Malin Clyde wrote:
December 18, 1009
Dear Coverts Volunteers & Friends,
I haven't sent an update in awhile, but I have a few pieces of news to pass along before the new year.
Coverts Advisory Committee Seeking New Members
Are you a Coverts Cooperator who can provide feedback and direction to the NH Coverts Project? Look no further than the NH Coverts Project Advisory Committee. I'm looking for three new members for this committee. We meet but once a year (easy!), at the NH Farm and Forest Expo (first weekend in February). I look to this group for feedback, new ideas, and to provide direction for the Coverts Project in the future. If you are interested in joining us this year, please reply to this email, and let me know of your interest. Thank you!
New England Cottontail Volunteer Opportunity
UNH Cooperative Extension has published new webpage focused on New England cottontail rabbits, a species recently listed as endangered in New Hampshire. Volunteers from southern New Hampshire (particularly the Seacoast and Merrimack Valley) are needed to help with winter rabbit pellet surveys. We are hoping to begin the project in the winter of 2009, with plans for several years of surveying. If you are interested, read more about the project and get contact information on the website at: New England Cottontail Rabbits
New Issue of Making Tracks
Look for the new issue of Making Tracks in your mailbox shortly! Thanks to those who contributed. You can get a sneak preview on our website, where the new issue is posted: http://extension.unh.edu/Wildlife/NHCovrts/MTracks.htm
Habitat Stewardship Brochures Reprinted
We've just completed a second printing of the Habitat Stewardship Series, so additional copies of the initial four (4) brochures are now available. Published earlier this year, the brochure proved very popular, and supplys were low. Private funds from two Coverts volunteers (Dr. Sam Doyle and Alan Johnson - thank you both!) helped re-publish the brochures with updates to the lists of threatened and endangered species. Brochures currently available include:
- Vernal Pools
- Grasslands
- Marsh & Shrub Wetlands
- Floodplain Forests
Four (4) additional brochures are close to complete, and will be available shortly (I'll send out a notice). New habitats covered will include: shrublands, Appalachian oak-pine forests, lowland spruce-fir forests, and peatland habitats. Thank you to those of you who contributed photographs for the new brochures - stay tuned!
New Publications - The following are available from the Forestry Information Center. To request copies, call 1-800-444-8978 or email: forest.info@unh.edu. Many publications are available online at www.NHWoods.org, by searching the Publications page.The Importance of Hydroperiod in Wetland Assessment
This new publication, written by UNHCE Wildlife Specialist Matt Tarr and UNH Wildlife Professor Kim Babbitt, describes a biologically-based method for determining what species of amphibians will use any given wetland. Wetlands can be assessed based on their hydroperiod, the length of time and portion of the year that a wetland holds water. Understanding hydroperiod is an important initial step in guiding management decisions aimed at minimizing or avoiding loss or degradation of wetlands that provide amphibian breeding habitat. This publication is available for download on the UNHCE webpage (www.NHWoods.org), or you may order a high-resolution CD for $10 from the Forestry Information Center.
Restoring Old-Growth Characteristics
This illustrated booklet, published by Anthony DAmato and Paul Catanzaro of UMass Extension, is aimed at landowners, conservation groups, and public lands managers interested in restoring second-growth forests to a more biologically-rich state. Through a comparison of the characteristics of second-growth and old-growth forests in New England, the booklet describes methods for enhancing a forests structure: increasing the number of snags, increasing the number of large living trees, increasing the diversity of tree sizes and ages, and more. View and print online, or order a free copy from the Forestry Information Center.
Heating With Wood Webpage
With the volatility of this years energy marketplace, many homeowners are now heating their homes with wood. UNH Cooperative Extension has developed a new webpage aimed at assisting homeowners with making smart and safe choices when heating with wood. Go to www.NHWoods.org and see the Whats New Box.
High Grade Harvesting: Understand the impacts, know your options
This illustrated booklet, published by Anthony DAmato and Paul Catanzaro of UMass Extension, is aimed at landowners considering their timber sale options. Landowners may be approached by loggers or foresters to have a high grade harvest of their woods, typically referred to as a selective cutting. Selective cutting refers to a harvest that does not cut all of the trees. This publication provides advice and caution about the long-term ecological and financial effects of high-grading, and stresses the benefits of forest management planning and using established silvicultural practices. View and print online, or order a free copy from the Forestry Information Center.
New Wildlife Action Plan Newsletter
The new WAP newsletter is available online - learn about habitat management, conservation planning, and lots more!
