New Hampshire conservation groups, agencies, and towns have plenty of stewardship work on lands, waterways, and trails in their care, but they also have a limited capacity to train and work with volunteers who might help. 

A new grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation to UNH Cooperative Extension's Nature Groupie will help increase the number of well-trained stewardship volunteers across the state. 

The grant provides $50,000 over two years to UNH Cooperative Extension's Stewardship Network: New England to work with conservation partners to develop a collaborative training program for stewardship volunteers in New Hampshire.

"Conservation groups and agencies need volunteers with the skills to help with stewardship projects," says Stewardship Network: New England Project Manager and UNH Cooperative Extension Specialist Malin Clyde. "We will be working with conservation partners to pilot new training programs for volunteers -- with materials that will be available online for all to use.

What Kinds of Training?

Conservation groups and agencies identified six (6) priority areas where trained volunteers could be most helpful: 

• Invasive plant mapping and control
• Monitoring conservation easements
• Leading field trips
• Basic trail maintenance and construction
• Leading volunteer workdays
• Outdoor skills such as boundary identification, reading maps & surveys, and getting around in the woods

In collaboration with partners, the Network will develop curricula, sample workshops, materials, and videos for each of these topics. Conservation organizations, towns, and agencies will have access to the materials for training stewardship volunteers across the state and beyond.