2019 Year in Review: Belknap County
Belknap County is in the heart of the Lakes Region of New Hampshire with lakes, mountains and forestland used for recreational enjoyment by residents and visitors throughout the year. In 2019, 4-H staff partnered with the Belknap Mill to offer a series of experiences for youth and families focused on developing life skills through STEM experiences including Light Up Laconia, Mousetrap Cars, Coding with Scratch and the STEaMPunk Challenge. Local resident and mother of twins, Shayna Royce, said, “My girls were struggling to be engaged in some of their science projects, and I have found that through the Light Up Laconia program and the Code a Plushie program, they realized that science can be fun! As a homeschooling mother, I truly appreciate a local program that I can use to supplement our home education.”
57 Extension staff worked with Belknap County Residents
Belknap County Contributions: $158,536
UNH Total Contributions: $402,011
*In 2019, for every $1.00 Belknap County contributed, UNH provided $2.54 of statewide resources.
233 Volunteers
11,600 Hours
Value of Volunteer Time: $298,822
Statewide Highlights
Helping Families
The Youth and Family program offers education in youth development, healthy living, youth and family resiliency and STEM. In 2019, Extension’s Youth and Family program:
• Engaged 27,000+ participants
• Supported 1,500 educators and volunteers
• Provided technical assistance to 250 people and organizations
• Helped 12 schools improve their wellness policies, affecting 3,037 students
Supporting Businesses
The Community and Economic Development program helps cultivate civic leaders, revitalize downtowns and grow the local and regional economy. With Extension’s support, in 2019:
• 5 communities worked with over 150 businesses
• 51 community leaders graduated from Main Street Academy
• 5 towns and one county launched efforts to strengthen their economies
• 200 entrepreneurs convened at business networking events in Concord
Growing Food
The Food and Agriculture program delivers education and technical assistance to residents, agricultural businesses and the food system. In 2019:
• 4,056 people attended programs and staff made 844 onsite visits to farms
• 45 farms participated in pest monitoring programs; 506 individuals earned professional credits
• Volunteers answered 4,170 home and garden questions through Extension’s Infoline
• 173 individuals obtained ServSafe® certification
Stewarding Environment
Natural Resources staff and volunteers work closely with public and private partners to safeguard the state’s land, water, air and living communities. In 2019:
• Forester recommendations resulted in $1.7 million in additional total production value and nearly $61,000 in additional tax revenue for municipalities
• Staff advised 1,171 landowners who manage over 150,000 acres
• 234 communities received technical assistance; 500+ natural resources professionals were trained
2019 Volunteer Impact
4,892 volunteers worked statewide on behalf of Extension
199,652 hours were contributed by volunteers
$5.1 M was the estimated value of volunteer time
95% of NH cities and towns were served directly by Extension volunteers
"The learning experience provided by the Natural Resources Steward program has allowed me to be a knowledgeable advocate as an everyday citizen. I hope by enthusiastically sharing knowledge and ‘best practices’ information I can get others to be natural resources advocates too.”
-Deborah Munson, Volunteer
