2011 New Hampshire Children in Nature Conference - REGISTER TODAY
Where the Children Play: Discovering, Creating and Using Outdoor Spaces

October 5, 2011 at the Cody Outdoor and Conference Center on Ossipee Lake

Mark your calendars and join us to explore the many ways we can reconnect children, youth and families with nature, whether by discovering ways to use our backyards, city parks and other existing outdoor spaces; creating new outdoor spaces in schoolyards and neighborhoods; or conserving community land and providing access to community spaces. We invite teachers, city planners, environmental educators, artists, community members, park and recreation professionals, business owners, health practitioners, and others with experience, expertise and ideas to attend.

Keynote Speaker:  Dr. Stephen Kellert will open the conference speaking on “The Human Need for Nature, Childhood Development and the Built Environment.” 

For more information, including registration and directions, go to:

http://www.nhchildreninnature.org/events

Workshop Series Brochure & Registration Information Here

Come to one, come to all! UNH Cooperative Extension, the Monadnock Conservancy, and the Harris Center for Conservation Education are co-sponsoring an exciting series of five workshops this fall: 

Sept. 10:  Maynard Forest Post‐Timber Harvest Tour, Gilsum NH

Sept. 11: Introduction to GPS, Westmoreland NH

Oct. 16:  Birdsin the Bushes: Relating Wildlife and Vegetation, Walpole NH

Nov. 6:  Wildlife Action Plan Implementation Workshop, Gilsum NH

Nov. 17:  Conservation Strategies, Harris Center, Hancock NH

Download Workshop Brochure

New! State of NH Birds: A Conservation Guide

New Hampshire Audubon is pleased to announce the publication of "The State of New Hampshire’s Birds – A Conservation Guide." This document is a follow up to the technical report, “The State of New Hampshire’s Birds,” released in the spring of 2010 by New Hampshire Audubon and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

The new guide takes the information from the original report and presents it in a non-technical form that is colorful and easy to understand. It includes photos of birds and their habitat, information on how our state’s birds are doing, threats to their populations, and conservation strategies for each group of birds. You’ll also find a new section with a wide variety of actions that individuals, businesses, and communities can undertake to help our birds.

View and Download the New Guide here

Visit NHAudubon.org to learn more!

Please come to a Field Day Gathering at Mary and Jim Grenier’s Conservation Easement Property at 209 Benway Hill Road Lempster, New Hampshire

The gathering will be on Saturday, September 24, 10:00 am-12:00 pm; rain date will be on Sunday, September 25 at the same time.

Join us as we stroll along the edges of field/tree line managed acres.

• The Grenier farm sets on 195 acres of hilltop conservation easement land.
• Jim Grenier will address sustainable conservation practices on farmland.
• Jim will also speak on how farming practices can support wildlife; including fruit/ nut trees, hay cutting and the importance of margins between forest and field land.
• Other topics will be methods of controlling water pollution from hayfields and farm animals.

Light refreshments will be available at the end of the gathering.

Please Contact:Tami Geuser by phone at 863-6543 or Jim Grenier at jgrenier@myfairpoint.net

Organized by Lempster Conservation Commission

Presented by the New Hampshire Association of Natural Resource Scientists (NHANRS)

Small Mammals Workshop 
At Sheiling Forest, Peterborough, NH
Friday, September 16, 2011 8:30 am - 3:30 pm              

Aside from knowing about those pesky “house mice” and “rats” that infiltrate our living space, perhaps you have wondered what is going on out in our woods and wetlands in terms of small mammals? How many species do we have and what is their typical range and density? What activities do they undertake that affect our ecosystem and what role do they play both as prey species and as consumers of plant and other organic materials? Are there any ‘Obligate’ wetland small mammals? This workshop will take advantage of a long-term research site where small mammals have been trapped and studied for nearly a decade. Come prepared to brush whiskers, sniff scat, and empty live traps in the field.

Speaker: Dr. Rick Van de Poll is the principal of Ecosystem Management Consultants (EMC) of Sandwich, New Hampshire.  He has taught various wetland courses at Antioch New England Graduate School, including Wetlands Flora and Natural Resource Inventory where he was a full-time faculty member for 15 years. He has studied & trapped several thousand small mammals since 1985 as a part of his NRI work.

Cost: NHANRS Member, $45; Affiliates, $60, non-members $70.

Bring you own lunch, and dress for the field.

For registration and program information, contact Margaret Rider, NHANRS Administrative Assistant at 603-224-0401 ornhanrsadmassist@aol.com

Saturday, Sept. 10, starting at 9 a.m.

Please join the Strafford County Commissioners in a morning of activities featuring dedication of the Don Black Trail and other events. Don was the the Strafford County Forester for UNH Cooperative Extension for 37 years, who passed away this year.

At 9:00 am the 14th Annual Don Black and Ron Chagnon Canoe Sweep will depart from the Cocheco River canoe launch. This will be a guided canoe and kayak paddle to explore the two-mile river front of the County lands. Bring your own canoe or kayak and a personal flotation device. A few canoes are available by reservation, but you must call 516-8113 to reserve a place. Bring water, sunscreen and bug spray.

At 10:00 am, meet at the trailhead (see below) for a guided trail walk on the easy one-mile loop through forest and fields. Bring binoculars, cameras and curiosity.

At 11:30 am, Strafford County Commissioners will dedicate the Don Black Trail to commemorate his stewardship of County lands and service to the people and communities of Strafford County. The ceremony will be followed by lunch from the grill. The ceremony will be held come rain or shine. Directional signs will be posted and parking assistance will be available from the intersection of County Farm Road and County Farm Cross Road in Dover. GPS (the Extension office) 268 County Farm Road, Dover, NH 03820.

Please call (603) 516-8113 or (603) 312-2065 with questions and to sign up for the canoe trip. You are welcome to extend this invitation to others who knew Don or who would like to participate in the  activities of the day.

View Invitation Here

UNH Cooperative Extension's Forestry & Wildlife Program has a bunch of new workshops lined up for the fall.  View them all at our Workshops Page, or use the links below to connect directly to brochures for each workshop. 

Cheshire County Outdoors and Open Barn Day: August 27 - Westmoreland 

Agriculture and Natural Resource Business Institute Beginning on September 7 - Keene 

Wetland Identification and Delineation: 
September 27 - Lancaster OR September 29 - Unity
Register Online for Lancaster
Register Online for Unity

Deer Management and Forestry: September 28 - North Haverhill 
Register Online! 

Invasive Plants: Ecology, Impacts on Wildlife, Control Strategies: October 3 - Unity 
Register Online!

"Pulling the Trigger" - Even Aged Silviculture, A Two-Day Workshop October 14 - Hillsborough and October 15 - Rindge 
Register Online! 

Both entertainment and education will abound on the 2nd annual Water Quality Cruise sponsored by Moose Mountains Regional Greenways. The 2-hour cruise aboard the Winnipesaukee Belle Charter Boat will leave at 2 pm from the Wolfeboro Town docks on Sunday, August 28. Two water quality experts, Robert Craycraft and Linda Schier, will be on board to discuss critical water quality issues in New Hampshire lakes and to demonstrate water clarity testing techniques out on the lake. During the boat ride out and back, the traditional 4-piece band Celtic Odyssey will enliven the air with Irish jigs and reels.

The Winnipesauke Belle offers complimentary ohrs d’oeuvres and a cash bar. The cost for the cruise is $25/person in advance or $30/person at the gate. To pre-register, please send your check to MMRG, Box 191, Union, NH 03887 Attn: Cruise. For more information, call the Education Coordinator of Moose Mountains Regional Greenways at603-978-7125 or email info@mmrg.info. Please leave pets at home.

Moose Mountains Regional Greenways is a non-profit conservation organization that works to protect the land and resources of northern Strafford and southern Carroll counties.

What’s that Dragonfly?
August

Is that a Mottled darner or a Spatterdock darner? Who knows the difference? Strafford’s Scott Young does and will lead us on this walk. Scott reports his findings to the New Hampshire Dragonfly and Damsel fly Survey and has identified many of the approximately 160 species in New Hampshire. He’s also posted online more than 250 photos he has taken of these colorful insects. You can Google “Scott Young dragonflies” to find his site if you want to bone up before the walk (http://www.flickr.com/groups/nhdragonfly/pool/63717139@N00/). Scott chose the Strafford School District easement for this event because it offers several different kinds of wetland environment that attract different species of both dragonflies and damselflies. Bring your camera, and you may want a notebook to record those interesting names.

Here is a link to a map of the property and meeting place.  You should be able to "right-click" on the image of the hikers and get directions.  We hope to see you there!

- Daniel Kern

Executive Director, Bear-Paw Regional Greenway, 603-463-9400

This is a question that Jean Eno (CC2010) received when she gave a Speaking for Wildlife presentation at the Great Bay Discovery Center in July of this year.  We asked bat expert Emily Brunkhurst of New Hampshire Fish and Game: 

"Yes, different species of bats do use the same hibernacula.  They may be in different parts of the hibernacula to take advantage of slightly colder or warmer temperatures, but also can be all mixed in together.   In many mines here [in New Hampshire] the northern long-eared bats tuck themselves into cracks and bolt holes in the ceiling, while little brown bats cling to the walls, sometimes singly and sometimes in small clusters.  The other three hibernating species may also be found in the same mine."

You can learn more about bats by listening to the presentation on our website:  Listen to NH Bats Online, or click on the image at right.

More about NH bats at NH Fish and Game's Bat pages online.

 

Are you a member of Facebook?  As of today, our new Forestry & Wildlife Program Facebook page has 99 followers - help us get to 100 today! 

Click here to view UNHCE Forestry & Wildlife Facebook Page

We post lots of timely (and sometimefunny) information on our page - you can view it even if you aren't a member of Facebook!   Go to:  www.facebook.com/nhwoods.org

Chapman’s Landing, NH Route 108, Stratham, NH

• Paddle times -  9am, 10am, 11am, Noon
• Adults and children welcome
• Kayaks, paddles and life jackets provided
• $5/person, $10/family

Kayak tours up the Squamscott River will be led by members of the Exeter-Squamscott River Local Advisory Committee and staff from Eastern Mountain Sports.

The number of kayaks is limited, so please arrive before the scheduled departure time.

Are you a hunter or landowner interested in deer, deer hunting, or habitat management to support deer?  The First NH Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association invites you to attend their:

Quality Deer Management Association
ANNUAL SPORTSMEN’S BANQUET
Friday, September 9, 2011

Doors Open at 5:30 pm—Dinner served at 6:30 pm
Old Mill Function Hall, Epsom, NH, Route 28, South of the Epsom Traffic Circle
Dinner is catered by Hart’s Turkey Farm includes Roast beef & Turkey and all the fixings. Cash Bar.

Click here to download an invitation to the event

"Join us for a fun evening hosted by Peter St. James, devoted sportsman, and radio
co-host of “The NH Wake Up Show” on 107.7 'The Pulse.' After dinner, we will
have a live auction conducted by George Foster, one of NH’s premier auctioneers. As always, we will have a silent auction and a sportsmen's raffle."

Our Changing Environment: An Evening Lecture Series from NH Audubon
All lectures are FREE and take place 7-9 PM at the McLane Audubon Center in Concord, NH. For more information, call: 603-224-9909

• Aug. 17 - Climate Change: How it might impact NH and are we Ready?
• Sept. 15 - Solar and Wind Power, Biomass, Geothermal and More: Is there a Best Choice?
• Oct. 13 - Managing the Unmanageable:  Forests, Water, People, Land Use and Climate Change.
• Oct. 19 - Climate Change:  How is it Affecting our Native Fauna?

Go to NHAudubon.org for ongoing updates and details

UNH Cooperative Extension has new GIS & GPS mapping workshops planned for  September & October in Concord, Durham, Hancock & Plymouth.  Topics include GIS Basics, ArcGIS & GPS.

Click here for workshop details

No idea what I'm talking about?   Learn more about how you can use online mapping tools (many of which are free!) to make and use digital maps.

Free Outdoor Adventure Talks – Hunting Talk Series Starts August 24 in Concord, N.H.

CONCORD, N.H. – Get primed for the fall hunting seasons at a series of evening talks by area hunting experts at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evenings from August 24-September 14, 2011, at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, in Concord, N.H.  Admission is free.  No pre-registration needed. Topics include:

• August 24, 2011:  Resident Canada Goose Tactics
• August 3, 2011:  Hunting Dominant Whitetail Bucks
• September 7, 2011: Bird Dogs and Training Explored
• September 14, 2011:  Calling Whitetails

For more information about each presentation, visit NH Fish & Game newsroom here

As a leader in the conservation community, we are hoping you will help spread the word about a backyard wildlife gardening demonstration area we are in the early stages of creating on the shores of Great Bay. A project overview can be found by clicking on the link in the “news items” on the right hand side of our homepage www.greatbay.org or by clicking directly on Great Bay Garden. It includes a brief project description (also below), volunteer position descriptions, a timeline for the project, and wish list. In particular at this point we are recruiting for two upcoming work parties;

• September 24 - PUBLIC WORK PARTY! Invasive plant pulling day. Help us celebrate National Estuaries Day by using specialized tools called "Weed Wrenches" to start removing some of the invasive woody shrubs on site and clear the way for fresh spring plantings.

• October 12 - PUBLIC WORK PARTY! Build a path infrastructure day. Help build a winding return path back to the parking lot at Chapman's Landing.

To sign up for either, or to become a “Wild Side Gardener” please contact Shannon O’Brien at 778-0015 or Shannon.obrien@wildlife.nh.gov. If you have any questions about the project please feel free to contact me. Thanks so much for helping us spread the word and for all you do to help protect our ecological heritage, Rachel

 Help us Get Growing on the Wild Side:  Developing a Community Garden for You and Wildlife

Help create and care for an educational community garden on the shores of Great Bay. We are in the early stages of developing a backyard wildlife gardening demonstration area. We plan to share ideas about how to enjoy a low maintenance beautiful backyard while providing shelter, food, and water for wildlife too. Other green tips such as using a rain barrel and creating "no mow lawns" will also be part of this new community backyard.

This fun and high profile project is located in Stratham next to Chapman's Landing boat launch on the Squamscott River. The property already hosts a wildlife viewing platform that overlooks salt marsh and an osprey nest that has raised young each year since1993 .We are literally growing from the ground up and would like to get our team of "Wild Side Gardeners" involved in this project at its earliest stages. There will be designs to be chosen, work days to take place, planting parties, watering needed, tours to be given, and so much more as we develop what we hope will soon become a treasured community resource.

Get involved in this project gardening on the wild side... from the ground up!

Here’s a quick sketch of the plan so far…

Have you wanted to reach out to your community about wildlife or nature, but weren't sure how?  Speaking for Wildlife, a volunteer project for UNH Cooperative Extension volunteers such as Coverts Cooperators and Natural Resource Stewards offers everything you'll need to plan and deliver a great nature-themed program, either indoors or outside!

Find out about NEW trainings offered this fall at a location near you:

• Sept. 9, 1-4pm - Hancock
• Sept. 28, 1-4pm - Bethlehem
• Sept. 30, 1-4pm - Wakefield
• Oct. 7, 1-4pm - Brentwood

Before each workshop (12-1:00), there will be an optional computer training to learn how to use the laptop, LCD projector, and MS Powerpoint software.

• It seems that during every talk someone in the audience has an ah-ha! moment that makes me realize that I'm making a difference--like the woman who, when we were talking about woodcock and tried to imitate their call, suddenly realized that she hadn't been hearing frogs at night--she had woodcock on her property
• Great presentation (materials) - it was very well organized.  The audience was very interested in white nose syndrome and its effects on bats.
• Folks really seemed captivated by the concept of natural communities and the photography
• These are fun presentations and the opportunity to discuss habitat needs is well worth the time invested

Click here for complete training information ,including workshop times and directions and registration information

If you are ready to register, download the brochure here

Linda Lauer of Bath, NH (CC2009) is one of the featured volunteer voices in a recent news release by UNH Cooperative Extension.  In it, Linda describes what she's done as a Speaking for Wildlife presenter to communities around the state:

"For the past 18 month, my partner and I have been volunteer speakers for the Speaking for Wildlife program, in which Coverts volunteers provide free nature walks or talks on various aspects of wildlife habitat management to community groups."  Read more

Green Mountain Conservation Group, based in Effingham, NH, seeks a full-time program director. 

"Having just completed 10 years of water quality monitoring in the Ossipee Watershed, GMCG seeks a candidate with a strong science background, strong presentation skills and ability to work well with a wide cross section of stakeholders. Ideal candidate will be able to comprehend the science, work with Research Committee on findings, explain data to non-science educated public and advocate for natural resource conservation."

Deadline is September 2, 2011.

Read full job description here

Learn more about GMGC here