Coos County Conversation Emphasizes Collaboration between UNH and Local Partners

More than 60 Cooperative Extension Advisory Council members, educators, legislators, county commissioners, business owners, and community members turned out September 20 to hear a panel of Coos County residents talk about their relationship to the University of New Hampshire and Cooperative Extension. The afternoon program was followed by remarks from UNH President Ann Weaver Hart and a discussion designed to generate ideas for further collaborations between UNH and Coos County. Attendees included.

Hart called Cooperative Extension “one of the greatest resources that our American culture has ever had,” noting not only the distinct partnership between the land-grant university and county, state and federal governments, but also its ability to change with the times to address critical issues facing individuals, families and communities.

While Hart’s daylong visit focused on Cooperative Extension, she talked about several partnerships between UNH and people living and working in Coos County—from an undergraduate research project on moose habitat in Milan to an upcoming project with UNH’s Carsey Institute and the Androscoggin Valley Partnership Project that will explore workforce development in the region.

Hart also noted with pride that about 340 students from Coos and Grafton counties attend UNH. Of those, 142 were named to the Dean’s List last semester.

This was Hart’s fifth county visit, having previously visited Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford, and Grafton counties.

Panelists describe long-time ties to UNH and Extension

Most of the panelists had some connection to UNH Cooperative Extension as members of 4-H clubs when they were children. John Scarinza of Randolph highlighted the breadth and scope of what Cooperative Extension offers. Scarinza has tapped the expertise of Extension educators for his work on the Randolph Planning Board, his membership with the tree farm program, and his work with the New Hampshire State Police, when Extension educated him on timber harvesting laws. He noted that Cooperative Extension keeps current with changing times and technologies, pointing out one of its publications, How Not to Get Lost Using GPS.

“Extension is an invaluable resource to myself and the communities up here,” Scarinza said.

Michelle Pimental of Berlin talked about how an Extension program called LEAP— Lifeskills for Employment, Achievement and Purpose— turned her life around, enabling her to strike a balance between work and family, manage her time, and find and take advantage of community resources.

Describing Cooperative Extension the “front door to the university,” community leader Bill Joyce of Stark called Extension a true partnership. “The staff works with you, and I’ve never been disappointed.”

When Clare Hinkley Valley arrived in Berlin 21 years ago, she soon connected with UNH and was hired as an adjunct professor of nursing so that she could educate nurses in the area on the latest research and techniques. “UNH has been instrumental in the success of nurses in the North Country ,” she said, adding that she feels excited about new collaborative research between UNH Nursing Professor Susan Fetzer and area hospitals.

Fred Sullivan, owner of Sullivan’s Greenhouses in Lancaster, the largest greenhouse operation north of the Lakes Region, has been connected to UNH and Cooperative Extension since he was a small boy, earning the distinction of having the best 4-H garden in New Hampshire when he was 10 years old. “The advice we give to our customers has come from the expertise and programs at UNH,” Sullivan said, noting in particular the information on greenhouse management and the use of micronutrients, the latter applying the research of UNH Professor Paul Fisher.

County Conversation generates new ideas and concerns for the future

The conversation that took place after the panelists spoke covered a range of topics, from providing better North Country access to New Hampshire Public Television, to more connections to high-speed Internet access for residents.

Several people asked Hart and others to consider using Coos County as “a learning lab,” using the 10,000-acre Randolph Community Forest as an example.

Issues that are facing the region, according to attendees, include the out-migration of young people who leave and don’t return, the lack of spare time opportunities for youth between the ages of 13 and 20, and the in-migration of families in need of social services the county can’t provide.

Earlier in the day, President Hart traveled to Gray Mist Farm in Groveton, where Nancy and Gordon Gray operate a diverse family farm operation that works closely with Extension agricultural specialists and field educators.

by Kim Billings , UNH Media Relations