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Forestry Committee

    Cleanup of the Gravel Pit on 4/5/09

      Cub Scout Paul Mullen (right) and his brother Lenny cleaned up the gravel pit on 4/5/09.

    2013 - Elisabeth Sanders
    2013 - David Caillouette
    2012 - Christian Unger
    2011 - Curt Springer
    2011 - Chris Lauria

    CHILL OUT!

     

    DANVILLE –The Danville Forestry Committee is hosting a "Town Forest Chill Out Walk" on Sunday at 10:00 am on January 31, 2010. This walk in the forest is truly an outdoor winter event. With snow on the trail, it is a relatively effortless path for young and old to follow on foot, snowshoes, or cross county skis. You will have an opportunity to see the changing landscape of hills, rocks, trees, plants, small streams, frozen vernal pools, and some wildlife may even be visible. The living diversity of the forest will show off its winter attire.

    Some of the trees in our forest include the maple, oak, beech, birch, ash, sassafras, pine, spruce, and hemlock. Some of the wildlife in our forest include the white-tail deer, fox, fisher, raccoon, beaver, rabbit, chipmunk, squirrel, turkey, crow and perhaps even ruffed grouse.

    Everyone has seen trees. They are our largest plants. But do you know how to identify the tree you are looking at? Trees differ in shape, leaves, bark, flowers, and seeds. The trees of winter are very different without their leaves of summer. This time of year you can easily see the difference between "hardwoods" and "softwoods". Can you identify some of the wildlife tracks you may find? Rockingham County Forester, Fred Borman, will be our valuable expert about the forest and its wildlife.

    A forest walk is a wonderful outdoor activity with family and friends. To enhance your outing, you will receive a free "Pocket Guide to N.H. Animal Tracks" provided by the N.H. Fish and Game Department and a map of the Danville Town Forest. Be sure to wear appropriate clothing and comfortable walking boots or snowshoes or cross-country skis. Also for your enjoyment, bring along a camera and binoculars and a snack and beverage. Refreshments will be provided.

    The Danville Town Forest is located on Route 111A (Main Street). We will gather at the "Hawke Conservation Area" parking lot. So leave the cabin fever behind, and please come to enjoy an hour or two of Danville’s great public land of woods, wildlife and wetlands. For more information, please call Betsy Sanders at 642-5070.

     

    STEWARDSHIP PLAN APPROVED BY THE TOWN

    The Stewardship Plan for the Town Forest has been completed.

    11/1/08 Wildlife Habitat Walk

    On Saturday morning, November 1st from 10 -12, there will be a wildlife habitat walk hosted by the Danville Forestry Committee with Fred Borman, Rockingham County Forester and Wildlife Educator. Have you ever wondered about the relationship of forest critters and their forest surroundings? Have you ever wondered what can be done to create habitat conditions that would attract a greater diversity of animals and to benefit the public’s use of the town owned lands?

    A wildlife habitat is the sum of several environmental factors including food, water, cover, and space that each species needs to survive. A “Town Forest Stewardship Plan” has recently been prepared for the Town of Danville to meet the provisions of a proposed conservation easement on the Town Forest with the Audubon Society. The plan states that a goal of the plan “is to understand and appreciate the values of the Town Forest”.

    If you are interested in learning about the value of wildlife habitat relationships, and the importance of forest structure, please join the walk on November 1st. Public input from participants will be appreciated. The event will start from the Colby Pond Recreation area off of G.H. Carter Drive, and then proceed along the power line to “Tucker Road”, amble down the old trail to the site of the gravel pit and a stand of red pines for discussion about how stewardship can enhance the town forest.

    For more information, please call Betsy Sanders at 642-5070.

    EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES

    DANVILLE – The 423 acre Danville Town Forest is public land, and therefore the ownership of the property lies with you – the public. As a landowner, you hold the key and responsibility to providing a healthy forest for generations to come. Good management decisions require an understanding of the resource being managed.

    The Town of Danville is conveying a conservation easement on the Town Forest to the Audubon Society. The easement deed requires that any management on the property be consistent with the “stewardship” goals and management objectives provided in a formal written “Stewardship” Plan. Through the financial support of the New Hampshire Estuaries Project, Ellen Snyder, Certified Wildlife Biologist, of Ibis Wildlife Consulting has been selected to prepare the Stewardship Plan in consultation with the Town.

    To help understand and make decisions about the management of the town forest, the public is invited to attend a very special meeting where community input and conversation about a long term stewardship plan that sets goals and objectives to achieve are the topic of discussion. This meeting will help us to understand the dynamics and need to maintain our public lands. There is no simple formula for success, but creating a sense of balance and diversity within this large tract of land is important to the landscape, the trees, and the wildlife. Balance and diversity within these lands include the basic life needs for food, water, shelter, and space for wildlife.

    As residents of Danville and surrounding communities, we have an important responsibility to take care of our public lands. The role of residents is to develop a vision and a plan that emphasizes the variety of long term forest management that relate to the interests of the owners. Such interests may include soil and water quality, riparian and wetland areas, wildlife and fish habitat, outdoor recreation and aesthetics, and different varieties of plants and animals.

    Please come to the Danville Town Hall on Route 111A on Thursday, July 24th at 7:00 pm to interact with Ellen Snyder, the Forestry and Conservation Committees, the Heritage Commission and the Selectmen to help with the an important phase of the Stewardship Plan. Refreshments will be served. For more information, please call Betsy Sanders at 642-5070.

    Our consultant, Ellen Snyder, has produced a wealth of useful information documenting the current conditions of the forest.

    Draft of Chapters 1 and 2 of the Stewardship Plan

    Maps of the Town Forest

    Video of Joint Meeting of 4/2/08

    Video of Joint Meeting of 6/26/08

    DANVILLE – On Sunday morning at 10:00 am, July 27th there will be a walk in the forest to discover its wonders. The hour long walk will start from the Hawke Conservation Area parking lot off 111A in Danville. This walk is one of the first steps to developing a forest stewardship plan. In order to know what is to be managed, you have to know your forest and the resources that are available within it.

    We will travel a path that loops around from the parking area, passes by the heron rookery, then the dark black mud beaver lodge that stands high in the pond, then onto Tucker Road and then travel south back to the parking area. During the walk we will keep a list of the important things that we see – trees, insects, birds, turtles, plants, stone walls, nuts, and maybe if we are lucky to see wildlife animals. Bring your favorite field guide to help with the identification of forest inhabitants.

    An important part of any forest is its ability to attract and provide for wildlife. A healthy forest needs wildlife. To survive, every living thing in a forest requires four basic habitat elements (1) food, (2) water, (3) cover, (4) and space. Ellen Snyder, Certified Wildlife Biologist, who is developing the town’s Stewardship Plan for the town forest, will explain the interaction of different forest habitats and wildlife.

    A forest walk is a wonderful outdoor activity with family and friends. To enhance your outing, you will receive a free “Pocket Guide to N.H. Animal Tracks” provided by the N.H. Fish and Game Department and other free forest and wildlife information. There will be light refreshments. Be sure to wear appropriate clothing and shoes. Also for your enjoyment, bring along a camera and binoculars and a snack and beverage. We will be seeking photographs during the walk to post on the information board at the parking lot for visitors to see.

    Please come and enjoy an hour or two of Danville’s great public land and space – 423 acres – of forest and wetlands. Be a critical part of the decisions that will enhance and sustain this public land for all future generations. For more information, please call Betsy Sanders at 642-5070.

    CELEBRATE EARTH DAY

    April is a grand month of activities! To celebrate Earth Day, the Danville Forestry Committee is hosting an educational day for the public to learn about the Danville Town Forest on Sunday, April, 20, 2008 at 10:00 am at the Hawke Conservation Area parking lot. There will be free information and exhibits about forests and wildlife. Some refreshments will be available for your enjoyment.

    Visitors are welcome to roam any of the forest walking paths to see the changing forest habitats as winter moves to spring’s warm and long days. The Great Blue Herons are back and nesting. Wild ducks have paired up for their own spring celebration. Salamanders are making their way to vernal pools to carefully place their eggs. Wild flowers are preparing to show off their blossoms. Trees display their buds that will make the forest green again. Spring peepers are anxious to shout their call announcing spring. Each of the wildlife and plants celebrate Earth Day in their own way.

    There are four new “Habitat Stewardship Series” publications on the UNH Cooperative Extension’s webpage (http://extension.unh.edu/Forestry.htm) that are worth viewing and printing: Vernal Pools, Grasslands, Floodplain Forests, and Marsh & Shrub Wetlands. Learning about forest habitats creates a better understanding of the importance to responsibly manage our forests that are critical for wildlife, clean water, scenic views, fresh air, and recreation.

    Please come and join our special celebration! Bring your family and friends. For more information, call Betsy Sanders at 642-5070.

    WHO GOES THERE? -- DANVILLE TOWN FOREST WALK (February 24, 2008)

    DANVILLE – Want to find out? Gather your winter weather clothes, grab a camera, pack a snack or two and get ready to join the Danville Forestry Committee for a walk in the Town Forest on Sunday morning, February 24, 2008 at 10:00 am for a couple of hours to chase away any cabin fever that may be going around.

    Snow covered ground is a fun way to use your imagination to see wildlife in our forests. What appears to be only the black of leafless trees and the white of snow is really a picture of a world of walking animals, growing plants, and hibernating critters. The signs of life are everywhere for the careful observer.

    On the walk we will look for animal tracks and scat, nests and dens, woodpecker holes, winter food berries and other food sources. The inside of a beaver lodge can be 60 degrees warmer than outdoors. The skunk sometimes makes an appearance around Valentine’s Day. Wild turkeys become braver as food supplies are harder to find. Bird’s nest can easily been seen with some snow perched inside rather than little eggs. Blue jay’s are sharp lookouts and sometimes sounds an alarm. The small chickadee says “chick-a-dee-dee”. Beneath the ice, some aquatic plants are getting ready for spring. The buds on trees are waiting patiently for warm and sunny days. Snowshoe hares leave impressive tracks. Porcupines leave hemlock pieces beneath the shelter of a tree. Our four legged friends walk, trot, gallop, bound, hop and jump. There are deer, fox, mice, squirrels, coyote, raccoons, minks and birds.

    The walk starts on Sunday morning, February 24th at 10:00 am. Parking will be at the Hawke Conservation Area at 111A near the Old Meeting House. The trail leads through a winding path to Tucker Road and then follows Tucker Road for about a mile. The winter cold allows a hiker to cross the two or more flooded areas that are either not passable in the summer. There will be refreshments for those who want to linger awhile.

    Please contact Betsy Sanders at 642-5070 for more information. Oh yes, please bring your field guide too to help determine “who goes there?”

    CHILL OUT - DANVILLE TOWN FOREST WALK (January 20, 2008)

    DANVILLE –The Danville Forestry Committee is hosting a “Town Forest Chill Out Walk” on Sunday at 10:00 am on January 20, 2008. The open house is truly an open outdoor winter event. With snow packed down on the trail (hopefully), it is a relatively effortless path for young and old to follow on foot, snowshoes, or cross county skis. You will have an opportunity to see the changing landscape of hills, rocks, trees, plants, small streams, vernal pools, and some wildlife may even be visible. The living diversity of the forest will show off its winter attire.

    Some of the trees in our forest include the maple, oak, beech, birch, ash, sassafras, pine, spruce, and hemlock. Some of the wildlife in our forest include the white-tail deer, fox, fisher, raccoon, beaver, rabbit, chipmunk, squirrel, turkey, crow and perhaps even ruffed grouse.

    Everyone has seen trees. They are our largest plants. But do you know how to identify the tree you are looking at? Trees differ in shape, leaves, bark, flowers, and seeds. This time of year you can easily see the difference between “hardwoods” and “softwoods”. Can you identify some of the wildlife tracks you may find?

    A forest walk is a wonderful outdoor activity with family and friends. To enhance your outing, you will receive a free “Pocket Guide to N.H. Animal Tracks” provided by the N.H. Fish and Game Department and a map of our forest prepared by Charles A. Moreno, Danville’s Consulting Forester. Be sure to wear appropriate clothing and comfortable walking boots or snowshoes or cross-country skis. Also for your enjoyment, bring along a camera and binoculars and a snack and beverage. Some refreshments will be provided.

    The Danville Town Forest is located on Route 111A (Main Street). We will gather at the new parking area. Please come and enjoy an hour or two of Danville’s great public land and space of 423 acres of woods, wildlife and wetlands. For more information, please call Betsy Sanders at 642-5070.


    Announcements

    The New Parking Area was Dedicated on Sunday, October 22

    Sunday morning saw members of the Danville Brownie Girl Scout Troop 2178 come out for a dedication ceremony led by State Representative and Forestry Committee member Betsy Sanders.

    Print our Printable Trail Map.

    Parking Area Open for Public Use

    Our new parking area at the former "West" parcel, to be known as the Hawke Conservation Area, was approved by the Heritage Commission (as required by the historic district ordinance) on Wednesday, June 14. We received our highway entrance permit from the state on June 26. No more approvals are needed.

    We set the sign in concrete on Saturday, July 8. We also placed a small sign at the entrance to the parcel, and cleared brush for sight distance. That sign has since been replaced by a permanent sign that has attracted many favorable comments.



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