3/19/2018 0 Comments Monday: Whirlwind of MeetingsWe started off the working week strong with a series of Community Partner meetings! We all learned so much today and had some great discussions both with our partners and in the car together riding between our meetings. First thing in the morning, we met with Kimberly and Nicole, from Kreativ Strategies, a social media agency from Dover, NH. (https://www.facebook.com/kreativstrategies/) They talked with us about how the rise of social media has been really beneficial for advocacy groups because it allows them to build support and awareness without requiring too much start-up cost. In addition, social media allows people to engage with causes on their own time, which gives more people the opportunity to become advocates. Kimberly has become involved behind-the-scenes with several public lands advocacy causes, including a campaign fighting against the Northern Pass powerline that was slated to cut across the White Mountains National Forest, but which has been postponed due to public opposition (https://www.facebook.com/NoNorthernPass/). We asked her for some tips for social media advocacy: our main take-aways were to post engaging content, not to post too frequently but to engage with people who comment on posts, to know your audience, and most importantly to offer "Calls to Action" in which audience members are given a concrete action that they can take to support your cause (eg sign a petition, write to your senator, etc). Thanks Kimberly and Nicole! Next we drove up the scenic Route 16 to Pinkham Notch, slowing down to admire the FANTASTIC views of Mt. Washington on the way. Our destination? Joe Dodge Lodge, an Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) lodge at the base of Mt. Washington. There we met with Dave Publicover, a staff scientist with the AMC with expertise in Forestry and Forest Ecology. He has studied the landscape of the White Mountains with the AMC extensively over the last 25 years. He showed us the distribution of public lands in New Hampshire and Maine and talked about how differences in how conservation easements, state forests, national forests and national parks are managed. The AMC has partnered extensively with the Forest Service to support recreation in the White Mountains and the surrounding region, so it was interesting to hear Dave's perspective on scientific and social elements of the national forests. We then drove down to the Headquarters of the Pemigewasset Ranger District, one of 3 districts that serve the White Mountains National Forest. There we met with Tom Giles, a district ranger. He talked to us about the mission of the Forest Service and then showed us around their facility. We visited their heating system, which is run on wood pellets made from locally sourced wood, and then their various workshops. We were very impressed with their woodworking room, where volunteers make signs for trails. We also got the chance to learn a bit about the Forest Service's work with recreation, forest management, and wildlife conservation. Can't wait to learn more tomorrow when we talk with people from the Saco district! - Sonia Howlett
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Mission:We aim to investigate, with our participants, how public lands influence communities and vice versa. To fulfill this mission, we will explore how various issues and politics of conservation, recreation, and development (et cetera) converge in influencing the discussions and social implications of public land use. After this exploration we hope that our participants will gain an appreciation of the role of public land in communities and landscapes, be more informed about the implications of land management decisions, and be able to find ways to continue to engage with this topic at home and on campus. ArchivesCategories |