December 2010 Archives
wrote:
2010-12-21
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Discover Wild NH Day & Farm and Forest Volunteers Needed!
Coverts Volunteers are needed to staff the booth at these two upcoming family-oriented events. If you can share your enthusiasm for wildlife with kids and adults (no experience necessary!), please sign up for a 2-hour slot in either or both events. Thank you so much!NH Farm & Forest Expo, Feb. 4 and 5, 2011, Manchester
Friday, Feb. 4: 9-11a.m., 11-1p.m. 1-3p.m. 3-5p.m., 5-7p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 5: 9-11a.m, 11-1 p.m., 1-3p.m., 3-4:30 (includes cleanup)
To sign up, contact: Kristina Ferrare: kristina.ferrare@unh.edu or 603-862-3883
and
Discover Wild New Hampshire Day, Sat. April 30, Concord – SLOTS include:
9:00 setup – 12:00, 12:00 – 3:00p.m.
To sign up, contact: Malin Clyde, malin.clyde@unh.edu, or 603-862-2166
WORKSHOPS
Resources for Forest Landowners
Feb 2, 2011, 6:30 p.m., Laconia
People, programs, publications, the internet....there are many resources and a tremendous amount of information available for forest landowners. This 1-hour program will introduce participants to the basics about setting landowner objectives, making management decisions, finding educational and technical resources, and which financial resources can aid in land stewardship.Northwood Meadows Snowshoe Fieldtrip
Date & Time: Saturday 01/15/2011 - 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM)
Please join Ellen Snyder, a Bear-Paw Board member and wildlife biologist, and the Friends of Northwood Meadows for a free walk/snowshoe at Northwood Meadows State Park in Northwood. We will explore a section of the park and nearby conservation lands looking for animal tracks and other signs of life amid the snow. The area is part of a 3,800-acre unfragmented forest that includes the headwaters of the Lamprey River and Saddleback Mountain. Location: Northwood Meadows State Park - Rt. 4, Northwood NH 03261 View Map Sponsored by Bear-Paw Regional Greenways. For more information or to register: Call 603-463-9400 or email. To register on-line, click here.
GIS & GPS Computer Training Courses
Click here for the workshop schedule, beginning in Jan. 2011: http://extension.unh.edu/GISGPS/GISTrain.htm
RESOURCES & PUBLICATIONS
They Sawed Up a Storm
by Sarah Smith, UNH Cooperative Extension Forest Industry Specialist
In 1942, a group of New Hampshire women operated a sawmill on the shores of Turkey Pond, Concord. The sawmill, one of two on the pond, was built by the U.S. Forest Service to saw up what remained of the logs stored in the water from the 1938 hurricane. The Sawed Up a Storm is a book about this group of women, the 1938 hurricane, timber salvage efforts and the determination of the people of New England. The book begins with an account of the hurricane of 1938 and the path of destruction it left from Long Island to northern New England. Over 600 lives were lost, cities were flooded and property damage was extensive. The book brings the women of Turkey Pond to life with interviews, family stories and historic photographs. They Sawed Up a Storm is by Sarah Shea Smith, Forest Industry Specialist for UNH Cooperative Extension's Forestry and Wildlife Program. The book is available for $20 using this order form.Federal Financial Assistance Available to New Hampshire Farmers and Forest Landowners Through the 2008 Farm Bill with a link to the NRCS press release here: http://extension.unh.edu/FWT/docs/2011farmbillcutoffdatesPress_Release_1-28-11_cutoff.pdf
Wildlife Grants Available for Schools & Teachers
Teachers and community members interested in involving youth to make a difference for wildlife through habitat projects on schoolyards, public areas or community lands can apply to the Homes for Wildlife Action Grant Program for start-up funds. This New Hampshire Fish and Game Department program provides mini-grants of $300-$600. Habitat projects create spaces for outdoor learning, and can range from a butterfly garden to shrubs for birds to a pond for amphibians your imagination is the limit. Grant deadline is Feb. 1, 2011. For more information, go to: http://www.wildnh.com/Education/ed_project_HOME.htm
Report Your Wildlife Sightings!
New Hampshire Fish and Game wants your reports about rare and come more commen wildlife! From NH Fish & Game: “We created the Wildlife Sightings website in order to gather more information on the distribution of wildlife species across NH, a goal of the Wildlife Action Plan. Collecting observations from landowners, recreationists, birders, hunters and fishermen, foresters, and general wildlife enthusiasts brings in potentially useful information that supplements and even provides locations for more systematic surveys. Your careful observations are valuable to us!” To learn more check out this fact sheet or get started online at the Wildlife Sightings Database!
COVERTS NEWS
Ann Davis (CC2005) recently was named president of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association (NHTOA), a trade association that represents landowners, foresters, truckers, loggers, mill owners and others interested in or linked to the forest products industry in New Hampshire. The NHTOA will mark its first 100 years in 2011. “We have many fun and informative activities planned to celebrate the NHTOA’s Centennial,” Ann says. Among those events is the Annual Meeting, which will run from May 20 to 22, 2011, at the Mountain View Grand in Whitefield, New Hampshire. NHTOA will also publish a book containing profiles of several families who have been active in the forest products industry for several generations. “Rather than recounting the NHTOA’s history decade by decade, the Centennial Committee decided that featuring 12 families and how and why they made their living from the land would be a more interesting and compelling story,” Ann said. Ann and her husband, Marc, own a 470-acre certified Tree Farm in Springfield, New Hampshire, where they practice sustainable forestry and include managing for wildlife habitat in the management plan for the land. It is under a conservation easement with the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust.
New County Forester in Coos County!
As of December 6th, we will have a new Forest Resources Extension Educator in Coos County: Brendan Prusik. A little about Brendan...Brendan comes to us from Colebrook, NH with over 20 years of experience in the forestry world. He received his Associate's degree in Forest Technology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Wanakena, NY, followed by a Bachelor's degree in Forest Biology and Resource Management from SUNY in Syracuse. While the bulk of his forestry career was spent as a senior forester with Champion International in northern NH, he also brings experience as a public sector forester for the USDA Forest Service/State of NY, as a branch manager for a forestry consulting firm in Pennsylvania, and as the director of product development for a commercial wood flooring business in New York. Most recently Brendan has been a teacher and program facilitator in northern New Hampshire, finding ways to incorporate the Project Learning Tree curriculum into his work. Please join me in welcoming Brendan to our Extension team and let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell’s Tell Story of Woodcock Habitat
I loved seeing an article by Nanci & Charlie Mitchell (CC02, 09) in a recent issue of Project WEB’s newsletter. The newsletter goes out to teachers and community members involved in Project Learning Tree, Project WILD and Project WET – so it’s a great place for outreach! Nanci and Charlie wrote about their efforts to create new woodcock singing grounds on their property in Gilmanton. Nice work!
