Saturday, September 16, 2017
Claremont Savings Bank Community Center
152 South Street
Claremont, NH 03743
Field Trips and Workshops, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Meeting and Keynote Speaker, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
4:00 Registration and Reception
5:00 Business Meeting
6:00 Dinner
7:00 Awards and Program
Cost
Early Bird Price is $45 per person prior to August 18
Regular Price $50 per person.
Pre-registration is required. There will be no on-site registration. Please register early as space is limited.
NOTE: Online Registration is now closed. If you would like to attend, please call our office (603-224-9945) by 5 p.m. on Friday September 15. Thank-you!
Keynote Speaker
Her career began as a ghost writer for Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall in the 1960s and brought her to the White House to work for President Lyndon Johnson on projects authorizing new national parks, protecting wilderness areas and keeping a proposed dam from being built in the Grand Canyon. She also helped Lady Bird Johnson encourage beautification in cities and along highways throughout the country.
She later led the New Hampshire-Ohio Acid Rain Partnership, and during the Carter administration became the director of public participation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. From 1990 to 2010, Francis served as executive director of the Connecticut River Joint Commissions, fostering cooperation between Vermont and New Hampshire.
In 1990, she received the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Award from President George H. W. Bush, and in 2004, was selected for EPA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Francis is a past member of the Forest Society’s Board of Trustees and currently serves on the Policy Committee.
Field Trip Options
- Cornish Town Forest, 12:30-3:30 p.m.
This hike, co-sponsored by the Cornish Conservation Commission, will visit a “rich mesic forest” natural community and a scenic vista of Mount Ascutney overlooking the Connecticut River. The property was acquired by the Forest Society as part of the larger Olsen Estate tracts in the late 1990s and sold to the Town of Cornish with deed restrictions. This is a scenic loop hike of approximately three miles through Cornish Town Forest, a successful example of multi-use management including preservation of rare plants, forestry, hunting, mountain biking, hiking, primitive camping and limited motorized recreation. Difficulty: This hike is entirely on maintained trails but includes some steep terrain. - Andrew Brook Trail to Lake Solitude, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
This is a classic hike on the southeastern slope of Mount Sunapee along the Andrew Brook Trail to a high elevation "tarn," Lake Solitude. Lake Solitude and Mount Sunapee’s north face were protected by the Forest Society beginning in 1912. The hiking trail passes through the Forest Society's 112-acre Andrew Brook Forest in Newbury, which was protected in two stages in 2010 and 2016 with tremendous fundraising efforts in the local community. Round trip distance for the trail is 3.7 miles over moderately strenuous terrain with some steep and rocky sections. Elevation gain is approximately 1,400 feet. Enjoy the peaceful shore of Lake Solitude with early fall color, or ascend to White Ledges, with fantastic views of the lake below. Bring a bag lunch and plenty of water and wear sturdy hiking shoes. - The Cornish Arts Colony, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
This tour includes the conserved landscapes and historic architecture of a once-thriving arts colony established in Cornish overlooking the Connecticut River Valley. The Grace Bulkeley conservation easement property protects 773 acres of scenic forestland surrounding a historic private family estate located adjacent to Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish. The tour will also visit Saint-Gaudens, the historic home, studios and gardens of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of America’s greatest sculptors. There will be an opportunity to view more than 100 of the sculptor’s works in galleries and on the grounds. Easy walking. Driving required between sites. NOTE: An additional $10 per person National Park Service tour fee will apply; pay on site day of tour. - Forestry Tour at Diehl Forest Reservation in Lempster, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
A sustainable timber harvesting tour to learn from licensed N.H. foresters about the Forest Society’s long-term forestry objectives, sustainability practices and timber harvesting on conservation land. This tour of the 42-acre Diehl Reservation will be led by staff forester, Wendy Weisiger and consulting forester, Jeremy Turner. The harvest combines two different harvesting systems to achieve the silvicultural goals. Certified Logging contractor, DH Hardwick and Sons will first prepare the site through a mechanized whole tree system by carefully removing low-quality trees. This will be followed by certified loggers, Van and Tyler Webb of Harding Hill Farm carefully hand-felling high quality, over-sized white pine. Learn about the complexities of orchestrating a timber harvest and the role of wood markets and weather. The tour includes approximately one mile of hiking on uneven ground along skid trails.