Sullivan County Profile 2008 - 2009

The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension provides practical education to people of all ages. The partnership of Sullivan County, the State of New Hampshire and the U.S. Department of Agriculture forms UNH Cooperative Extension. In every Sullivan County community, this program is at work, increasing economic development, enhancing the environment, supporting community needs and developing human potential. Sullivan County Extension educators provide non-formal educational programs in Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, and in Family, Community and Youth Development, with the assistance of a local advisory council. Sullivan County residents also benefit from a wide range of statewide Extension programs directed by state Extension Specialists. These efforts focus on monitoring water quality in Lake Sunapee, reducing the use of pesticides, and Community Profiles to name a few.

• Educational radio spots and newspaper articles throughout the year by Extension Educators - WNTK, Eagle Times, Valley News and other local newspapers; five newsletters to 1700 households in Sullivan County.
  
  
• Extension educators participated in numerous countywide events, forums, fairs and public exhibits including the Cornish Fair, County Government Week, Career Days and Health Days for area high schools and the County Commissioners' Pancake Breakfast in Unity.

 

AGRICULTURAL NATURAL RESOURCES &COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

• The Sullivan County UNH Cooperative Extension Agricultural Resources program area assisted commercial and non-commercial growers in all phases of agricultural production and farm management.  This included crop production methods, pest management, whole farm planning, financial analysis, nutrient management, conservation practices, and marketing. 

• Five major areas of county agricultural programming were the focus over the past year: farm management and record keeping, whole farm planning/holistic management, farm labor, fruit and vegetable production, and pest and disease control.

• Sullivan County UNH Cooperative Extension also provided support to the agricultural community in the following areas: agricultural engineering, home gardening, nutrient management, pesticide re-certification credits, estate transfer planning, and strategic planning.

• Over 150 farm visits were made and over 300 phone calls were responded to this past year.  Not only were the services of the Sullivan County Agricultural Resources educator made available to growers, but so, too, were the knowledge and services of nine different agricultural specialists and county educators who work with UNH Cooperative Extension.

• The Sullivan County Master Gardener Program continued to provide educational programs on home gardening and landscaping using their active core of 20 Master Gardeners.  Additional support for homeowners was provided by the Family Home and Garden Center in Manchester.  The Center offers a toll-free hot line and is staffed by volunteers from around the state.  Homeowners can call with their questions Monday through Friday.

• The Agricultural Resources educator also provided support to the Sullivan County Farm Bureau, the Cold Pond Community Land Trust, the Cornish Fair, and other county and community based organizations.

• The educational programs and assistance listed above have resulted in increased farm profits, increased farm efficiency that resulted in hours of time and labor saved, and more judicious use of farm inputs, and increased support for the agricultural community here in Sullivan County. 

FOREST RESOURCES PROGRAM       

• The Forest Resource Educator, Sullivan County UNH Cooperative Extension, through woodlot visits, advised 50 landowners owning 13,390 acres of forestland on management practices that enhance and sustain the timber, wildlife, water, recreation and biodiversity values of their forestland.

• The Forest Resource Educator provided technical assistance and conducted needs assessment for 21 landowners from Sullivan County in support of their applications to NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Wildlife Habitat Improvement Project (WHIP), both of which provide cost-share dollars for practices that improve and protect forestland.  The Forest Resource Educator also provided technical assistance and review of existing NRCS contracts in Sullivan County. From 2005 to 2008, over $500,000 in cost-share dollars from EQIP and WHIP have been awarded to Sullivan County landowners to implement conservation practices on their forestland.  These practices include: long-term stewardship plans, timber stand improvement, wildlife habitat improvement projects, access roads, invasive plant control, and water quality improvement projects. 

• The Forest Resource Educator coordinated and conducted 14 forest-related workshops and presentations attended by 799 people.  Workshops provided educational opportunities for adults and youth.   Educational topics covered: land conservation, forest history, forest ecology, silviculture, forest roads and trails, long-term forest stewardship, forest health, GPS and GIS mapping, selling timber, invasive plant control, tree identification, timber harvesting, and wildlife habitat management.

• The Forest Resource Educator assisted over 20 forest-related enterprises including private foresters, timber buyers and harvesters, sawmills, and Christmas tree growers.

The Forest Resource Educator served as the Sullivan County Chair of the NH Tree Farm program and coordinated the Tree Farm program in the county.  Ninety-two Tree Farmers manage over 45,000 acres in Sullivan County to benefit the long-term productivity of our forests for current and future generations.  The Forest Resource Educator also worked closely with the Sullivan County Chapter of the NH Timberland Owners Association to promote long-term forest stewardship and the value of a viable forest-products industry in maintaining our rural quality of life.

 

FAMILY & CONSUMER RESOURCES PROGRAM

• Family life education programming supports and strengthens families by providing educational workshops and publications on effective parenting practices and healthy child development. One Hundred eighty-seven families participated in the Cradle Crier/Toddler Tales age-paced, monthly newsletter program focused on early childhood development. Education and support was also given to other programs and agencies who are working to make Sullivan County a great environment for families. Area education and service providers were trained in the “Parenting a Second Time Around” Program to support grandparents raising grandchildren in Sullivan County.

• Seventy-five food handlers from school food service, hospitals, nursing homes, home catering, fast food restaurants, senior meal sites, assisted living facilities, and restaurants increased safe food handling practices to reduce food-borne hazards by attending Safety Awareness in the Food Environment and ServSafe Food Safety programs around Sullivan County.

• Increasing financial literacy, building present and future financial security, decreasing debt, increasing savings, and improving credit were the goals of our multi-session, money management class series, workshops, publications and newsletter articles offered to the general public, the Claremont Shelter, Workplace Success, Sullivan Academy, and Sullivan County House of Corrections audiences reaching over 217 residents this past year.

• The Sullivan County Strengthening Families Project was conducted by the Family & Consumer Resources and 4-H Youth Development educators with a grant through the Governor’s Drug Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Treatment Fund.  Strengthening Families Program with 10-14 year olds class series were held in Claremont, Newport and Cornish reaching 40 adults and 30 youth. “Teen Talk” newsletters reached another 659 families of 7th & 8th graders in Newport, Claremont and Charlestown with timely tips about important teen issues.  An interactive display created to reach parents and other community members with key messages to promote the importance of connecting with their children, school and community to raise healthy youth was used at various school and community events. In addition, consultation and ongoing support was given to the local substance abuse prevention coalition on the development of a strategic plan for the region.

 

NUTRITION CONNECTIONS PROGRAM

• Limited income residents from Claremont, Newport, Charlestown, Lempster, Unity, Sunapee, and Cornish participated in a series of food, nutrition and physical activity lessons. Nutrition Connections programming reached 81 families, either in a group series, through the home study course, or individual visits.

• Using a series of nutrition and physical activity lessons, Nutrition Connections programming reached 474 youth from Claremont, Newport, and Charlestown in four schools during the 2008-2009 school year.  Programming included monthly sessions at four classrooms in the Newport and Claremont Head Start Centers.  Teachers provided feedback on healthy changes they observed in the classroom, such as the students bringing in healthier snacks, reading nutrition fact labels and sharing what they learned in class.

• Ten youth participated in the Food Is Fun home study course, and 16 senior citizens participated in the NutriNews home study lessons.

• Working with the New Hampshire Food Bank, three series of six sessions of Eating Right were offered at various locations in Sullivan County. Eating Right is a course offered by Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline, part of the NH Food Bank. This program combines nutrition education and the talents of a local chef. Each session contained a lesson on nutrition and a cooking demonstration by a volunteer chef (Carol St. Pierre of Charlestown). At the conclusion of each 2-hour session participants received a bag of groceries containing the ingredients needed to prepare the same meal at home. The participants “learned by doing” as they helped the chef prepare the meal. They reported benefits of the program as losing weight, spending their limited food budgets on more healthy foods and being able to plan and prepare more meals for their money.

• Families were referred by various agencies including Southwestern Community Services, WIC, Southwestern Homeless Services, Workplace Success, Good Beginnings, and local Welfare offices. Some food stamp recipients referred themselves to the program through information provided in the state-wide Smart Choices Newsletter and Nutri-News newsletter as well as flyers distributed to the schools and Head Start.

• Nutrition Connections was promoted throughout the county by the distribution of materials and brochures, school and agency contacts and visits, and newsletter articles.

 

4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

• With the help of 104 volunteer leaders, the 4-H Youth Development Program fostered life skills development in youth.  This year 346 youth took part in twenty-eight community and three family clubs to build personal skills in communication, relationships, leadership and management through their participation in club and county project activities. Thirty-seven adults were screened and interviewed and became new 4-H volunteers this year.

• Twenty-two adult and teen leaders took part in regional leader training in Newport during November.   Sessions conducted included “Beginning Sewing”, “4-H Design It Engineering”, “GPS Treasure”, “Teaching Animal Science Projects”, and a “Horse Leader Update”  A county workshop day was held in February with 37 leaders and older 4-H youth attending. Workshops included “Agriculture”, “Theatre Arts", “Wildlife”, “GPS” and “Native American Talking Sticks”.

• The Sullivan County 4-H Teen Club continued to meet monthly with teens participating from all area high schools.  Twelve teens and three chaperones traveled to Yellowstone County, Montana in July. They camped in Ennis, MT and saw the Lewis and Clark Caverns before entering Yellowstone National Park for two days of camping and seeing the animals, geysers and waterfalls. Participants also learned about William Clark’s exploration, Custer’s Last Stand, and modern methods of artificial insemination for beef cattle.

• The 4-H Educators worked in collaboration with the director of the Newport Enrichment Team to apply for a grant from JCPenney to increase the number of students able to use the Newport Teen Center.  The Center received a grant for $8107 as well as $1750 worth of JCPenney gift cards for the students to purchase back-to-school clothing and supplies.

• The Strengthening Family Governor’s Commission grant allowed 19 trained 4-H Health Rocks teens to reach 122 students during the 2008-09 school year in area schools and after-school programs.  After attending 8 hours of training, teams of teens and adults taught 6 weeks of lessons to 122 students in 4th-8th grades in Sunapee and Newport. Students learned to make healthy decisions about tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.