FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
CHAIR Bill Tucker, Goffstown
VICE CHAIR Bill Crangle, Plymouth
SECRETARY Karen Moran, Webster
TREASURER Andrew Smith, Twin Mountain
PRESIDENT Jack Savage, Middleton
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Charlie Bridges, New Durham Deb Buxton, Greenfield Peter Fauver, North Conway Don Floyd, Concord Allyson Hicks, Concord Jason Hicks, Meredith Drew Kellner, Brookline Andy Lietz, Rye Nancy Martland, Sugar Hill Michael Morison, Peterborough Lorin Rydstrom, Hollis Tom Wagner, Campton Janet Zeller, Concord
STAFF Will Abbott, Project Manager, The Rocks Frank Allen, Building and Grounds Assistant Abraham Ames, Senior Easement Steward Dave Anderson, Senior Director of Education Anna Berry, Digital Outreach Manager Nik Berube, Maintenance Assistant Naomi Brattlof, Director of Easement Stewardship Rita Carroll, Tree Farm Administrator Tony Cheek, Finance Director Connie Colton, Land Protection and Stewardship Coordinator Andy Crowley, Stewardship Projects Manager Linda Dammann, Development Assistant Rebecca Darman, Policy & Reservation Stewardship Coordinator Carrie Deegan, Reservation Stewardship and Engagement Director Maria Finnegan, Manager of Individual Giving Leah Hart, Land Protection Specialist Stacie Hernandez, Easement Steward Laura Holske, Finance Specialist Brian Hotz, Vice President for Land Conservation Steve Junkin, Field Forester Sarah Kern, Creek Farm Education Program Coordinator Susanne Kibler-Hacker, Senior Philanthropy Advisor Allan Krygeris, Senior Technology Specialist Sara Krzyzaniak, Data Processor Emily Landry, Easement Steward Matt Leahy, Public Policy Manager Margaret Liszka, Membership Director Nigel Manley, Director, North Country Properties Ann McCoy, Development Manager Jack Minich, Easement Steward Michelle Morse, Human Resource Director Carl Murphy, Facilities Manager Zach Pearo, Land Steward & Volunteer Coordinator Meredith Reed O’Donnell, Foundation Relations Manager Tina Ripley, Administrative Assistant Gabe Roxby, Field Forester Jack Savage, President Matt Scaccia, Recreation and Community Relations Manager Ryan Smith, Communications Manager Amanda St. Jean, Office Manager, The Rocks Maria Stewart, Executive Assistant Anne Truslow, Vice President for Development Brooke Vigliotta, Data Processor Wendy Weisiger, Managing Forester Harriette Yazzie-Whitcomb, Receptionist
Turning to the Outdoors
I
struck a hopeful tone in these pages a year ago as New Hampshire was experiencing a great murmuration of people seeking solace from the pandemic in the outdoors. How many of those rushing to the woods would then come to support conservation and stewardship of forests and trails? I was optimistic then, and I remain so today. As the weather warms (and the pandemic eases), we are returning to the outdoors. Happily, some of the investments we have been making to enhance public use of our 191 forest reservations are coming to fruition. At Creek Farm in Portsmouth, we welcomed Sarah Kern, our new Creek Farm educational coordinator. Sarah will base her work out of our newly renovated classroom and program center, which was completed over the winter thanks to support from the Billie and Chet Noel Fund. Sarah is already planning a summer and fall series of programs, and she will work with our key partners, including The Gundalow Company, to provide a wide array of educational opportunities. At Mount Major in Alton, we welcomed the return of seasonal staff and will continue to make improvements at the trailhead with a new kiosk and welcome area this summer. We’re hopeful that we can soon revive our Mount Major Outdoor Classroom program with local schools. New land conservation at the nearby Morse Preserve is also percolating, so we remain fully immersed in conserving and stewarding lands in the Belknap Range. At The Rocks in Bethlehem, our new forest exploration center is taking shape. This year, we will complete a redesign of the landscape by creating a hillside amphitheater overlooking a panorama of the White Mountains. Our campaign continues to raise funds for the renovation of the historic Carriage Barn into a net zero facility that will welcome the 14,000 visitors
we have each year. The upgrades include a classroom, enhanced parking, and expanded staff capacity. This “Forest Society North” will be a campus from which we energize and enhance our conservation and advocacy work north of the notches. Meanwhile, we continue to focus on protecting the threatened Merrimack River watershed (check out our documentary film about the river at forestsociety.org/ riveratrisk). This summer we are joining with conservation partners to offer a Merrimack Paddle Challenge. In the fall, we will reprise our extraordinarily popular Five Hikes Challenge series. To cap off the summer, on September 25, we hope to be able to welcome our members in person for our 120th Annual Meeting. In a change of format, we plan to meet at mid-day, after morning field trips, to picnic together outside at Creek Farm. Among our guests will be keynote speaker Carolyn Finney, who will talk to us about how we can be welcoming and inclusive for all people. If we want as many different people as possible to support our work, we must support and engage the wide variety of people who are already out there on our lands. I hope to see you under our “big tent” in Portsmouth in September.
Jack Savage is the president of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. He can be reached by email at jsavage @forestsociety.org.
