH Cooperative Extension staff, including support staff employed by a New Hampshire county.
To recognize someone, go to the Staff Recognition page to learn more about the award in the Supporting Documents section. Follow the instructions for Cheers for Peers listed in the Recognition Award form box. Click the award form to see what the award looks like, and while you are there, recognize one of your peers. Your recognition will be sent, by email, directly to the person you select and his or her supervisor. Once each quarter, two recipients and two nominators will be selected randomly to receive a $25 shopping spree in our "recognition store."
Our winners, chosen at random from all names accumulated in the October, November and December quarter, are Cheryl Smith for her great job on presenting a program on Basic Understanding of Vegetable and Small Fruit Plant Diseases, and Diane DuGray for always doing outstanding work. Congratulations also go to Janell George and Jamie Sherwood for being randomly selected from the list of those who sent a Cheers for Peers card to a colleague. Contact Holly Young for your reward.
Send a Cheers for Peers card now - there is no limit.