Malin Clyde wrote:
2009-07-17
Dear Coverts Cooperators & Friends,
Here are a few new updates and volunteer opportunities for you. I hope everyone is enjoying the newly arrived summer weather! As always, this and previous updates are available anytime online at Volunteers Working for Wildlife . And don’t forget to check out our re-vamped Wildlife Webpage , with lots of new information about wildlife habitats, species, the Wildlife Action Plan, and more!
Cheers,
Malin
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Is there one or more Coverts Cooperators who would like to staff a booth at this festival on Aug. 1? It’s in Milton Mills – we had a booth last year, and I heard it was a great time. Please email Malin as soon as possible if you can help out. The Coverts office will provide all materials, including the Coverts display, handouts, hands-on activities, and a table. Here are the details:
Woods, Water and Wildlife Festival - Saturday, August 1, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Branch Hill Farm, Milton Mills
Featuring guided walks and talks with nature experts, hayrides, live music and more, this fun, family-friendly event will take place on a 3,000-acre farm under conservation easement with the Forest Society. Organized by Moose Mountains Regional Greenways. For more information visit www.mmrg.info or call 603-817-8260.
UNHCE Energy Answers Program Seeks Volunteers
Would you like to learn how you can reduce energy consumption in your home? Would you like to help other NH residents do the same? If so, become a UNHCE Energy Answers volunteer! UNH Cooperative Extension will offer training to existing UNHCE volunteers (such as Coverts Cooperators) on Monday, September 21 and Monday, September 28th to prepare volunteers to answer energy-related questions from the public on the Education Center's Info-Line in Manchester. These full-day sessions will be held at the Conservation Center in Concord. You must attend both sessions to be an Energy Answers volunteer. If you would like to learn more or be added to the mailing list for the programs on September 21st and Sept 28th, email Denise Blaha here .
Citizen Monitors Sought for Asian Longhorn Beetle in NH
Coverts Cooperators may be able to help forest health experts by keeping an eye out for Asian Longhorn Beetles. Read a new press release on this project, which is now at the beginning stages. If you think you see one of these beetles, you should contact your County Forester .
NEWS
White-nose Sydnrome Affects NH Bats this summer
Click here to read the latest on the white-nose bat syndrome and how it’s affecting NH bat populations.
NEW WORKSHOP POSTS
Beaver Ecology & Control
August 13, noon - 4:30 p.m. in Hillsborough or
August 14 noon – 4:30 in Lancaster
This workshop will introduce you to the natural ecology of beavers and discuss topics such as why beavers make dams, and what areas are most suitable for beavers (and thus most susceptible to flooding). We will discuss methods for improving habitat to benefit beavers and other wildlife associated with beaver-created openings, as well as how to discourage beavers from colonizing a stream or pond. Finally, we will discuss options for controlling flooding in areas where beavers are maintaining active dams. Complete program information, including registration form, speakers, and directions, is posted online here.
Woods Without Gile Hike, August 15, Springfild
Ann (CC005) and Marc Davis, in conjunction with the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition and the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, will host their fifth annual hike starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, August 15 on their property, Woods Without Gile, in Springfield, NH. Join us to celebrate the WWG’s recent designation as a Tree Farm. The easy to moderate hike will cover a portion of the 470-acre property. Rain or shine. The hike will be roughly 2 miles. See cellar holes, views, a beaver meadow, and recent timber harvests. Bring a picnic lunch. We’ll provide drinks and cookies. Plan on about two hours, longer if you plan to eat your lunch with us. Access to the property is via a Class VI road that is in good condition. Pickup trucks, Subarus, or other vehicles with a relatively high under carriage, will be able to negotiate the road. Please note, a timber harvest is under way on the Gile State Forest. If you meet a log truck, it has the right of way. Please e-mail woodswithoutgile@tds.net for directions and more information about the hike.
Strafford River Conservancy Workshops
The Strafford Rivers Conservancy is offering the following programs this summer and fall. For more information about any of these programs, For registration and directions, please contact the Strafford Rivers Conservancy at (603) 516-0772, e-mail here or register online at straffordriversconservancy.org .
Map & Compass Workshop (College Woods, Durham) – Saturday, July 25
Canoe-Kayak on the Salmon Falls River (Rollinsford) – Saturday, August 15
Walk on Stonehouse Pond (Barrington) – Saturday, September 19
Celebration of Conservation (Three Rivers Farm, Dover) – Saturday, September 26
Washburn Family Forest Opening, Sunday Aug 30, 2009 9:30 am to 2 pm.
Washburn Family Forest, Clarksville and Pittsburg, NH. Sponsored by The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. The dedication of the 2,100-acre Washburn Family Forest will include a hiking tour and a fishing demonstration. Come celebrate the unveiling of the Forest Society's largest North Country reservation! For more information call 603-224-9945.
Ashuelot River Headwaters Tours, Saturday Sept 26, 2009.
Tours start at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m, Silver Mountain / Long Pond and Sand Pond, Lempster, NH. Sponsored by The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Join us for an open house on the Ashuelot River Headwaters. Take a guided hike with Forest Society staff to the summit of Silver Mountain or explore the loop trail that includes the shoreline of Long Pond and Sand Pond. Learn the latest information about efforts to purchase and protect this 1,800-acre keystone tract of forestland. For more information call 603-224-9945.
WORKSHOPS PREVIOUSLY POSTED
Fern Identification – August 7, 8:30 – 3:30
Fox State Forest, Hillsborough
This workshop is likely the most intensive of its kind offered in NH. It is intended to teach natural resource professionals and backyard naturalists alike the skills necessary to positively identify the ferns of northeastern New England. A combination of indoor and outdoor instruction will be used to teach participants about basic fern morphology, terminology, hybridization, reproduction, and ecology. These skills will then be employed to identify ferns in the field using a fern key. This workshop is taught by Dr. Leslie Adams, a systematic botanist and forest ecologist whose area of specialty is floristic diversity in New Hampshire forests. Participants of all experience levels are encouraged to attend. For more information, including registration materials, click here for workshop brochure .
Save the Date! Tree Farm Field Day – September 19, Newport, NH
This is always a great event! Read more about this year’s winner by clicking here .
