Update September 3, 2009
Malin Clyde wrote:
2009-09-03
Dear Coverts Cooperators & Friends,
It’s shaping up to be a busy fall! Lots of new workshops and volunteer opportunities for you. As always, this and previous updates are available anytime online at Volunteers Working for Wildlife.
Cheers,
Malin
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NEW UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Logs To Lumber – Merrimack, September 11 & 12
This workshop, organized by Coverts Cooperators in Merrimack (Andy Powell, John Diggins, Tom Vallaincourt), looks like great fun! Come watch Mr. Hank Somero, a professional sawyer, as he mills logs into lumber. This is a unique educational experience for all ages! See how a master craftsman creates milled lumber. The event is free and open to all! Bring water, bug spray and a good pair of sturdy walking shoes, as there is a slight walk to gain access to the site. If you wish to help with a project on Saturday, The Friends of Grater Woods will be using the newly milled lumber, cut from the Grater Woods Town Forest, to build the seating area for the Outdoor Education Center. Saturday will be hands on. Bring a good set of working gloves…all help is both encouraged and welcomed! Click here for workshop flyer. To get more information, call 603-494-7133 or 603-424-2642.
Invasive Plant Identification Workshop – September 25, Dover
Invasive species are non-native plants that were introduced to an area and have since become a threat to the native plant communities. There are currently 35 species that are banned in the State of New Hampshire. Come learn more at this introductory workshop. We will meet at the Strafford County Conservation District Office. From there we will walk around the Strafford County Farm where we will learn how to identify common
invasive species, how they are spread and discuss actions we can take to eradicate them.
We will also discuss financial assistance available to help remove invasive plants from your property. This workshop is free. Click here for the full description and directions. To pre-register or for more information contact Strafford County UNH Cooperative Extension at 603-749-4445 or
Asian Longhorn Beetle Workshops
Sept. 15 – Rochester
Sept. 24 – North Haverhill
Oct. 1 – Conway
Oct. 13 – Alton
Oct. 21 – Laconia
If you own a tree, a woodlot, serve on your conservation commission, walk in the woods, or care about NH's hardwood forest, come to one of these workshops to learn how to identify the signs on trees, learn which trees are most threatened and where and how you should look for the insects, and how to report them if you find them. Forest Resources and Agriculture Educators will provide instruction. Click here for locations and direction.
Caring for Your Forest Workshops - Stoddard and Milton
October 9 - Chainsaw Safety
October 16 - Your Woodlot and Wildlife
October 23 - Cutting Firewood
October 30 - Selling TimberInterested in taking better care of your woodlot? Sharpening your forestry skills? Improving your woodlot for wildlife? Come to one, two, or all four of these workshops.
Each workshop is offered on the same day in two convenient locations. Choose the one nearest to you. The cost will cover refreshments and handout materials. UNH Cooperative Extension county foresters and specialists, and private foresters will teach the classes. You will be “in the field” for at least part of the day. Come prepared for weather. All workshops run from 12:30-4:30 pm. Eat your lunch before the workshop. Workshop locations are the Andorra Forest in Stoddard, NH and the NH Farm Museum in Milton, NH. Registration Information and workshop brochure are available here.
WORKSHOPS PREVIOUSLY POSTED
Working with Water & Wetlands – September 18, 8:30 – 3:30
Russell Colbath House, Albany, NH
This workshop will cover a variety of topics covering the protection of our water resources while actively managing NH's forests. If you are a land manager in New Hampshire you will find this workshop useful when you are working in - or around - water and wetlands. Registration materials, information about speakers, and directions available online here.
Tree Farm Field Day – September 19, Blake Family Tree Farm, Newport, NH
This is always a great event! Register here today. Igor Blake has been selected as the 2009 New Hampshire Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year by the NH Tree Farm Committee. Igor’s tree farm consists of over 300 acres in the town of Newport, NH along the banks of the Sugar River. The mixed pine and oak/hardwood forests have been managed by Igor and his family for nearly 80 years. Igor’s mother, N.N. Blake, joined the tree farm program in 1970 at the suggestion of Professor Mirov, University of California, Berkeley. Join us at the 2009 NH Tree Farm Field Day to celebrate Igor’s award winning tree farm on Saturday, September 19, 2009. The day long event will include a variety of educational tours of Igor’s tree farm, raffle and silent auction, chicken barbeque and pig roast.
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.
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.
Walk on Stonehouse Pond (Barrington) – Saturday, September 19
Celebration of Conservation (Three Rivers Farm, Dover) – Sat., September 26
NH Children in Nature Conference – October 1, Northwood, NH
This annual workshop will provide community leaders and community organizations, including parents, educators, youth group leaders, non-profits and health care providers with tools, resources, and support to make local change to reconnect Children, Youth and Families to Nature. For more information and registration info, visit the website: www.nhchildreninNature.org
Ames Road Forest Tree Farm: Woodland Economics for Private Landowners
October 17, Loudon, NH, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Meet Ned Therrien, who bought a Tree Farm 35 years ago as a retirement investment. He has kept meticulous records, recording time, effort, costs and revenues since the beginning. During this field session, he will share the lessons of his hard work. Landowners will gain valuable information about optimizing the economics of owning timberland and hear from Ned as well as the natural resource professionals that have been involved along the way. The session will include a woodlot tour, lively discussion and supporting materials. Registration materials, directions, and additional information are available online here.
GIS & GPS Workshops – Grafton County Cooperative Extension, N. Haverhill
UNH Cooperative Extension Geospatial Technologies Training Center will be offering the following GIS workshops from September 14-18, 2009.
- GIS on Pennies a Day - September 14th - 9am to noon - $40. Learn basic GIS concepts and about many free GIS software packages.
- Making Maps the Google Way - September 14th - 1pm to 4pm - $40. Learn how to create custom maps in Google Earth and share maps using Google Maps
- Getting to Know NH GRANIT Data Mapper - September 14th - 6pm to 8pm – Free. Learn to create GIS-based maps of NH towns using a free online tool.
- ArcGIS Drivers Permit - September 15th - 9am to 4pm - $90. Learn the basics of GIS and how to use make basic maps in ArcGIS.
- Intro to ArcGIS 9.3 - September 16th to 18th - 9am to 4pm - $275 reduced, $450 full
Learn how to use ArcGIS to make maps, create & edit GIS data and explore spatial relationships.VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Invasive Species Work – Odiorne State Park, Rye
The Coastal Watershed Invasive Plant Partnership needs your help with an important inventory of invasive plant species in Odiorne Point State Park. The inventory will be used to develop a strategic, long-term Invasive Plant Control Plan for the Park, which will help restore native habitat and improve the overall recreational opportunities in the park. Volunteers will be paired up with a Project Scientist to help identify the locations and extent of invasive plant populations at select locations within the park, and be one of four teams collecting data. Volunteers will assist with setting up transects, note taking and data recording as well as assisting with measurements and invasive plant counts & GPS mapping.Volunteers will preferably have some familiarity with Odiorne Point State Park and knowledge of native and/or invasive plants is helpful but not requisite. Remember that you'll be working in the Park so that means potentially humid conditions, thick brush and poison ivy. If this sounds like fun, please call Marilyn Gilmour at the Seacoast Science Center at 436-8043 ext 18
Dates and times: Join for one session or all days…many hands make light work!Wednesday, September 2nd, 9 – 4pm
Wednesday, September 9th, 9 – 4pm
Wednesday, September 16th, 9 – 4 pm
Help Plan a “Get Out and Play” Weekend!
Coming to your town October 3-4, 2009…
Are you an organization that offers great outdoor activities? Do you already have something planned for October 3 or 4, or would you like to organize a local nature-based program or event that weekend? Following The New Hampshire Children in Nature Coalition (NHCiNC) “Building Nature Based Communities” conference on Oct. 1, we’re taking our message to the broader public, inviting any and all interested groups and individuals across the state to get children, youth and families outside. You can help by planning a hike, bike ride or paddle in your area, a nature play hour or perhaps an evening building fairy houses in a local woodland. Nature is all around you, so be creative! Events can be 1 hour or day-long, daytime or evening. Whether or not you or your organization can host an activity, we encourage you to participate – by letting people know your organization’s doors are open or simply urging friends and family to go for or walk or share a picnic lunch.We’ll post your activities right on the NHCiNC website. And, we’ll provide promotional flyers to help you reach new audiences for your event. Join us – let’s get out and play!Email the following information to Scott Fitzpatrick at sfitzpatrick@plustime.org:
Name of Organization (if applicable)
Name of Contact Person
Name of Event
Date and Time
100 word description
Location or Meeting Place
Contact Phone Number
Web link to your event (if applicable)
(We’ll be compiling follow-up data, so please plan to get a count of the number in attendance at your event.)
You can also contact Scott for more information or if you have any questions about the weekend. Scott Fitzpatrick, Program Support Services Consultant, PlusTime NH, 202 N. State St., Concord, NH 03301. Phone: 603-856-8837 x 222, Fax: (603)856-8840, www.plustime.org
Interested in Gardening for Wildlife? Can You Share Your Enthusiasm?
The Hampstead Garden Club (located on the MA border, in Rockingham County) is looking for someone to talk about gardening for wildlife. They would like an indoor talk, but if you live nearby and wanted to give a tour of your wildlife-friendly garden, they would be interested in that as well. You would have lots of time to prepare, as they are lining up speakers for next year (2010). Please email Malin if you can help out!
UNHCE Energy Answers Program Seeks Volunteers
Trainings on Sept. 21 & Sept. 28, Manchester
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. The application for the training program is available online here.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Need a New Coverts Nametag?
With the upcoming 2009 Coverts training workshop, I’ll be ordering new Coverts nametags. If you have lost yours, please let me know I can order you a new one! Email me here.
