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Education Teachers & Students
Each year, Grafton County Conservation District (GCCD) sponsors a poster contest for fifth-grade students. This includes 4-H groups and home-schooled students at the fifth-grade level. The conservation theme is selected by the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and used by conservation districts around the country. The Grafton County winning poster is entered in New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts (NHACD) state-wide poster contest, and that winner goes on to compete in the national contest. GCCD supplies educational materials produced by NACD for all participating schools. Congratulations to Taylor Wyman, Haverhill Cooperative Middle School, 2007 Poster Contest Winner view Taylor's Poster
Grafton County Conservation District is seeking applicants for the Jim Page Conservation Scholarship. The scholarship will be awarded to a resident of Grafton County attending a camp based in conservation, natural resources or environmental education. Each year Grafton County Conservation District year awards a scholarship of $250.00 in honor of Jim Page to an interested camper to foster learning in the area of natural resource conservation. The Jim Page Conservation Scholarship can be applied towards a 4-H Camp or conservation camp experience. Applicants must complete an application form available from Grafton County Conservation District, and write a short paragraph about why they would like attend a conservation camp. Scholarship recipients should be prepared to speak to the Grafton County Conservation District about their camp experience the following fall. Congratulations to Justin Basner, Littleton, NH, 2007 Jim Page Conservation Scholarship Winner, Attending Barry Conservation Camp 2008 Page Scholarship application
For more information on these programs, contact us. Recent Workshops Grafton County Conservation District will be holding their Fall Tour of Conservation Projects on Monday, October 15th. Throughout the year, County landowners work with Grafton County Conservation District (GCCD), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), UNH Cooperative Extension (UNH CE) and other partners on resource conservation projects to protect and improve the natural resources of Grafton County. The annual Fall Tour gives landowners a chance to share these improvements with interested neighbors. The Tour consists of several site visits in North Haverhill, a lunch stop at Windy Ridge Orchard, and a few stops in the afternoon on Lime Kiln Road, Haverhill. Plan to bring a bag lunch, or purchase lunch at the Windy Ridge Cider House Café. The Tour will be held rain or shine, dress for variable weather and plan on some walking. Please call Pam at (603) 747-2001, ext. 103, if you plan to attend. All are welcome. The Fall Tour will start at 9:30am at Dave and Linda Keith’s Briar Stone Farm, on Briar Hill Road in North Haverhill. Moose Plate grant funding was sought by GCCD to construct a roof over the heifer feeding area at Briar Stone Farm. Because of the proximity of a Clark Brook tributary to the heifer yard, there is the potential for contaminated runoff to flow into the Clark Brook watershed. By constructing a roofed structure over the feeding and loafing area, rain water and snow melt will be prevented from mixing with manure and waste feed that collects in this area. Drier agricultural waste will be collected and utilized for crop production. Any runoff from the feeding area will be diverted to a vegetated filter area. Briar Stone Farm is recognized for implementing best management practices such as this throughout their dairy operation. This project is supported by funds from the sale of the Conservation License Plate (Moose Plate) under the NH State Conservation Committee grant program.
From Briar Stone Farm, the tour will move around the corner to Guy and Roxanne Scaifes’ on Kimball Lane. The Scaife family sought help from NRCS and UNH CE Forest Resources for their forestland management. Currently, they are enrolled in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP). With cost-share funding assistance, they have a newly written forest management plan, installed a forest access road, and started work on forest stand and wildlife habitat improvement. The Tour will continue on to Windy Ridge Orchard where we will see the after-effects of the major wind storm last April. Much of the forested lands along Lime Kiln Road were also damaged by fall and spring storms. Windy Ridge owners, Dick and Ann Fabrizio, were able to begin salvage work in their pine stand immediately, working closely with logger, Joe Boutin. We will have lunch at Windy Ridge Orchard, bring your own, or try a sandwich from the Cider House Café. After lunch, we will make stops along Lime Kiln Road to view recent heavy storm damage, and road drainage problems and planned improvements.
Everything you ever wanted to know about ponds… pond ecology, water quality, weed control, design, construction, and the NH Department of Environmental Services permitting process. There will also be time for discussion, so bring your questions along. The Pond Workshop, co-sponsored by UNH Cooperative Extension and the Grafton County Conservation District, will take place on Tuesday August 15, beginning at 6:00PM at Windy Ridge Orchard, 1775 Benton Road/Route 116, 3 miles from the monument in North Haverhill
Pond Uses Types of Ponds Site Selection Building a Pond Permitting Issues Water Quality Nutrient Issues Weed Management Speakers Ginny DiFrancesco, Program Associate, Water Resources Program UNH CE. Ginny has been a Program Associate in Grafton County for 12 years. She has assisted many landowners with ponds, and has worked with NH DES on several grants aimed at improving water quality. Ray Lobdell, Natural Resource Consultant, wetland/soil scientist, soil conservationist and erosion control specialist. Ray has worked in New Hampshire and Vermont for 30 years on a wide range of natural resource issues. Ray has a BA in Biology, MS in Soils and Hydrology, and is an adjunct professor at Plymouth State University.
Grafton County Conservation District is providing a Municipal Training Workshop for Grafton County Conservation Commissions on Monday December 5th. The workshop is co-sponsored with UNH Cooperative Extension Water Resources, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil Survey Team. The workshop will be held in the Conference Room at the UNH CE Office at the Grafton County Complex, Monday December 5th from 6:00-8:00pm. The workshop will feature two important topics for Conservation Commission members: the Role of the Conservation Commissions, and Using the Grafton County Soil Survey. This workshop will provide an introduction for new Conservation Commission members and potential members, and a refresher for Conservation Commission members who would like to become more active. The cost for the workshop is $5 for individuals or $10 for a Conservation Commission. The workshop is open to the public. Registration includes the new CD release containing the Soil Survey of Grafton County. To register contact: Pam Gilbert. Ginny DiFransesco, Water Resources, Grafton County UNH Cooperative Extension, will discuss Conservation Commission roles. In New Hampshire, a conservation commission is charged with several responsibilities outlined in RSA 36-A. This workshop will discuss required activities and other possible roles a conservation commission may accept. One requirement of a town conservation commission is to conduct a Natural Resource Inventory. This inventory includes a base map, along with maps of water resources and conservation lands, documentation of resources, and descriptive reports. Resources for gathering this data will be covered in this workshop. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has been conducting soil mapping in Grafton County, and has available the Soil Survey of Grafton County in a bound book and also on a CD. This publication includes maps, soil descriptions and tables of soil properties. In order to better utilize the Soil Survey, it is helpful to understand the intended use of the Soil Survey, the terms and tables it contains. Joe Homer, USDA NRCS Soil Survey Project Leader will discuss soil properties and the Grafton County Soil Survey. This workshop will present Grafton County soil information in an understandable, usable and accessible format.
Grafton County Conservation District is offering two workshops this year in conjunction with the 2006 Conservation Plant Sale. The first workshop is about Landscaping with Native Plants. Join Master Gardener, Dick Flanders, and garden enthusiast, Eric D’Aleo, and learn about using native plants for sustainable landscaping. Once established, native plants require less watering, less fertilizers, and are generally pest-resistant. This workshop will give you the basics to start your own projects. It will include a tour of the Flanders property and a discussion of the advantages of landscaping with native plants, site evaluation, and selecting the right plants. Dick and Eric will share a few of their favorite native plants and answer your questions. Dress to spend some time outdoors with Dick and Eric and learn from their experiences about landscaping with native plants. The workshop will take place Wednesday, March 22, starting at 5:30 PM at the Flanders residence, 320 Fairgrounds Road, Plymouth. A Planting and Pruning Workshop will answer many questions landowners have about planting fruit and softwood trees. This workshop will be held at Windy Ridge Orchard, Route 116/Benton Road, North Haverhill, starting at 5:30 PM, Friday April 28. Our host, Dick Fabrizio, will demonstrate planting and pruning methods for apple trees, and share his knowledge and expertise on apple tree care. Nory Parr, UNH Cooperative Extension Forest Resources Educator, will demonstrate planting techniques and discuss site considerations for planting balsam and fraser fir. Nory also demonstrates how to prune your trees into shapely specimens, and discusses fertilizing and pest management. Dick and Nory are always willing to answer your questions. Please feel free to join us at this informal, but informational workshop. Both workshops are free to the public, and open to all. To register, call Pam Gilbert, (603) 747-2001, ext. 103.
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