Extension News: February 2011 Archives

Saving Special Places, New Hampshire's largest annual conservation event, will celebrate its 10th anniversary Saturday, April 9, at Kearsarge Regional High School in Sutton.

Jointly hosted by UNH Cooperative Extension, The Society for the Protection of NH Forests, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and The Nature Conservancy, the conference typically draws at least 250 participants.

Whether you're new to conservation and want to learn from the people who do it every day, or you're an old hand wanting to network with colleagues, you won't want to miss Saving Special Places 2011. Gary Hirchberg, CE-YO of Stonyfield Farm will deliver the keynote address.

Three workshop sessions offer 9 tracks of workshops (for a total of 27 workshops) suitable for beginner level through experienced. A sample:

Conservation Easement Deeds - What Do They Say and Why?
Farmlands as Wildlife Habitat
Addressing Consequences of Climate Change in Conservation Easements
Conservation Easement Amendments - What You Need to Know

More advanced participants can attend some of the Round Table discussions led by experts in the field of land conservation.

Visit the conference web site or register online. (Note that the early registration fee of $60 is in effect until Friday, April 2. After that the fee increases to $75.)

Home food production is on the rise. Do you grow fruit, or do you plan to grow fruit for your family?

Pruning--selectively removing unwanted growth from fruit trees, shrubs and vines--helps maintain plant health and will increase both the yield and the quality of your harvest.

Learn to prune your apple, peach, pear, plum and cherry trees, blueberry bushes, raspberry canes, and grape vines at one of many on-site pruning demonstrations across the state. Dress appropriately; all demonstrations take place outdoors

National/state program focuses on helping individuals and families save and build wealth

We invite New Hampshire residents to save more and reduce their debt by joining other Americans nationwide in the 5th annual New Hampshire Saves...America Saves campaign.

Your challenge: find a way to save money and then do it.

Research shows that there are "savers" and "spenders" at all income levels. While those with modest incomes can't save as much as more affluent earners, almost all have the ability to build wealth over time. The goal of the campaign is to convince all Americans that they can build wealth and help them do it.

How? Do what works!

A few ideas: Save something out of every paycheck, no matter how much or how little. Have the money automatically deposited into a savings account or your 401(k) plan at work if you have one. Save some of your tax refund or part of your next raise.

Our UNH Cooperative Extension family resource management team is dedicated to helping individuals and families increase savings, decrease debt, and increase confidence in managing their finances. Get started by browsing the informative 66 Ways to Save Money.

Commit to saving: make your decision concrete and specific

Commit to the challenge of becoming a New Hampshire Saver and receive newsletters about savings via email throughout the year. Make your decision to save concrete and specific. If you make it automatic through payroll deposit, you won't see it and are less likely to miss it.

Save a little; it all adds up

Some people think they need to win the lottery or receive an inheritance before they'll ever be able to save. Can saving $5 or $10 a week really make a difference?

Yes! Imagine a couple buying two coffees each per day. Four coffees a day, seven days a week at $1.79 each adds up to more than $2,600 a year. This represents a significant portion of their yearly electrical bill or payment towards an outstanding medical bill.

Cutting their coffee purchases in half would free up more than $1,300 in one year this couple could add to their savings. Try this coffee calculator to see how much you might save. To solve a disappearing dollar mystery in your household, download The Disappearing Dollar worksheet.

Write a savings goal; discover how to meet it

Participants in our Extension money management educational programs often comment on the value of writing a savings goal. Learning to save a little bit of money goes a long way toward helping them achieve that goal.

Do you tend to get a large refund at tax time? If so, use the IRS withholding calculator to estimate your withholding amount and complete a W-4 form with your employer to request the adjustment to your withholding. If you save this amount in a retirement plan before taxes, you'll get to keep more of what you've saved.

To learn more about how money grows over time and how little you'll need to grow an emergency fund of $5,000 or a nest egg of $100,000 or more, check out The Time Value of Money. The earlier you start the less you have to set aside out of each paycheck to build assets.

Start Small. Think Big. Commit to the challenge of becoming a New Hampshire Saver and receive newsletters about savings via email throughout the year.

Cooperative Extension has money-management information and programs for you

Our Family & Consumer Resources educators offer numerous workshops throughout the year that help individuals and families improve their money management skills. Download Maximizing Your Personal Finances for details. Then bookmark our money-management events listings for a schedule of educational workshops throughout the year in many locations around the state.

Reach Your Goals by Saving Small Amounts This brochure contains tips and a plan for reaching your personal financial goals.

Visit Managing Money for information on a variety of topics.

If you have questions about any of our money management programs, or for printed copies of any of the articles mentioned above, contact the Family & Consumer Resources educator in your county, or call our Education Center Info Line toll free at 1-877-398-4769 (Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.)

Governor Lynch's proclamation for New Hampshire Saves week

Website offers tips for financial security; sign up for email alerts

Cooperative Extension has teamed with the State Consumer Protection Bureau, the State Treasury, and the N.H. Banking Department to help residents protect, save, and manage their money.

A year in development, the New Hampshire Consumer Education Partnership has developed an information website and will deliver monthly emails containing notes about consumer fraud and educational tips on money-saving opportunities. The monthly emails may come more often to alert residents of a specific issue or to highlight a particular educational opportunity.

"We lead many money-management workshops throughout the year, and we are pleased to be part of this new group," says UNH Cooperative Extension Dean and Director, John Pike.

"Education is the key to help residents to preserve what they have earned," says Assistant Attorney General James Boffett. "This group will develop and deliver notes and tips to residents who sign up for them that will help them avoid financial problems."

"Our goal is to reach residents, encourage them to save for emergencies, and help them to navigate an increasingly complex financial world," adds Deputy Banking Commissioner Robert A. Fleury.

To sign up for the email alerts, visit the New Hampshire Consumer Education Partnership and click the graphic on the left side of the page.

4-H science education initiative kicks off with Science Discovery Institute Feb. 12

Across the nation, Cooperative Extension's 4-H Youth Development program has embarked on a mission to expand activities that engage young people in science education.

Given the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to our nation's continued economic vitality and to young people's future job prospects, the National 4-H Council has launched a major campaign to promote STEM education, called "One Million New Scientists, One Million New Ideas."

Science Everywhere event Feb. 12

A free 4-H Science Everywhere Discovery Institute at UNH on Saturday, Feb. 12, kicks off New Hampshire's 4-H science plan.

Youth and adult teams will spend a day of hands-on science learning, interacting with UNH faculty and students as they participate in one of four science education tracks: engineering/physical science, environmental science, food/health science and plant/animal science.

As 4-H Science Ambassadors, these youth-adult teams will return to their communities and share their experiences with youth 4-H clubs, schools and other youth programs across the state. Any interested youth-adult teams in New Hampshire are welcome to join and participate in this event.

More 4-H science-ed programs in the works

Our statewide 4-H Youth Development program recently received grants from the 4-H National Council and the Noyce Foundation to expand opportunities for students to experience hands-on science learning.

Four 4-H staff also attended a National 4-H Science Leadership Academy and returned with a plan for the Granite State. At the academy, Rick Alleva, Claes Thelemarck, Michael Koski and Julia Mawson participated in workshops with science education leaders across the country, gathering a wealth of resources to implement here in New Hampshire.

If you'd like more information about 4-H science activities or other 4-H Youth Development programs, contact Rick Alleva in Rockingham County at (603) 679-5616/ e-mail rick.alleva@unh.edu or visit our 4-H web pages.