Malin Clyde wrote:
2010-01-08
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Project Learning Tree Help – Nashua, Jan. 27th
Erin Hollingsworth of Project Learning Tree is looking for another volunteer to help with a wildlife tracking program for elementary kids in Nashua on January 27, 2010. Jan Woodbury (CC98) will be helping on the 26th (thanks, Jan!). The Bicentennial School is having their 2nd annual WinterFest and they want to have 45 minute sessions that would get repeated over the day. Enthusiasm and basic knowledge (all Coverts volunteers have this!) are all that’s required! If you can help on Jan. 27, please contact Erin Hollingsworth as soon as possible at NH Project Learning Tree, phone: 603-226-0160, email: erin@nhplt.org
Farm & Forest Booth Volunteers
Once again, we are looking for volunteers to help staff the UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife display and activities at the Farm & Forest Expo, Feb. 5-6, 2010 at the Center for NH, Radisson (700 Elm Street), in Manchester. If you are interested in volunteering, please call or email Erin Dancy, first come first serve for the time slots! Email: erin.dancy@unh.edu Phone: (603) 629-9494 ext. 100.
You will have a great excuse to visit the Expo and will greatly help out Cooperative Extension staff (who will also be on hand). This year, we are only staffing the booth with one volunteer, plus a staff member, so we'll be sure to keep you busy and entertained during your shift. Admission to the Expo will be complimentary for volunteers (others will be charged $7). Time slots include:
Friday, Feb. 5:9:00 am - 11:00 am – slot filled (Bill Dumont)
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm - slot filled (Joanie MacPhee)
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Saturday, Feb. 6
9:00 am - 11:00 am
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
3:00 pm – Cleanup
Volunteers Sought for Turkey Flock Monitoring
If you see a flock of wild turkeys in New Hampshire this winter, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department would like to hear about it. For the second consecutive year, citizens are being asked to report sightings of turkey flocks seen from now through March 31, 2010, by filling out a simple electronic survey form posted on the Fish and Game website at www.wildnh.com/turkeysurvey. You can also reach the survey by going to www.wildnh.com and clicking on “2010 Winter Flock Survey.” Please do not report multiple sightings of the same flock. To read more about the project, click here.
WORKSHOPS
NH Farm & Forest Expo
Friday, February 5, 2010 (9 a.m,-7 p.m.) – Sat. Feb. 6, 2010 (9 a.m.- 4 p.m.)
Center of NH - Radisson Hotel Manchester, 700 Elm Street, Manchester NH
This is a great event for the whole family, perfectly timed in the dead of winter! There are lots of booths, vendors, and organizations represented who will get you thinking about your plans for working in the woods come spring. There are lots of booths, activities, educational events, and workshops related to both farming and forestry. Admission to the Expo is $7.00, and the meetings and workshops are free (located in rooms off the Expo floor). For 2010, the expo encourages you to bring 2 non-perishable food items and receive $1 off the admission price. All donated food benefits the NH Food Bank. For a complete schedule of events and workshops, visit their web site at: NH Farm & Forest Expo.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Job Announcement, Northwood Area Land Management Collaborative
The Northwood Area Land Management Collaborative has a job posting for a part-time Outreach Assistant based in Northwood, NH. For more information about the position and the skills required, go to their website at: www.nalmc.net
BCAP -- Farm Service Agency’s Biomass Crop Assistance Program Presents Both Opportunity and Challenge.
An overview by Sarah Smith, UNH Cooperative Extension
BCAP was authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill to assist agriculture and forest land owners and operators with matching payments for the collection, harvest, storage and transportation of eligible biomass material. The program, administered by the USDA, Farm Service Agency (FSA), allows biomass owners, to request payment from the FSA for each dry ton delivered to a qualified biomass conversion facility. Most NH wood-to-energy plants, as well as New England Wood Pellet, have signed up and become qualified facilities. If you have an agreement with one of these facilities check with the procurement staff to determine how you should proceed.
The matching payment rate is $1 for each $1 dollar received from a biomass conversion facility up to $45 per dry ton. The matching payment comes from the USDA, FSA not the receiving facility. Remember the payment is based on a dry ton. Biomass moisture content varies somewhat but usually falls within the 40-50% moisture content range. The receiving facility will be responsible for determining moisture content using an approved (by the FSA) method.
The BCAP program can be a huge boost to New Hampshire’s biomass producers and landowners. Although the program has many confusing details that may not seem to make sense, everyone that produces biomass should look into BCAP and decide whether the program will work for them.
For more information go to the USDA, Farm Service Agency web site: Google: NH, FSA click on “Programs”, or call your local FSA office.
Cheshire/Sullivan 603-756-2970
Coos/Carroll 603-788-4602
Grafton 603-747-3751
Merrimack/Belknap/Hillsborough 603-223-6003
Rockingham/Strafford 603-679-4656
If you have additional questions about the BCAP, you can contact Sarah Smith, Forest Industry Specialist at UNH Cooperative Extension: sarah.smith@unh.edu or phone: 603-862-2647.
