Extension News: Awards Archives

ESRI award recognizes innovation and leadership in geospatial technology outreach

Environmental Systems Research Institute, of Redlands, California, has honored UNH Cooperative Extension's Geospatial Technologies Training Center with its 2008 Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award.

The Center "has demonstrated vision and leadership using ESRI's geographic information system (GIS) technology to better serve the world," said ESRI in announcing the award.

"We're very excited to be recognized by ESRI for our geospatial outreach and training efforts," said Extension's Geospatial Technologies Specialist Shane Bradt, who directs the Center.

"We were one of only four university-based programs to receive the Special Achievement in GIS award in 2008, highlighting the importance of our programs on a national, even international, level.

"We very much appreciate the acknowledgement of our work in such a public forum and look forward to expanding and enhance our training center in the future. Our program is especially strong because of our extensive collaborative efforts with other agencies and departments," Bradt said.

Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) combines computer hardware, software, and data to capture, manage, analyze, and display all forms of geographic information. Almost any information can be linked to a geographic location, allowing users to see that information as part of a complete picture to be analyzed and applied to a problem or issue.

Extension's Geospatial Training Center offers a wide variety of instructional workshops, which range from two-hour introductory sessions to 10-day intensive courses. The goal of the Center is to provide educational outreach programs that help community organizations, government agencies, and ordinary citizens make more informed decisions.

"As two of many examples, the technology is used to identify areas of natural resource importance in coastal communities, and to track and analyze the forestry management plans of privately owned forestland, which accounts for 80 percent of New Hampshire's forestland," Bradt said.

"At ESRI, we are always deeply impressed by the innovation of our users," said Jack Dangermond, ESRI president in announcing the awards. "We want to recognize the efforts of these individuals with our Special Achievement in GIS Award. This recognition is well deserved for how they've applied geospatial technology to address the needs of their industries and communities. They are defining GIS best practices."

The award recognizes the contributions of former and current UNH Cooperative Extension and UNH staff who have served as workshop creators and instructors at the Center since the late 1990s (parentheses indicate their current affiliations):

• Nancy Lambert (Strafford Rivers Conservancy)
• Shane Bradt (UNH Cooperative Extension)
• Sharon Hughes (UNH Cooperative Extension)
• Fay Rubin (NH GRANIT)
• Jennifer Lingeman (NH GRANIT)
• Anne Deely (Neatline Associates)
• Brad Anderson (independent)
• Byard Mosher (CA EPA, Air Resource Board)
• Jeff Schloss (UNH Cooperative Extension)

Photo credits: Shane Bradt

Top photo: GIS allows you to bring to together photos, maps and GPS data to create custom views of any place in the world.

Lower photo: With GPS, you can find your way in the world and collect information about your community.

Tree Farm Program a strong component of New Hampshire forestry

The American Tree Farm System has recognized six UNH Cooperative Extension educators for their significant contributions toward sustainable forestry on private lands.

Phil Auger received the Tree Farm Silver Hard Hat award for having certified 50 new Tree Farms. Jon Nute, Sam Stoddard, Nory Parr, Matt Tarr and Karen Bennett received the Tree Farm Bronze Hard Hat award for certifying 25 new Tree Farms.

What's a Tree Farm?
A Tree Farm is a privately owned forest managed to produce timber, with added benefits of improved wildlife habitat, water quality, recreation, and scenic values. Some municipal watersheds, school forests and other public ownerships are also certified as Tree Farms.

The oldest, most successful forest conservation program in the nation, the American Tree Farm System was founded in 1941 to encourage private forest owners to actively manage their forests in a sustainable manner for multiple values.

To qualify as a Tree Farmer, a landowner must:

• Dedicate at least 10 acres to growing and harvesting forest products.
• Have a written plan for the future management of their forest.
• Follow management recommendations prescribed by a licensed forester.
• Demonstrate a commitment to stewardship of their forest for multiple values.

These Tree Farmers contribute every day to the timber production New Hampshire needs to help meet the increasing demand for forest products. The do so while caring for our wildlife, protecting water quality, and providing recreational and scenic resources. Learn more about the New Hampshire Tree Farm Program.

UNH Extension offers forest landowner education
Forestry is the primary land use in New Hampshire, with 84 percent of our land base in trees. Private landowners own 75 percent of our forested landscape.

Since 1925, UNH Cooperative Extension's Forestry and Wildlife Program has provided statewide forest landowner education, with a licensed forester in each county Extension office, and three specialists housed at UNH's Durham campus.

County foresters educate landowners about woodlot care, long-term planning, timber sales, wildlife habitat, land protection, current-use taxation, and more. They work with communities through support to town boards, public officials, and community organizations. And they support a healthy, working forest landscape by offering the state's 1400 loggers, 250 licensed foresters, and 100 sawmills a broad range of information and technical assistance.

To learn more about managing your woodlot, call your county Extension office and ask for the forester.

Photo: Marty Boisvert of Pittsfield receieves his Tree Farm sign from Karen Bennett, UNH Extension forest resources specialist

UNH Cooperative Extension's 2008 NH Outside Calendar has taken first place in the "one-to-three-color popular publications" category of the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) 2008 Critique and Awards program.

ACE is an international association of communicators and information technologists who work in universities, government agencies and research organizations in the public sector, as well as companies and firms in the private sector.

The judges awarded 97 of 100 points to the NH Outside calendar, calling it, "An excellent example of making the most of a one-to-three-color publication. The essays are especially good....A very attractive publication with an effective use of illustrations throughout."

Subtitled connecting you with the wisdom and wonder of the natural world, the calendar itself reflects the purpose of the 4-year old collaborative writing project. We started the project in 2004 to give our natural resources volunteers (master gardeners, wildlife coverts, community tree stewards, lakes lay monitors, and marine docents) who love to write another way to share the humor, insight, and wonder they've found in the world outside their doorways.

We recruit people with a passion for the natural world who also love to write and offer training, professional editing and ongoing support in exchange for their written work. Most of their essays reflect on a private experience or encounter with the natural world. Their only aim: to connect readers to nature in some concrete, meaningful way.

Every week we distribute a new essay to print media statewide and publish it to our NH Outside Web page. The award-winning calendar contains excerpts from published NH Outside columns, illustrated with original artwork by volunteer artists and spiced with daily tips and tidbits to help increase awareness of the outside world.

The Extension design and production team of Peg Boyles, Pam Doherty (designer par excellence), Alice Mullen, and Holly Young has already begun planning the 2009 edition. Stay tuned!

To learn more about becoming a NH Outside writer, or to receive our weekly essays for use in your publication or newsletter, contact Peg Boyles at 225-5505 or peg.boyles@unh.edu.

2nd-time winners in financial lifeskills competition move on to nationals in Orlando

For the second time, Sullivan County 4-H has won the state championship in the 2007 New Hampshire Jump$tart Coalition's LifeSmarts financial literacy competition.

The team of five high school students: team captain Allen Abendroth, Rachel Shklar, Amy Barriger, Rebecca Mailhot, and alternate Caroline Mailhot, beat high school teams from Winnacunnet, Raymond, Newfound Regional, Mascoma Valley, and Interlakes Regional.

The Sullivan County team will represent New Hampshire at the LifeSmarts National Competition April 21 to 24 in Orlando, Florida.

Tom Fairchild, longtime UNH Cooperative Extension dairy specialist and 4-H supporter, will be presented with the Friend of 4-H Award during the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire’s fall meeting October 18.

“The award celebrates Tom’s love for kids, cows, and 4-H,” said Wendy Brock, who heads the UNH Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development program. “It isn’t presented every year, but when the Foundation deems that an individual or group has provided outstanding volunteer, financial, or technical program support to the 4-H Youth Development program over several years. Tom Fairchild meets all three criteria.”

Called “the conscience of the state’s 4-H network” and “a New Hampshire agricultural icon,” Fairchild has worked with two generations of New Hampshire 4-H families. “Tom is certainly worthy of this recognition,” said recently retired UNH dairy specialist John Porter. “He’s been close to our farm families and advised them in their dairy management decisions as well as helping their children go on to UNH to further their education.”

A 1959 UNH graduate, Fairchild spent his career at the university. Over the years he served as an Extension dairy specialist, a UNH professor, chairperson of the department of animal and nutritional sciences, dean of the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, and interim UNH president.

He was instrumental in leading the fundraising effort to build the $1.6 million dairy teaching and research center, which UNH named the Thomas P. Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center in his honor.
 
After his stint as interim president ended in 1995, Fairchild returned to the UNH faculty and co-founded the university’s nationally recognized CREAM (Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management) Program, a hands-on course for dairy and non-dairy students to assume management responsibilities for the UNH dairy herd.

UNH has previously honored him for his achievements with the Alumni Affairs Award for Excellence in Public Service, the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture’s Teaching Excellence Award. He also was presented the 2001 Distinguished Service Award by the Northeastern Section of the American Society of Animal Sciences.

As chairman of the 4-H Foundation Board, in 2002 Fairchild led the group through a successful Centennial Campaign to raise an additional $100,000 for the Foundation. His efforts helped move the board into active fundraising activities and broaden the Foundation’s scope to support all areas of the 4-H youth development program.

“Tom has always promoted the 4-H program as a place for youth and adults to work together for common goals and new adventures,” said Tom Frangione, chair of the 4-H Foundation of N.H. “Even though he has retired, Tom helps present dairy judging clinics, serves as a resource whenever called upon, and encourages others in the industry to become involved in 4-H and UNH Cooperative Extension.”

UNH Cooperative Extension floriculture specialist Paul Fisher, agricultural program coordinator Dorothy Perkins, and county educators Goeffrey Njue and Tom Buob, all received national recognition awards last month.

Lighting Up Profits, a book Fisher co-wrote and edited with Michigan State Extension specialist Erik Runkle, received a 2005 Blue Ribbon Award for an Education Aid from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. The book, targeted at commercial growers, technical representatives, and university students, covers topics such as the basic biology of how light affects growth, the latest lighting research, and technical and financial information to help guide investment decisions in lighting equipment.

Perkins was honored as one of three national finalists in the 4-H and Youth Recognition category at the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) Annual Conference in Buffalo July 17-22 for her work on the children’s gardening curriculum Growing a Green Generation. Perkins took the original curriculum developed by horticulture students, revised it, added to it, and tested it on both teachers and children at the UNH Child Study and Development Center (CSDC). The final curriculum represents collaboration among the UNH plant biology department, the CSDC, and UNH Cooperative Extension.

Njue, the Strafford County agricultural resources educator won communication awards for a fact sheet on using the Renaissance Red Poinsettia cut flower, and for a feature article on a Poinsettia variety trial, published in The Plantsman.

Buob, Grafton County ag educator, received a NACAA Distinguished Service Award for 26 years of exemplary Extension programming.

Congratulations!