Land Steward Potluck Tops Off a Great Year

A recap of 2016 events, good food and good company

February 3, 2017

Tags:: Land Stewards

Land Steward Program Coordinator Jenn Seredejko shows the program's growth since its start in 1993.

Every year land stewards get together to eat, swap stories, and reflect on the past year's stewardship work.

See below to learn more about what land stewards were up to in 2016:

2016 Land Steward Activities Photo Show:

Click play!

News

A Spirited Award for Lee Sarapas

Laurel Swope-Brush | November 12, 2024

Active, knowledgeable, and humble, Lee Sarapas has served as the land steward for the Lamprey River Forest in Epping since 2018 and the Jennings Forest in New Durham since 2023.

Welcome to the Newly Trained Volunteer Land Steward Class of 2024

Laurel Swope-Brush | April 15, 2024

Forty new land steward volunteers completed their training at a field day on April 14.

Service With a Smile: Celebrating Those Who Make Conservation Happen

February 8, 2020

For the last 27 years, the Forest Society has leaned on the assistance of community volunteers to monitor our conserved lands and help with special projects. Land Stewards form the backbone of our volunteer programs and are integral in meeting our mission. With the goal of recognizing their efforts, planning for the year to come, and gaining valuable feedback, each year Land Stewards and Forest Society staff meet at the Conservation Center to share a meal and a few stories, and to bask in the glow of service with a smile.

On January 30, more than 50 Land Stewards, guests, and prospective volunteers met for the annual meeting and brought along a home-cooked meal to share. The President of the Forest Society, Jack Savage, gave an address and took time to answer questions from our volunteers about where the organization is headed and where we currently stand. Before the talk went too far down the rabbit-hole of conservation issues in New Hampshire, someone from the group hollered out in a timely fashion, "Let's Eat!" It was a welcome reminder of why we were all present.

This annual event is part business and record-keeping, but also a great forum for one-on-one discussions and passing down stories and lessons from one generation to the next. Some of the Land Stewards have been volunteering for over 20 years. Others are new to the progam and excited to work with the Forest Society on conservation projects in this new millenium. There is something very New England about loading up your Crock-Pot for a meeting with your neighbors and sharing a meal together. The community that the Land Steward Program has established over the years is the reason I am passionate about the work we do. Sure, I love forests and outdoor recreation as much as the next guy, but what puts a smile on my face is introducing people to a forest for the first time and providing an opportunity for people give back and empowering them to take action to protect the resources within their own community.

Of the many great things I want to expand upon in 2020 and years to follow, is continuing to find and capitalize on our volunteers' unique skills. All we require of volunteer Land Stewards is to monitor an assigned forest reservation 4 times per year, but they keep asking to do more and more. These passionate individuals bring their enthusiasm and skills to volunteer trail-crew workdays, our citizen science initiatives, and assist Forest Society Staff and partner organizations on a number of conservation projects all over the state of New Hampshire.

This year, as a way to recognize one special volunteer, our staff presented Dave Heuss with a "golden hammer award" in recognition of his unique skills and commitment to the mission of the Forest Society through volunteerism. It's volunteers like Dave, and all who came out to the Annual Meeting & Potluck, that make the Land Steward Program more than just a sleepy monitoring obligation. It truly is a community of conservationists ready to offer their service with a smile.