September 2011 Archives

For those of you familiar with the Hanover Conservation Council, here's a news bulletin that may interest you:

You've known us as the Hanover Conservation Council - now, please welcome the Hanover Conservancy. 2011 marks our 50th year! Since 1961, we have spoken up for common sense conservation, responsible land management, and the timeless pleasure of getting outdoors close to home.

Now, we are preparing for the future with a fresh look and a new name. In 1961, "council” was a familiar term, and the Hanover Conservation Commission did not yet exist. More recently, it has proven difficult to allay confusion between the two, one private and one public. Was this a mere nuisance, or could it affect our success?

A broad public survey in February confirmed what we’d suspected: the majority of our respondents thought the names were confusing and many thought that the Council and the Commission were the same. Worse was the mistaken belief that we received taxpayer funding and the widespread confusion about the roles of the publicly-appointed Commission and the private, nonprofit Council.

Presented with such strong evidence, and after consulting our founders, our Board and members voted unanimously to endorse our new name. Our 1963 logo, which so gracefully depicts our role in nurturing nature, will continue to represent us in the future while honoring our past.

Thank you for your support and active engagement. We hope you will remain involved as we forge ahead into our next half century of conservation in Hanover.

Nancy Collier

President

NH Audubon has great resources & events related to fall raptor migration, going on NOW. 

Raptor Observatories, 2011

During the fall migration season, NH Audubon welcomes visitors to raptor observatories at Carter Hill Orchard in Concord and Pack Monadnock at Miller State Park in Peterborough. As thousands of raptors pass overhead, NH Audubon staff tally birds as part of an international effort to monitor raptor population trends in the Americas. Thousands of visitors – including hundreds of students from across the region – come to the observatories to learn about raptor identification, and to experience the spectacle of raptor migration.

Learn more at NH Audubon's website:  http://www.nhaudubon.org/locations/raptor-observatories

Managing Your Land for Wildlife:  An Historical Overview and Strategies for Today
Saturday, October 15, 2011, 9 AM – 12:30 PM
Workshop at Muster Field Farm and other properties in Sutton, NH – indoors and outdoors. View or Print Workshop Flyer

Join us for a workshop that introduces opportunities for landowners to provide important wildlife habitat components on their land. We’ll begin with an indoor session introducing New Hampshire land use history and its impact on
wildlife habitats and populations, then go outside to explore a wide variety of land types: forests and farm fields, wetlands and stream corridors, log landings and old fields. We’ll discuss how to recognize important habitats and opportunities for habitat improvement on your property. Information about landowner assistance programs for wildlife habitat improvement will also be provided. Difficulty: easy to moderate – we will carpool from site to site with about ½ mile hike up a class 6 road and on a logging road to our last stop. Light refreshments will be provided.

Our workshop leaders are Matt Tarr, UNH Cooperative Extension Wildlife Educator with Tim Fleury, Merrimack County Forestry Educator.  Sponsored by Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, the Sutton Conservation Commission, and UNH Cooperative Extension

This workshop is free, but requires pre-registration by October 12, 2011.
To pre-register, provide your name and the names of all attendees in your party and contact information to Nancy Smith at Ausbon Sargent: aslptnancy@tds.net or 526-6555

Volunteers new to the Speaking for Wildlife Program are lining up to lead nature walks all over New Hampshire this fall. Most are open to the public!  Here are a few upcoming ones:

• This weekend, Carol Doering will lead a walk at the Lee Little River Festival on Saturday, and on Sunday Ann Melvin will lead a walk at beautiful Stonehouse Pond in Barrington.  
• On October 9, Judi Lindsey will host a public walk in collaboration with the Candia Conservation Commission at the Candia Town Forest
• October 15, David White will lead intrepid hikers at a new conservation area in Sandwich. Says David, "The walk could be considered moderately strenuous, as there are no trails, so it is one long bushwhack."   Sounds like an adventure!

For times and locations, check out these and more on the Speaking For Wildlife Calendar 

Since a training session in July, some volunteers have already led walks.  Nice work, folks! These include:

• Jean Eno on August 6 in Greenland
• Ben Haubrich on Aug 12 in Lyndeborough
• John Wallace on Aug 21 in Barrington
  

Project Learning Tree Seeks New Facilitators - Training on Nov. 5

NH Project Learning Tree (NHPLT) is looking for educators who are interested in becoming engaging (and paid!) facilitators of the PLT Program Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood.  This program has had a great response in NH and the demand is requiring us to get some help spreading the program around the state…which is awesome!  For more information about this program go tohttp://www.nhplt.org/curriculum/plt_for_early_childhood_educators/

Learn more about the Nov. 5th training, and registration information at:

http://www.nhplt.org/index.php/calendar/event/29/

In the spirit of Aldo Leopold:

Northwood Area Land Management Collaborative (NALMC) and the Friends of Northwood Meadows State Park

invite you to a

Leopold Bench Building Workshop:  Saturday October 1st (9am - 2pm)
at the NALMC kiosk at Harmony Hill Farm in Northwood

The essence of Leopold’s Land Ethic is connecting people to people, and connecting people to the land. The sturdy, comfortable benches we will build embrace these values, as we work together for the benefit of the community. The hemlock trees we will use were donated and cut from the NALMC neighborhood. Benches will be placed at the Northwood Town Hall, the Chesley Memorial Library and Northwood Meadows State Park, for all to use. 9 am – Sawmill demonstration: Jesse Matris will show how a pile of freshly cut trees can be turned into lumber.

10 am - Steve Winchester, local woodworker, will then demonstrate construction of the benches from raw lumber.

11 – 2 pm - Workshop attendees will have the opportunity to work together to construct several benches.

By the afternoon, the yard will be full of benches ready for placement in their new homes next spring.  All are welcome to join us for this fun and informational community-based workshop on Saturday, October 1st from 9 am to 2 pm.  Harmony Hill Farm is located at the top of Harmony Road.

Please bring work gloves, a hammer, a picnic lunch, water, and a lawn chair if you think you might want a place to sit before the benches are ready. For more information, please call Kim Paradis at 664-7744.