October 2008 Archives

Malin Clyde wrote:

 

Announcements

 

View Brontosaurus in Action in Sutton

If you missed going to the Gilmanton brontosaurus site this last week (at the Mitchell’s Tree Farm), you have another chance to take a look at one of these machines at work.  Tim Davis (CC98) reports that the town of Sutton, where he’s on the Conservation Commission, has a WHIP project at the King Hill Reservation.  The brontosaurus will be on site between now and November 1st, creating early successional habitat along old ski runs.  Check it out if you can.  Directions to Sutton’s King Hill Reservation are as follows (thanks, Tim!):  Get off I-89 at Exit 11 going north or south. Fom the exit go East on Rte 11 toward New London. Drive ¼ mile to Hominy Pot Road.  Turn right, travel till reaching the entrance to King Hill Reservation. 

 

Habitat Stewardship Brochures – Seeking Photos

Malin is finalizing several new Habitat Stewardship Brochures, and I still need a few photos for the Appalachian oak-pine, Lowland spruce-fir, and Shrublands brochures.  I am looking for high-quality digital photos that I can use for educational purposes free of charge. I will credit all photographers and programs who donate pictures.  Email photos to me at:  malin.clyde@unh.edu

Here’s what I still am looking for:

• Deer in a wintering area, preferably in a spruce-fir stand
• Native dogwood shrub, close-up with fruit
• Silver-haired bat
• Dry shrubland
• Clearcut in a spruce-fir stand
• Picture of a brush-saw clearing a field

Thanks for your help!

 

“Good Forestry in the Granite State” Survey – Needs Your Help!

After more than 10 years, a keystone publication for New Hampshire’s forest landowners is undergoing revision. The new version of “Good Forestry in the Granite State: Recommended Voluntary Forest Management Practices for the State of New Hampshire” (GFGS) will consider new scholarship in the field of natural resources and address issues raised by natural resource professionals, landowners and the public. Your input as a Coverts Volunteer is an important part of revising this publication. To that end, a newly-created Web site www.goodforestry.org will help inform the public of the status of the project, as well as collect public opinion on the first edition through an online survey. Survey questions include how you use the current GFGS publication, your assessment of the first edition, and suggestions for the revised document. The survey only takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and is available through December 1, 2008. The steering committee will consider all results, which will remain confidential. For more information on the Good Forestry Project and to take the survey, visit www.goodforestry.org. To receive a paper copy of the GFGS survey, contact Kristina Ferrare at (603) 862-3883 or email kristina.ferrare@unh.edu.

Coverts Annual Survey - Coming Soon 

I’ll be sending an email (or letter, if you don’t have email) next week asking each of you to complete the 2008 Coverts Accomplishments Survey.  Please take a few minutes to complete it – it is vital for our funding sources to hear about the cumulative efforts of all Coverts volunteers.  Thank you in advance for your help.  Stay tuned!

 

Workshops & Events

 

Coyote and Wolf in the New England Landscape: A presentation by Chris Schadler, Wild Canid Ecologist

Wednesday, October 22, 7-9 pm, Exeter, Unitarian Church

Do we really want 'wilderness' in New England, and do animals like the wolf have a place -- social, economic, or biological -- in our woods?  Will coyotes become wolves, and would we accept them as such?  Questions like these keep Chris studying how coyotes use the landscape and interact with humans, and how management policies affect their interactions with wolves returning to the North Woods from Canada. After 28 years of research and many teaching awards, Chris is recognized across New England as a passionate and inspiring lecturer and a knowledgeable authority on wolf and coyote.  Her presentation, punctuated with fascinating anecdotes and wonderful photos, has recently packed halls around NH.  Attendees will be asked to donate $5.00 at the door. Sponsored by Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire.  Check out their webpage for more information. 

 

Fox Forest Field Day

Saturday, October 25, Fox Forest, 309 Center Rd., Hillsborough

Activities for children and adults will take place at Fox Forest all day, including hands-on activities, a guided hike to Mud Pond Bog, and a “Pie-luck” potluck at the end of the day.  Free and open to all!  For more information, click here.

 

Land Conservation & Estate Planning Workshop

November 17, 7-9pm, Waldron Store, Strafford

Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, the Strafford Conservation Commission, and UNH Cooperative Extension are offering an informative land conservation and estate planning workshop to area landowners and their families. For all those who have been thinking about doing something to permanently protect their land, this will be an opportunity to get expert advice and answers from Phil Auger, a Land and Water Conservation Specialist with UNHCE. Space is limited so please pre-register with Deb at the UNHCE at 603-679-5616 or 800-248-6672.

 

Tree Farm Field Day – Proctor Academy, Andover

Proctor Academy was named the 2008 Outstanding Community Tree Farm, and will host a field day on Saturday, November 1st from 9 a.m. – noon.  Three tours will take place in the morning, including ones on Forest Discover with Project Learning Tree (all ages), Wildlife Habitat, and a tour of an active timber harvest.  Free and open to the public. Click here to learn more and get directions.   

 

Cheshire County Conservation Workshop Series

Lots of great wildlife and forest workshops happening this fall in Cheshire County.  Check out the online brochure for registration information and directions:

• Timber Harvest Tour – Oct. 24, 1-4 p.m., Dublin
• Historical Village Tour – Oct. 31 1-4 p.m., Marlborough
• Mammal Tracking & Ecology – Dec. 13, 1-4 p.m., Stoddard

 

Malin Clyde wrote:

October 1, 2008 Update

Upcoming Workshops & Events

LAST CHANCE – Sign up for the Whites’ Forest Farm Tour this weekend!

Saturday, Oct. 4, 9:30 – 3:00 p.m., Sandwich, NH

An informal tour of Coverts Cooperator David White’s property (CC04) – bring a bag lunch, we’ll bring drinks and dessert. You’ll learn about new forest openings for woodcock, grouse and deer, sugarbush & firewood management, see a demonstration of the Whites’ “iron horse,” and learn about their focus on sustainable living on their Sandwich homestead.  Please call Debbie Anderson (by Thursday Oct. 2) at 862-1028 to sign up.  Cost is free, but we need to know how many people to expect.  See you there!  Directions and additional information are posted online on the program flyer.

 

Wildlife about Water & Wildlife, Rochester, NH

Saturday, October 11, noon – 4 p.m., rain or shine

A family event focused on the wildlife and water quality of the Isinglass River in Rochester.  Directions and more information posted online here. 

 

Global Warming in New Hampshire ­ Effects on Wildlife and Habitats

Thursday, October 16, 7-9 p.m.,

Beaver Brook Brown Lane Barn, Brown Lane, Hollis NH

Come hear biologist Eric Orff in this free program at the Beaver Brook Center tp learn more about the possible effects of climate change on wildlife and habitat in New Hampshire.  Click here for more information and directions.

 

GIS and GPS Workshop Series offered in the North Country

Several educational workshops on GIS (geographic information systems) and GPS (global positioning system) will be offered in Lancaster, NH during October by UNH Cooperative Extension.  These sessions are all at the basic level and cover various applications of this important technology that is being applied throughout our society for a wide range of purposes.  All of the sessions will be presented at the UNH Cooperative Extension facility in Lancaster at 629 Main St (Route 3 one mile north of the fairgrounds).  You must register in advance by calling 862-1029 or registering online. Click here for complete registration information. 

October 14, 1 - 4 p.m. - GPS & You I: GPS Basics - $35 fee

October 15, 9 - 4 p.m.- ArcGIS Driver's Permit - $90 fee

October 16, 9 – noon - GPS &You II: Pictures, Points & Places - $35 fee
October 16, 1 – 4 p.m. - GPS & You III: Tracks and Routes - $35 fee

October 17, 9 – 4 p.m. - GIS on Pennies A Day - $90 fee

Cheshire County Conservation Workshop Series

Lots of great wildlife and forest workshops happening this fall in Cheshire County.  Check out the online brochure for registration information and directions:

Farmland Stewardship – Oct. 17, 1-4 p.m., Westmoreland

Timber Harvest Tour – Oct. 24, 1-4 p.m., Dublin

Historical Village Tour – Oct. 31 1-4 p.m., Marlborough

Mammal Tracking & Ecology – Dec. 13, 1-4 p.m., Stoddard

 

Washburn Family Forest Tour, Pittsburg and Clarksville, NH.

Saturday, October 18th, 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Sponsored by SPNHF.  Explore the Forest Society’s newest and largest North Country Forest Reservation.  A special guided tour of the features of the new 2,100 acreWashburn Family Forest located on the Connecticut River in Clarksville, NH.  Forest Society staff will guide participants with hiking, natural history interpretation, and the successful effort to conserve this extraordinary property. Moderate hiking and some driving. Appropriate for adults and older children.  Contact Dave Anderson to reserve a spot:  (603) 224-9945 or email danderson@forestsociety.org.  For complete itinerary and directions, visit the Forest Society’s website at:  http://www.forestsociety.org/thingstodo/

 

Guided Wildlife Hike at Beaver Brook Assoc.

Sunday, November 23, 2 p.m., at Beaver Brook Association, Hollis

Join naturalist Celeste Philbrick Barr (CC '04) while you look for signs of beaver and other wildlife.  Meet at the BBA parking lot on Route 130. Wear sturdy hiking boots. Rolling, rooty trails. Snowshoes will be provided. Park at Route 130 lot, signed for Wildlife Pond (2 miles west of intersection of Rt. 122).  For more information, contact Celeste at Beaver Brook, 465-7787 or email: info@beaverbrook.org.

 

Other Coverts Information

Sample Press Release on Coverts Webpage

New Coverts Cooperators can access a sample press release to use with local newspapers to help publicize their availably to answer other landowners’ questions (same as the hard copy mailed to you recently).  I’ve posted it online (in MS Word format) so you can adapt it to your needs. Let me know if you need a photo to accompany your release!  Also, Coverts Cooperator and journalist Edie Tucker (CC99) ran an article in the Coos County Democrat about the five North County Coverts this year, so your work is done up north.  Thanks, Edie!

 

Photos from Coverts Workshop 2008 Posted online

Check out the Coverts webpage for photos from the most recent workshop – hot and muggy it was, but still fun!  Go to our section “Resources for Coverts Volunteers”