December 2011 Archives

I'm sitting here at the Coverts Project office trying to finish up my reporting for the end of the year.  Instead of finishing, I'd rather share with you some of the reasons I'm thankful this year.  I'm thankful for:

• Coverts Cooperators who gave over 34,000 hours of their time this year (Whoa.)
• Stable, generous financial support for the Coverts Project from NH Fish and Game
• Snow at Halloween (am I alone in this one?)
• Overcoming my fear of Facebook (thanks to my colleague Emma C!)
• George Tomborello (CC09) offering to host a Coverts Project pig roast next August (save the date of either August 19th or 24th, 2012)
• Hiking Moat Mountain in November with family and friends
• Coverts volunteers who have so far contributed over $1200 to the Habitat Stewardship Brochures Fundraiser (our goal is $6500...perfect for end-of-year donations!)
• My town voting to maintain 100% of our Current Use Change Tax fund going to the Conservation Fund
• Colleagues who bake things and bring them to work for the rest of us
• My other colleagues who don't bake things but are really smart and nice and funny and wise and helpful and great at what they do
• iPhone cameras that make photos fuzzy so you can't see facial wrinkles (see example at right)
• Over 50% response from volunteers to the 2011 Coverts Project Survey - thank you for helping us tell the amazing story of Coverts Cooperators
• Have a great holiday season!  - Malin Clyde, Coordinator, NH Coverts Project

Request a Presentation from "Speaking for Wildlife!"

Trained volunteers from the NH Coverts Project and the Natural Resource Stewards Program are available to deliver wildlife presentations and lead walks, with support from UNH Cooperative Extension staff. Programs are free and available to community groups throughout New Hampshire. Click on image at right to download a brochure about the program!

Scheduling a Presentation in Your Community
Community groups, town boards, teachers, and other community groups can inquire about scheduling a Speaking for Wildlife presentation or field walk. Contact the UNH Cooperative Extension Forest Resources staff in your area by going to:  www.speakingforwildlife.org

At the website, you can also review all available presentations to choose the one that works best for your community group. 

Upcoming Audubon Events & Programs

Keeping Our Birds Fed in the Winter
Thursday, Jan. 12, 7–9pm, McLane Center, Concord
Discover the joy of feeding birds and other wildlife – or enhance your understanding. Whether you live in a small apartment or a rural estate, you can feed the birds. Join Hope Hutchinson of Bow Blue Seal Feeds & Needs for a talk about the different feeds - Black Oil, Song Maker Supreme, Concerto, Nature’s Choice - what do these names mean? Learn about the types and placement of feeders, and how to feed birds and other wildlife. Raffle tickets for a 50 lb. bag of sunflower chips available that evening only! Refreshments, door prizes. Cost: Free

Massabesic Adult Programs: Nature Cafe Series – Next Talk Jan. 6
Cost: $5 per person, Free for Massabesic Volunteers

Come join us once per month at the beautiful Massabesic Audubon Center to enjoy coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and delicious desserts while you learn about our natural environment. Pre-registration required. Call 668-2045 to register.

January 6: Jon Woolf- Identifying Backyard Birds, 7-9 pm
Do you love watching the birds at your feeder on those cold winter days? Join us to learn about the common birds you are likely to see in the winter. Also learn how to attract the greatest variety of birds using food and type of feeder. Some basic information about binoculars will be offered as well as how to participate in the Backyard Winter Bird Survey in February.

February 3: Maria Colby- Wildlife Rehabilitator, Wings of Dawn, 7-9 pm
Wings of the Dawn, managed and run by Maria Colby, strives to provide the best wildlife rehabilitation services possible. With every rescue, their goal is to rehabilitate the animal back to full health and release it back into the wild. In the few cases that the animal cannot be released back into the wild, it is kept at the bird sanctuary at Wings of the Dawn, or transferred to another nearby wildlife sanctuary (our Raven was rescued and nursed back to health by Maria). She will discuss what a typical day is like, share some amazing stories, and provide info on what to do if you find injured wildlife.

Volunteers Asked to Report Wild Turkey Flock Sightings

CONCORD, N.H. -- 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 fourth consecutive year, citizens are being asked to report sightings of turkey flocks seen from January 1 through March 31, 2012, by filling out a simple electronic survey form posted on the Fish and Game website at http://www.wildnh.com/turkeysurvey. After January 1, you can also reach the survey by going to http://www.wildnh.com and clicking on “2012 Winter Turkey Flock Survey.” Please do not report multiple sightings of the same flock.

The Winter Flock Survey bolsters Fish and Game’s understanding of the abundance and distribution of turkeys during New Hampshire’s challenging winter months. The survey asks participants to report the number of turkeys in the flock; the location where they were seen; the type of habitat the birds were observed in; and what the turkeys were feeding on, such as acorns, beechnuts, seed at birdfeeders, or corn silage.

The survey is designed to fill gaps in Fish and Game’s existing winter flock data collection efforts. “For parts of the state, especially eastern and northern New Hampshire, we could benefit by additional sighting reports,” said Ted Walski, Turkey Project Leader at Fish and Game. “This reporting system will allow the public to contribute important information to our understanding of winter turkey status in an inexpensive, efficient and, hopefully, enjoyable way.”

This just in from new Coverts Cooperator Kristina Burgard (CC11) of Grantham, NH:

"I am happy to report that my Homemade Cookie & Candy Booth at Grantham's Holiday Craft Fair was very popular and one of the most successful I've ever had...all proceeds split between UNHCE to support the Habitat Stewardship Brochure Project and Norris Cotton Cancer Center...I got a number of questions about the brochures (I displayed a copy of the brochure summary and had a few brochures on hand) and habitat stewardship.  The positive response has me thinking about when might be another good time to have another sale just for UNHCE.  A good day all round!

So, thanks to the generosity of my neighbors and the appeal of sugar and chocolate, I will be sending a cashiers check for $320 to go towards the Brochures fund.  That represents 50% plus $5 because one person wanted the proceeds from her purchase to only go towards the brochures.  My feet are tired from 3 days in the kitchen and staffing the booth, but it is well worth the end results of raising money for causes that are important to me and increasing public awareness."

Can you believe this?  Thank you, Kristina, for this significant contribution to the Habitat Stewardship Brochure project!

Want to join Kristina in contributing to this special project?  Fundraising appeal for the Habitat Stewardship Brochure Series! (click on link)

[Pictured: What was left afterwards of Kristina's creations:  gingersnap, chocolate macaroon, and one special order gift basket]

A special wildlife habitat project needs your support
Click here for gift information

As a Coverts volunteer or conservation partner, you are doing great things to help spread the message that wildlife and habitats are important resources in New Hampshire.  I hope that you’ve found the Habitat Stewardship Brochures useful in your work with communities, conservation groups, neighbors and landowners (click here to view brochures). 

UNH Cooperative Extension is seeking your support for the Habitat Stewardship Brochure Series to publish a new edition of this highly-successful, 12-part series. 

The Habitat Stewardship Brochures are free to New Hampshire landowners and organizations, and have been very well-received.  They have served as models for similar publications in Maine and New York State, and are so popular in New Hampshire that our supplies are often low.  Although all UNH Cooperative Extension publications are available online, we’ve found there is still a demand for high-quality educational handouts, especially in our work with individual landowners, conservation groups, and with volunteers distributing them through our Speaking for Wildlife project. This project will allow us to print enough brochures to last for several years of free distribution (38,000+ brochures). 

For the new print edition, we have already received a $3,500 grant from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.  Our aim is to raise an additional $6,500 from NH Coverts Project volunteers, supporters and friends.   

Like many organizations, we are seeking creative ways to fund our most valued programs.  As the end of the year approaches, I hope you’ll consider making a tax-deductible contribution for the Habitat Stewardship Brochure project.  Instructions for making an online gift (or mailing a contribution) are outlined below. 

Thank you for all you do for New Hampshire’s wildlife and forests, and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. 

Sincerely,

Malin Clyde
UNH Cooperative Extension, Coordinator, NH Coverts Project

Contribute Online:   https://foundation.unh.edu/make-gift  Important!  To make sure your gift goes towards this project, check the “Other” Category at the bottom of the form.  Then type in the box:  “Extension Volunteers in Conservation.” 

Contribute by Check:  Send checks payable to UNH Foundation and write “Extension Volunteers in Conservation” in the memo field.  Mail to:  UNH Foundation, Elliot Alumni Center, 9 Edgewood Road, Durham, NH 03824

Reprinted from NH Fish and Game

CONCORD, N.H. – Fish and Game biologists have confirmed the presence of four Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) in northern New Hampshire. The fact that the lynx appeared to be kittens is evidence that the wild cats are breeding in N.H., an expansion of the population across the border in Maine.

In November and December 2011, four lynx were seen and photographed in two locations in Pittsburg, N.H., on two different dates. It is unknown whether the four individuals were the same on the two occasions, but it seems likely based on the close proximity of the sightings.

“The presence of lynx in New Hampshire demonstrates the effectiveness of the wildlife and habitat work that’s been done in this region over many years. It’s exciting!” said Fish and Game wildlife biologist Will Staats. “We expected the population to expand into the state eventually, and we’ve been seeing signs for a few years that they were at least passing through.” Since 2006, there have been seven cases where lynx tracks have been seen and photographed in New Hampshire’s North Country. In spring of this year, Staats himself witnessed an adult lynx crossing a rural road up north.  Read More

{ Photo: Male Canada lynx captured with trail camera in fall 2011 ©Peter Abdu and Cameron Ehle }

Just read a great news release from NH Fish & Game called "Hunters and Anglers:  Thank a Landowner Today" (click here to read it) 

I think the sentiment is the same for all of us who benefit from the generosity of private landowners, whether for hunting and fishing, or hiking, biking, walking our dogs, or even viewing undeveloped beauty from the side of the road. 

I liked these suggestions for a few ways to say thanks to landowners:

• Visit the landowner at the end of the season to express your appreciation, and, if possible, provide them with some of your harvest.
  
  
• Send a personal note or holiday card to the landowner, thanking them for sharing their land.
  
  
• Send a gift basket, N.H. Fish & Wildlife Calendar, or gift certificate to a local restaurant.
  
  
• Help them protect their property by documenting and reporting suspicious activities.
  
  
• Offer to help with outdoor tasks, or to clean up and properly dispose of illegally dumped materials left on their property.