Extension Update: October 2008 Archives

Rollie Barnaby, a commercial fisheries Sea Grant Extension Educator, is the recipient of the 2008 Northeast Sea Grant Outstanding Outreach Individual Award. Barnaby, who recently retired, received this award for his role in creating and fostering the Northeast Consortium.

The award is given out every two years to provide peer recognition of outstanding outreach programs developed by individuals or multiple collaborators. The Northeast Sea Grant network is composed of programs in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York.

The Consortium is a collaboration of UNH, the University of Maine, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Since 2000, it has funded more than 170 collaborative research projects involving commercial fishermen, fishing industry associations and businesses, scientists, students and research institutions.

Barnaby’s previous work as a commercial fisherman made him aware of challenges between fisheries regulators, environmentalists, scientists and fishermen. "When I started working at UNH as a Sea Grant Extension educator, I realized very quickly that one of the most important things I could do for fisheries management, marine users and the marine environment was to get stakeholders talking and working together," Barnaby explains.

Barnaby helped create the Consortium in 1999 as a way to encourage and fund effective, equal partnerships among commercial fishermen, scientists and other stakeholders to engage in collaborative research and projects in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank.

On October 29, nearly 250 business leaders, legislators, state government and human service professionals attended UNH Cooperative Extension’s first New Hampshire Summit on Work and Family at the Concord Holiday Inn. "This was an important first step in beginning a statewide dialogue about how we can make New Hampshire a better place to work and live," said conference organizer and Extension family specialist Dr. Malcolm Smith.

The conference was held in conjunction with the NH Legislative Task Force on Work and Family, chaired by State Rep. Mary Stuart Gile of Concord. Gile, who also heads the legislature’s Child and Family Law Committee, and representatives from 12 other partnering organizations, assisted Extension in developing and hosting the conference.

Included in the day’s highlights were presentations from Dr. Bruce Mallory, UNH Provost, shown in the photo to the left, Commissioner Richard Brothers of the NH Department of Employment Security, Michael Vlacich, director of the NH Division of Economic Development, and Terrie Norelli, Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

Among the summit’s keynote presentations was a dramatic call to legislative action from New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who was recently awarded Working Mother magazines "Best of Congress Award." Other presentations included a panel of family-friendly New Hampshire businesses with representatives from Badger Balm, Citizen’s Bank, Hypertherm, Timberland and North East Dental, and presentations from national leaders, researchers and authors dealing with work and family policy and practice.

A portion of the day was devoted to soliciting information from those attending the summit for an ongoing research study of work and family issues in the Granite State being conducted by Dr. Smith and partners from the Carsey Institute at UNH and the NH Labor and Market Information Bureau. The Summit was well received by attendees who overwhelming evaluated it as a useful and meaningful day.

Over 250 4-H teen and adult volunteers and Extension staff from the 12 Northeast states met October 23-26 in Manchester at the 2008 Northeast Regional Volunteer forum. The event, planned by a 25-member steering committee under the guidance of Michele King, Educational Program Coordinator for UNH Cooperative Extension's 4-H Youth Development program, provided an environment for learning, sharing and making new friends.

Professional development was a major goal of the conference, and individuals participated in at least one new learning activity or project they could use when they returned to their state and local club. For a unique twist, the group carved over 300 pumpkins which were transported to the Keene Pumpkin Festival and about half the group traveled to Keene Saturday night to experience the event.

While attending the Thursday night opening session, I had the opportunity to watch the Parade of Flags representing the 12 states within the region and the official start of the conference. On behalf of National 4-H Council and Monsanto, I presented the Salute to Excellence Awards to Bob Bremilst of Massachusetts and Michelle Martin of New York. The group was then entertained by the talent of New Hampshire 4-H members.

Friday tours to view the great state of New Hampshire were sponsored by an Ag Enhancement Grant provided by the New England Farm Credit System. Groups visited the White Mountains, had a quilt hop, visited alternative agricultural sites and a variety of equine facilities, and toured Mt. Washington.

Liz Conrad, former Rockingham County and State Advisory Council member, hosted the agricultural tour, providing the group an education in goat meat production, and all aspects of the natural wool fiber industry. She is shown in the photo to the left, with the tour group.

Sunday the participants returned home, ready to reconvene in Delaware in 2010. Congratulations to our 4-H staff for a job well done.

David Falkenham is the new Grafton County Extension Educator, Forest Resources. He begins work Nov. 17.

Falkenham brings 13 years of forestry experience working for the state of New Hampshire, most recently as the North Country Regional Forester. He was responsible for state land management throughout Coos County, and into the northern reaches of Grafton and Carroll Counties.

He also found time to develop forest management plans on private properties. Falkenham served as the state's lead liaison to the Nash Stream Forest Advisory Committee, gaining experience facilitating a group with diverse interests. Over the years, he collaborated with Cooperative Extension on a number of workshops, and enjoyed his experiences educating loggers, private landowners and other groups.

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 gift from our "recognition store."

Our most recent winners, chosen at random from all names accumulated in the July, August and September quarter are Faye Cragin and Ann Hamilton. Congratulations also go to Kim Johnson and Thom Linehan 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.

The 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire celebrated its 50th anniversary Thursday night at Canterbury Woods Country Club, with over 75 in attendance.

Several awards were handed out during the evening’s festivities, including the 2008 4-H Alumni award to out-going Foundation Chair Tom Frangione, who has served on the foundation board the past six years. A slide show showcased Tom's long commitment to 4-H, beginning as a child showing sheep, to his trip to Egypt as an IFYE representative, volunteering as a chaperone at State 4-H Teen conferences, and on to his years on the Foundation.

Two Friends of 4-H also were recognized, including Blue Seal Feeds, Inc., with Chris Streeter accepting the plaque on the firm’s behalf, and long-time 4-H leader and supporter Ruth Kimball, whose award was presented to her daughters, Corinne Miller and Carolyn Davis, as Ruth was unable to attend.

State Rep. Maurice Pilotte read the proclamation from Gov. John Lynch, applauding the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire for 50 successful years, and Jack Weeks, Robert Robertson, Mark Riel and Steve Tullar reminisced about their years on the Foundation and how it has grown since its inception in 1958.

Board members Steve Tullar and Tom Frangione were recognized for completing their terms on the Foundation Board. Those in attendance voted to accept new board members Jeff Brodeur of Goffstown and Barry Rock of Durham, and the new slate of officers, David Bishop, chair, Jean Richardson, vice chair and Laurie Conrad, secretary.

Grafton County 4-H Youth Development Educator Kathy Jablonski was the proud winner of the 4-H quilt supporting the 2008 Northeast Volunteer Forum, which takes place next week in Manchester, and a lively auction, led by Robert Robertson, inspired some friendly bidding wars among the guests.

Several in attendance were videotaped by World Wide Web and Media Specialist Faye Cragin, so look for these short videos soon on our 4-H Foundation web page.

Those attending all received 4-H Centennial coins and a 4-H Foundation of NH lapel pin as mementoes.

Shown in the top left photo is Tom Frangione, out-going chair, receiving his 2008 4-H Alumni Award from Wendy Brock, 4-H Youth Development program leader and executive director of the Foundation. In the top right photo, State Rep. Maurice Pilotte, left, reads Gov. John Lynch's proclamation before presenting it to Foundation Chair Tom Frangione, while Wendy Brock looks on.

UNH Cooperative Extension's State Advisory Council meeting Thursday first focused on our efforts in the areas of communications, public relations, marketing and branding. Later in the day, the advisory council members worked with George Morse, Professor Emeritus from the University of Minnesota Extension Service, who is now doing educational workshops through his business, Extension Economics Associates.

David Foote, director of communications and information technology for Extension, started the communications and marketing session with a look at the differences between communications, public relations, marketing and branding. He went on to note that results from a 2004 UNH Granite State poll indicated that 52% of respondents remember hearing that Cooperative Extension is part of UNH and that we were "by far the most recognized unit on campus."

Holly Young and Peg Boyles, who make up our Extension Communications Team, showcased their many efforts, which support administrators, staff and volunteers in producing high-quality educational materials and as the hub for Extension promotion, marketing, and public relations.

Morse's public value workshop looked at ways of identifying, creating and using public value statements to support Extension's mission. At the end of the day, each group had created a public value statement relating to UNH Cooperative Extension. They will be compiled and reviewed by the council and further refined.

The Forestry and Wildlife Program will continue to work closely with its local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) partners in New Hampshire to deliver private landowner programs throughout the state. We have developed two new contribution agreements totaling $161,000 from each partner. We will use these funds to address landowner objectives to help them meet their forest and wildlife management needs.

Other aspects of the agreements cover forest management plan preparation, habitat improvement for New England cottontail rabbits (a state-endangered species), and outreach to landowners on these and similar topics.

Our beautiful 2009 NH Outside calendar is now available. The calendar contains excerpts from published NH Outside columns, illustrated with original artwork by volunteer artists and spiced with daily tips and tidbits to help increase awareness of the natural world.

Subtitled connecting you with the wisdom and wonder of the natural world, the calendar itself reflects the purpose of our collaborative writing project: to give our many natural resources volunteers who love to write another way to share the humor, insight, and wonder they've found in the world outside their doorways.

We recruit people with a passion for the natural world and offer training, professional editing, and ongoing support in exchange for their written work. Most of their essays reflect on a private experience or encounter with the world just outside their doorways.

The only aim of our project: to connect readers to nature in some concrete, meaningful way. Every week we distribute a new essay to print media statewide and publish it to our NH Outside Web page.

Last year's calendar won a first-place award from the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE), an international association of communicators and information technologists. We think you'll find this year's edition every bit as gorgeous and useful. At $8.95 each ($7.95 for bulk orders), we expect the calendars to disappear quickly.

Every first Monday of the month, for the last 50 years, it’s easy to find Corine Miller. A leader of the 80-member Victory Workers 4-H Club in Pittsfield, you can find Corine mentoring and motivating her community’s youth. As a former 10-year 4-H member, she says to “Make the Best Better” has been the standard for her life, career and her work with the over 3,000 youth she has touched as a New Hampshire 4-H volunteer.

Corine truly exemplifies all the qualities of an outstanding, engaged 4-H volunteer connected at the local, county and state levels, and because of her dedication and service to 4-H, she was named as the 2008 National 4-H Hall of Fame Laureate. Corine and members of her family, along with 4-H Youth Development Program Leader Wendy Brock, traveled to Washington, D.C., last Friday for the awards ceremony at the National 4-H Center. Corine was only one of 17 nation-wide who received the honor this year. In the photo to the right, Betty Wingerter, left, president of National Association of Extension 4-H Agents, presented the award to Corine, along with Dan Kugler, interim deputy administrator, Families, 4-H, and Nutrition, USDA, and on the right, Donald Floyd, president and CEO, National 4-H Council.

Involved in many aspects of the club, from teaching heritage basket weaving, 4-H records, clothing and textiles, public speaking, and photography, to organizing community service projects, Corine also engages other volunteers to help provide the expertise in other areas that interest the youth. Under her leadership, annual fundraisers provide scholarships for about 60 members to attend UNH 4-H Camp.

At the county level, Corine has served as past treasurer and secretary of the Merrimack County Leaders Association and is a member of the County 4-H Advisory Council. At the state level, she has served on many 4-H curriculum committees in the areas of family and consumer science. She has worked to establish the Ruth Kimball Endowment of over $80,000 for the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire, and supports the statewide golf tournament.

Corine says she has had the opportunity to see youth grow up into “good citizens.” She added, “It’s when they return to the 4-H program as a teacher or with their own children; that is when you know it made a difference.” Corine’s mother, Ruth Kimball was inducted into the first class of the National 4-H Hall of Laureates in 2002.

UNH Cooperative Extension, in conjunction with the NH Legislative Task Force on Work and Family, will host the first annual New Hampshire Summit on Work and Family October 29 at the Holiday Inn in Concord. Space is filling up fast, so pre-register early to ensure a spot at this important event. Seating is limited.

"This meeting has an elegantly simple yet profound goal: to initiate a dialogue between business leaders and human resource professionals, state legislators, labor leaders and representatives, researchers and bureaucrats on how to make New Hampshire a better place for working families," says Malcolm Smith, Extension Family Life and Family Policy Specialist.

N.H. Gov. John Lynch and UNH Provost Bruce Mallory will welcome attendees. Among the national and local experts and business leaders who will share ideas and information at the Summit:

• Cali Williams Yost, consultant, researcher, executive, and author of Work+Life: Finding the Fit that's Right for You. One of the leading voices and most creative thinkers in the work/life dialogue, Yost sees work and life-fit as a partnership between employers and individuals.
• U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, recently honored by Working Mother magazine as one the "best of Congress" for working families in the U.S. Maloney, who represents New York's 14th District, believes that the federal government should set a national standard for family-friendly workplaces. Her new book, Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, has garnered national attention and her work and policy initiatives have been featured on national news and talk shows.
• Connie Roy-Czyzowski, VP of Human Resources for NE Delta Dental, will host a panel discussion of business leaders from small to large companies that have increased profits and attracted vibrant employees by focusing on work and family balance. Included in the panel will be executives and human resource managers from Citizens Bank, Timberland, Hypertherm, and Badger Balm, among others.

The entire day, including lunch, is free. But you must pre-register to attend.

Now more than ever before, UNH Cooperative Extension's family financial management resources respond to critical needs.

Does your emergency fund add up to less than three months of living expenses? Are you paying only the minimum amount due on your credit cards each month? Are you arguing about money in your household? UNH Cooperative Extension has a wealth of information available to families with questions about their finances in the story "Feeling the Pinch."

At Extension's Managing Money publications page, New Hampshire residents and program clients will see such fact sheets as Developing A Spending/Savings Plan, What To Do When You Can't Pay Your Bills, and Your Credit File.

Information on classes and workshops is also available and continuously updated.

Specialists in geospatial technology outreach from nine states gathered at the New England Center at UNH in Durham this week for a workgroup meeting of the eXtension Map@Syst Community of Practice.

The Map@Syst CoP was formed in late 2006 as a collaborative project of geospatial Extension specialists from around the country, which together comprises the National Geospatial Technology Extension Network. As an eXtension community, Map@Syst is responsible for covering the content area of geospatial technology, including the basic concepts, technology and applications of these tools.

The central focus of the meeting was additional content development and planning for future additions to the geospatial technology section of the eXtension site. In addition to completing current gaps in content, three future focus areas were determined based on the expertise of CoP members and the needs of our target audience:

• evaluation of free GIS software options
• use of geospatial technologies to link watersheds and water quality
• precision agriculture

The meeting at UNH successfully expanded the CoP to include a county geospatial Extension staff member and geospatial outreach experts from outside Cooperative Extension. The meeting also provided an invaluable opportunity of Map@Syst members to provide feedback on site design and functionality, as well as, develop a greater understanding of current and future directs of the initiative directly from eXtension staff.

Meeting participants included Greg Bonynge, Geospatial Extension Specialist, University of Rhode Island, John Borst, Outreach Coordinator, NY State Geographic Information Systems Clearninghouse, Shane Bradt, Geospatial Extension Specialist, University of New Hampshire, Neil Curri, Senior GIS Resource Educator, Cornell Extension in Dutchess County, Ashley Griffin, eXtension Content Design Leader, University of Kentucky, John McGee, Geospatial Extension Specialist, Virginia Tech, John Nowatzki, Geospatial Extension Specialist, North Dakota State University, Barron Orr, Geospatial Extension Specialist, University of Arizona, Leslie Pelch, Outreach Coordinator, Vermont Center for Geographic Information, Sandy Prisloe, Geospatial Extension Specialist, University of Connecticut, and Craig Wood, eXtension Associate Director, University of Kentucky.