November 2011 Archives
Save Dec. 7th at 7 p.m. for a conservation roundtable on good forestry practices. Karen Bennett of UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry and Wildlife Program will lead the discussion. We will be talking about water quality, wetlands, riparian areas, stream crossing and more. It will be Blaisdell Memorial Library, Nottingham (map).For as long as I have known Paula Gilman (Coverts 2003, below left)), she has expressed a strong interest in conserving the 50 acres of family land that she owns known as “Fernwood Farm.” As a descendant of the Gilmans that first settled Gilmanton, Paula felt it would be appropriate for the Town of Gilmanton acting through its Conservation Commission to hold a conservation easement on her land. As a member of the Conservation Commission I began working with Paula on this project several years ago. As they say, the devil is in the details and nothing is as simple as one thinks that it will be. Thanks to Paula’s generosity, patience and perseverance, her dream finally came true in October, 2011.
The property has important agricultural and forestry soils and 
diverse wildlife habitat values. It was once all farmland as evidenced by the many stone walls and Paula has devoted considerable effort to restoring a portion of these fields by either mowing or using them for agricultural products, primarily flowers and blueberries. The property also contains the headwaters for both the Upper and Lower Suncook River Watersheds and consequently, this easement provides protection of the surface waters for these watersheds.
There are at least two vernal pools, an abandoned beaver pond to which beavers have recently returned, an excavated farm pond, deer wintering habitat and approximately 6 acres of maintained grasslands, an increasingly uncommon habitat in New Hampshire. Deer are common, while bear, fisher, gray and red fox have also been observed. Hawks benefit from the open fields and great blue heron utilize the ponds.
Fernwood Farm is certified organic and the conservation easement provides that any future commercial agriculture shall continue to be organic. Thank you Paula!
- From Nanci Mitchell (2002, above at right)
Dave and Tanya Tellman (CC95, 96) put Coverts Project Coordinator Malin Clyde to work in their yard in exchange for a place to stay last week...
Ha ha, just kidding...this is the Tellman's newest toy, though!
I've been enjoying meeting with Coverts volunteers serving on Conservation Commissions in the Route 2 corridor in southern Coos County, as part of my work with Taking Action for Wildlife. Saw Larry Ely of Shelburne, John Scarinza and Edith Tucker of Randolph, and Dave Govatski and Bob Ball of Jefferson. They're all involved in great wildlife-related projects in their communities, with more planned!
After a recent meeting in Jefferson, Dave Govatski emailed me this wonderful photo of a spruce grouse, after I mentioned I hadn't seen one before (Dave says: "male spruce grouse I saw on Monday morning near Ferdinand, VT in the Northeast Kingdom".)
- Malin Clyde, Coverts Project Coordinator
The 2011 Coastal New Hampshire Climate Summit: Collaborating for Solutions
Friday, Dec. 2, 8:30 - 3:30, Hugh Gregg Center, Greenland 
An annual collaborative forum among scientists, natural resource agencies, municipal leaders, watershed organizations, and citizens concerned about the impacts of climate change in coastal New Hampshire.
This event, sponsored by the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GBNERR), the NERRS Science Collaborative, and the Great Bay Stewards, is on Friday, December 2nd, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm at the Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center and the Great Bay Discovery Center, 89 Depot Road, Greenland, NH 03820. There is a registration fee of $15 (includes lunch).
To view the agenda for the Climate Summit, please use this link.
To register for the 2011 Climate Summit 
, please email Steve Miller with the following information: first and last names, organization, title, address, phone number, and email address. Following that email, please mail a check for $15 made payable to the Great Bay Stewards to Attn: Climate Summit, 89 Depot Road, Greenland, NH 03840.
If you have any questions regarding this forum, please call or email Steve Miller at (603) 778-0015.
7:00 PM Thursday, December 15, 2011, Littleton ,NH
Program by Jay Aube,
Shoreland Program Outreach Coordinator for NHDES
Sponsored by the Connecticut River Joint Commissions Riverbend Subcommittee, Ammonoosuc River Local Advisory Committee, and North Country Council. Relevant information for North Country:
- Municipal Staff Involved in Development Review and Permits
- Conservation Commissions
- Planning Boards
- Selectboards
- Zoning Boards
- Shoreland Residents
Location: Littleton Senior Center, 77 Riverglen Lane, Littleton, NH
Directions: From Main Street in Littleton, take 302/18/116 southeast over the river, turn
right onto Riverglen. Senior Center is at the end past Riverglen House.
Interested in amphibians and reptiles? Save the Date!
Northeast Partners in Reptile and Amphibian Conservation - Annual Meeting
July 24-26, 2012
Highland Center,
Crawford Notch, New Hampshire 
For more information and updates, go to:
http://www.northeastparc.org/meetings/index.htm
A series of introductory Geographic Information Systems (GIS) workshops are scheduled in early December in Merrimack, NH. If you are curious about new, often free technologies for maps and mapping, check out the Dec. 1st workshops!
Dec. 1 - GIS 101: Learning to Map in the Digital Age AND
Dec. 1 - Getting to Know ArcGIS Online
Dec. 6-8 Introduction to ArcGIS 10
Save the Date! Feb. 3-4, Farm & Forest Expo, Manchester
This is a great event for forestland and farmland owners and others interested in the outdoors. Extension will host several workshops, and there will be lots of exhibits. How can you be involved?
- Volunteer to help staff the Extension Forestry & Wildlife Booth (volunteers needed both days)
- Attend the Coverts Project Advisory Committee meeting on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 9:30 a.m. (open to all Coverts volunteers).
Birds are stranger, more wondrous, and more like us than we imagine.
Enjoy nature author Sy Montgomery's slideshow presentation on the amazing physical and mental characteristics of birds as described in her New York 
Times bestseller, Birdology.
THURSDAY, Nov. 17 at 7 pm
Admission Free
at NH Audubon's McLane Center, 84 Silk Farm Rd., Concord
Books will be available for purchase and signing. A signed book makes a great gift!!
** Cassowaries are large (6 ft. tall, 150 lbs) flightless birds native to tropical forests of New Guinea. While very shy creatures, they can be aggressive when disturbed. Sy devotes a chapter in her book to these strange yet fascinating birds.
Screening of GREEN FIRE
DATE: Wednesday November 16, 2011
TIME: 7 PM
LOCATION: Rocks Estate
ADDRESS: Christmas Tree Lane in Bethlehem, NH
TICKETS: Free
Join us at the Rocks Estate in Bethlehem, NH for a screening of Green Fire!
See the first full-length, high-definition documentary film ever made about legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold and his environmental legacy! Green Fire shares highlights from his extraordinary career, explaining how he shaped conservation and the modern environmental movement. It also illustrates how Leopold's vision of a community that cares about both people and land continues to inform and inspire people across the country and around the world, highlighting modern projects that put Leopold’s land ethic in action in a multitude of ways. The Ammonoosuc Chapter of NH Audubon and the Rocks Estate is hosting a screening of Green Fire for the community.
About the film: www.GreenFireMovie.com
For more information contact: David Govatski at David.Govatski@gmail.com
Good Forestry in the Granite State and Shoreland Protection
December 7, 2011 • 7pm - 9, Blaisdell Memorial Library, Nottingham
Join Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, the Nottingham Conservation Commission, and the UNH Cooperative Extension for an interactive presentation and discussion of Good Forestry in the Granite State, a newly revised guide on voluntary forest management practices.
Karen Bennett, UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry Specialist, will provide an overview of the new edition of Good Forestry and lead a roundtable discussion. Good Forestry covers many forestry-related topics. Our discussion this evening will focus on water quality, wetlands, riparian areas, and stream crossings, although questions on any topic included in Good Forestry will be welcome. Ellen Snyder, Bear-Paw Board Member and owner of Ibis Wildlife Consulting, will also provide an update on New Hampshire’s Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act, including 2011 legislative changes to the rules governing land use along shorelines.
Bear-Paw Regional Greenways is a non-profit land trust with a mission to permanently conserve a network of lands that protects the region’s water, wildlife habitat, forests, and farmland. For information about Bear-Paw events, how to become a member, land protection options for landowners or volunteering with the land trust, please contact Daniel Kern at Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, Post Office Box 19, Deerfield, NH 03037, 603 463-9400, or info@bear-paw.org. You can also visit their website at www.bear-paw.org.
Forest Laws for Municipal Officials
Dec. 6 - Chocorua
Dec. 8 - Newbury
A workshop for town staff and volunteers on forest laws that’s inside and in the field. Please come prepared to spend the afternoon outside. Selectmen, town clerks, tax collectors, assessors, code enforcement officers, conservation commissioners, road agents, forestry committee members, police officers, and other town employees and volunteers can play a vital role in the enforcement of forest laws. This will be a valuable workshop for new town officials and employees, as well as a refresher course for those that have been around for awhile.
Download Brochure for more information, directions, and registration
For new and alumni Coverts Cooperators who want to review the presentations offered by presenters at the 2011 NH Coverts Project workshop, they are now posted online as .pdf documents.
