Do you work with volunteers in the outdoors? If so, this section is for you. Best practices include practical tips for how to be more effective in our work in citizen science, stewardship, and outdoor volunteering. Check out the resources, stories, and more below for new ideas, guides, and inspiration!
Resources
Featured
A free newsletter that navigates the world of stewardship, citizen science, and volunteers.
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Featured
A series of free guides to help learn and teach stewardship skills.
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Use this worksheet to draft a volunteer position description to recruit volunteers and plan your stewardship project.
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A summary of findings from meetings held with New England conservation organizations in 2016-17 considering the possible leveraging or expansion of the Stewardship Network: New England beyond New Hampshire.
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A list of ideas for ways to recruit volunteers for stewardship projects.
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Learn how to map invasive plants using EDDMaps, so your observations will contribute to a wider effort.
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A good example of invasive plant outreach materials, created by the Peterborough, NH Conservation Commission
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Explore stewardship and citizen science action by Nature Groupie volunteers across New England
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Building trails correctly the first time will reduce maintenance needs in the future, but not eliminate them.
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Full report of Nov. 17, 2016 meeting "Fostering a Culture of Stewardship: Can we Leverage the Stewardship Network Model Beyond New Hampshire?"
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Full report of all notes and comments submitted by participants at Feb. 15, 2017 web-based meeting on Network expansion.
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A guide to invasive plant management in New Hampshire, compiled by NH Fish & Game.
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Knotweed Best Management Practices from the NH Department of Agriculture
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A short guide to planning a volunteer trails workday, compiled by UNH Extension and Nature Groupie staff.
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A sample volunteer conservation easement monitoring form.
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Links to full results of 2016 research question, "What do partners in the Stewardship Network: New England most value about it?"
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A 2013 report summarizing the stewardship needs and concerns of conservation partners in New Hampshire and neighboring communities.
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Poster summarizing work of the Stewardship Network: New England from launch through Oct. 2014.
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We've pulled together some numbers from the first two years of The Stewardship Network: New England. What's the impact?
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A checklist to help you prepare for an invasive plants workday.
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Tips for working with citizen science volunteers compiled by UNH Extension, Nature Groupie, and NH Sea Grant staff.
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Want tips for best practices in working with stewardship volunteers? Here are 12 steps to a successful conservation volunteer event, program, or experience.
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Want to know how different people use the Network (now called Nature Groupie)? Watch this video from 2016 and be inspired!
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Learn to how to safely remove gloves and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
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Summary of results and input from 2016 partner research efforts
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Stories
Wednesday, March 27, 1:38pm by Malin Clyde The Picture Post project has ended, the website is down, and it will not be restored. What does this mean for citizen science?
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Friday, February 16, 3:34pm by Charlotte Thompson Nature Groupie Features Make it Even Easier to Host a Good Event
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Friday, August 12, 9:10am by Malin Clyde Nature Groupie has a new feature designed to help volunteer managers listing new experiences on our website calendar.
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Tuesday, November 24, 1:49pm by Grace McCulloch Summer intern Grace provides insights and tips for first time outdoor volunteers.
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Tips we wished we’d known at the beginning of the summer to hopefully help others who want (or need) to explore NH's Salt Marshes in the summer!
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Sunday, April 11, 4:47pm by Malin Clyde What does the research say works to get trail users to clean up after their dog?
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Monday, February 1, 9:44am by Emma Tutein Tips for taking good photographs out in the field.
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Tuesday, June 23, 12:52pm by Malin Clyde Top 7 tips for safe outdoor volunteering during COVID-19
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Friday, May 8, 2:09pm by Malin Clyde Collected resources developed by UNH Extension and other organizations in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Wednesday, February 12, 1:34pm by Malin Clyde Nature Groupie launches quarterly survey to get feedback from volunteers.
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Friday, November 15, 12:20pm by Malin Clyde Want to get the most out of posting your event on the Nature Groupie online calendar? We've seen what works and what doesn't over six years and thousands of experiences posted by hundreds of groups. Check out our tips.
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Thursday, March 21, 10:19am by Malin Clyde Learn about the new features offered in the updated Nature Groupie website.
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Monday, November 26, 3:17pm by Sarah Schaier Free online training guides make it easy for anyone to organize a volunteer training workshop, learn best practices or simply brush up on their skills.
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Friday, April 13, 3:31pm by Malin Clyde This year, the Stewardship Network: New England became Nature Groupie. We made the change to reach new people. How is it working so far?
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Monday, January 15, 11:17am by Malin Clyde Good trail signs can help connect people to conserved lands. Check out these examples.
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Tuesday, January 2, 11:27am by Malin Clyde We are launching a new brand to reflect the joy of volunteering outdoors in New England. Check it out!
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Wednesday, March 29, 3:49pm by Emily Lord Who uses Nature Groupie, and what trends do our data show about volunteers and stewardship?
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Tuesday, March 28, 11:38am by Malin Clyde In 2016, the Network conducted a research effort to better understand how our conservation partners use and value Nature Groupie (formerly the Stewardship Network: New England).
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Friday, October 21, 11:40am by Emily Lord In early October, volunteers gathered in Swanzey, New Hampshire to put the finishing touches on a stream restoration project that put citizen science into action.
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Wednesday, September 14, 12:42pm by Gabe Roxby Picture Posts create opportunities for people to collaborate on environmental monitoring projects like this one by sharing digital photos
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Friday, January 8, 10:26am by Alyson Eberhardt We all have an intuitive sense of phenology. What does that mean and how can we take a closer look at these subtle changes?
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Monday, August 3, 2:44pm by Malin Clyde New Hampshire Lake Hosts continue to defend lakes from harmful invasive species
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Thursday, May 14, 3:20pm by Emma Tutein A small frog springs forward in front of my foot as we wrestle with a large, bright-orange “weed wrench,” a metal tool that helps pull invasive shrubs out of the ground.
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Thursday, December 18, 2:50pm by Haley Andreozzi NH Coverts Project volunteers promote wildlife habitat conservation and forest stewardship in more than 150 New Hampshire communities.
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Wednesday, August 20, 10:57am by Alicia Carlson I was somewhere I wouldn’t normally be on a Sunday morning in August—sitting in a canoe on Weirs Beach at the edge of Lake Winnipesaukee.
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Tuesday, August 5, 2:55pm by Lisa Demaine Summer intern Lisa Demaine's shares news of her summer spent working with UNH Extension and NH Sea Grant.
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Tuesday, June 10, 3:40pm by Malin Clyde Perfect weather made for an outstanding volunteer workday at Great Bay this spring.
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