http://graftonccd.org
Orford Ridge Business Park / Grafton County Complex
Mon Tue Thu Fri / Wed or by appointment
19 Archertown Road, Suite 1 / 3855 DCH, Room 30
Orford, NH 03777 / North Haverhill, NH 03774
(603) 353-4652 / (603) 787-6973
For immediate release:
Contact: Pam Gilbert
Wildlife Habitat Management Workshop
What’s new in managing habitat to benefit wildlife? Grafton County Conservation District (GCCD), UNH Cooperative Extension (UNH CE), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Wildlife Management Institute are presenting a Wildlife Habitat Management Workshop on Friday, September 29, 2017 at 2:00PM, at the Pondside Lodge at Indian Pond in Orford. The Wildlife Habitat Management Workshop will give participants an opportunity to see grassland and shrub habitat, mature forest and wetland areas and learn about the wildlife that live there. PresentersMatt Tarr, Extension Associate Professor/Specialist Wildlife; Jim Frohn, Extension Field Specialist, Natural Resources; Kelly Boland, NRCS Biologist; Tom Ebert, NRCS Soil Conservationist; and John Lanier, Wildlife Management Institute will join Bruce, Sarah and Andy Schwaegler to discuss wildlife habitat improvement practices implemented at the Indian Woods property. The Wildlife Habitat Management Workshop will be held rain or shine, so dress for variable weather, and plan on light hiking at each stop. In case of (really) inclement weather, we’ll spend more time at the Pondside Lodge and present slides, but this is intended to be an outdoor workshop. Call Pam at (603) 353-4652 if you plan to attend.
In 1983 the Schwaegler family purchased the former Boy Scout Camp on Indian Pond in Orford and have managed the property for profitable forest products, water quality, wildlife and biodiversity, and recreation. We will meet at the Pondside Lodge at Indian Woods, 598 Indian Pond Road, Orford at 2:00PM, Friday, September 29, 2017 for introductions and a history of the property. John Lanier will introduce us to the Dirt to Trees to Wildlife online tool that presents mapped soils in any given area of interest (AOI) and then identifies potential forest types based on characteristics of those underlying soils. Each forest type relates to preferred breeding habitat for New England wildlife species, with lists of those wildlife species provided.
We will proceed to 440 Indian Pond Road and park at the landing area. Our first stop will be a mature forest. We’ll discuss the habitat elements present, and what types of management will potentially benefit wildlife. Next we’ll look at and discuss the various stages of early successional habitat and the benefits for woodcock, songbirds, and pollinators. We’ll also visit the small wetland area. Lastly, we’ll proceed to the forest area that was treated with a selection harvest a couple of years ago, and discuss the habitat elements in place there. At each site, we’ll discuss associated wildlife species, future goals, and conservation practices that can enhance that habitat. We will also learn about several resources and programs available to assist landowners with habitat improvement.