Community Story:  Outreach & Education, Town of Campton, NH

In 2012, Conservation Commissioners in Campton, NH decided to focus some attention on a special natural feature in their town, Bog Pond, that was identified as important habitat on the Wildlife Action Plan Highest Ranked Habitats map.  They put together a mailing to about 28 landowners around Bog Pond, asking about landowner's interest in planning for the future of the bog.  Click here to download a copy of the letter.  The letter generated interest from a dozen landowners, who contacted the Conservation Commission wanting to know more about the bog, share wildlife stories and learn more about conservation.  

After meeting with staff from the Taking Action for Wildlife Team, the Conservation Commission decided to plan several outreach events to raise awareness and generate interest in Bog Pond. The first was to ask neighboring landowners to help plan a winter snowshoe walk.  They held an informal potluck, and several neighbors showed up to help organize the public event, conceived as a Frozen Bog Walk planning for January, 2013.

They also used the large set of Wildlife Action Plan maps to generate interest in the various habitats of the area and wildlife seen there. They set up a copy of the Wildlife Habitat Map on Election Day, at the polls.  Here's the report from one Conservation Commissioner, "As people went to vote today, they posted wildlife sightings on the map.  What fun!  There are now over 100 pins on the map and a growing list of wildlife sightings. We handed out Wildlife Action Plan brochures, habitat stewardship brochures, and “Save the Date” bookmarks for our Frozen Bog Walk…In any case, for a somewhat unplanned activity, it was well worth the time and effort. There were countless stories about wildlife and conversations about conservation, ideas for creating a walking path to connect two state forests in town, invitations to consider joining the Commission, and more."

To learn more about habitat conservation in Campton, visit their webpage at:  http://www.camptonnh.org/nh/town-directory/conservation-commission