CONTACT:
Melissa Doperalski, NHFG: (603) 271-1738
Ellen Snyder, Durham Land Stewardship Coordinator: (603) 583-0039
May 4, 2018
DURHAM, NH – The Town of Durham, in collaboration with NH Fish and Game, is seeking volunteers to help plant more than 6,000 native shrubs to benefit wildlife. The shrubs will help the endangered New England cottontail, as well as snowshoe hare, wild turkey, songbirds, butterflies, and wild bumblebees. Volunteers will plant native shrubs at Durham’s Thompson Forest on Wednesday Hill Road, on Saturday, May 12, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
“Volunteering to plant shrubs is a great way to spend time outdoors helping wildlife, while also learning about Durham’s newest conservation area,” said Ellen Snyder, Durham’s Land Stewardship Coordinator.
No experience is necessary and organizers will provide all the tools and instruction. Families are welcome to participate.
The 54-acre Thompson Forest is a mix of field and woods with extensive frontage on the wild and scenic Lamprey River. A new loop trail leads through the field and woods to the river. The native plantings are part of a 15-acre habitat restoration to create native shrubland in an area that was over-run with large invasive shrubs. NH Fish and Game funded the mechanical removal of the invasive plants and middle-aged forest last fall and purchased the native shrubs. The Thompson Forest is within the focus area for conserving habitat for New England cottontails, a state-endangered species that relies on dense shrubland habitat (“thickets”).
For more information and to sign up, visit:
https://naturegroupie.org/events-training?jobId=a020f00000eG7vgAAC. If you have questions, contact Ellen Snyder at ellensnyder1@gmail.com or (603) 659-6250.
To learn about other projects taking place in New Hampshire to help recover the New England cottontail, visit www.wildnh.com/nongame/project-ne-cottontail.html.