The Andover Conservation Commission’s (ACC) summer-long “Taking Action for Wildlife” project continues in August with a talk and walk focusing on Bog Bond, an illustrated talk by Rick “MooseMan” Libbey, and a continuing wildlife photography exhibit in the Andover Public Library.
Here’s the line-up:
Bog Pond Talk/Walk
On Monday, August 19, beginning at 10:30 AM, join Emma Carcagno of the University of New Hampshire at the Blackwater Junction Restaurant for a short talk describing the various kinds of wildlife supported by, and attracted to, boggy and swampy areas of town. (The restaurant, normally closed on Mondays, will open its doors especially for the meeting, courtesy of owner Greg Hamel.)
After the talk, Emma will lead attendees on a short walking tour of Bog Pond, one of the town’s highest-rated areas for wildlife habitat. Both walk and talk are free and open to the public.
Emma came to the UNH Cooperative Extension in 2007 after completing her master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology at UNH with a focus on vernal pool amphibians. In her current position, she provides assistance to private landowners interested in managing their land with wildlife in mind.
She has been part of the New England cottontail recovery effort in New Hampshire through outreach and recruitment of private and municipal landowners. She previously worked with the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska, the UNH Department of Natural Resources, and the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire.
The goal of the presentation, according to Mary Anne Broshek, ACC chair, is to help local residents better understand what they can do to make their properties more attractive to wildlife, and why such action is important.
If you attend the walk, wear shoes that can get wet! For more information, call Nan Kaplan at 735-5352.
Wildlife Captured by Camera
On Thursday evening, August 29, beginning at 7 PM, Andover’s own MooseMan, Rick Libbey, will share his experiences as a wildlife photographer in an illustrated talk in Proctor Academy’s Stone Chapel on the Village Green. The talk is open to the public at no charge.
A fulltime wildlife photographer since 2009, Rick traces his interest in camerawork back to 1981, when he visited a wilderness lake in Maine with a little Instamatic film camera. Unsatisfied with the results, he moved on to more sophisticated gear.
“But looking back,” he says, “I know the gear wasn’t the important part. It was the passion that developed within me for just being out in the bush country with all the wildlife, but in particular with moose.
“By the summer of 2003,” he continues, “it became clear to me that I had found my true calling. Simply said, it’s to be ‘in the company of moose.’ It is what I am supposed to be doing.”
Rick’s work was featured on the cover of the spring 2013 issue of Kearsarge Magazine. Samples of his work and items for sale can be found at MoosemanNaturePhotos.com.
Wildlife Photo Exhibit Continues
Throughout the month, an exhibit featuring the wildlife photographs of about a dozen local residents continues in the entry room of the Andover Public Library in the Town Hall. Participants as of June 19 include Lew Allison, Donna Baker-Hartwell, and Joyce Bourdon. The exhibit also includes maps of Andover showing “hot spots” where wildlife has been spotted, as identified by residents on the last Town Meeting Day.
The exhibit is free and open to the public during normal library hours.
As a spinoff of the exhibit, an “Identify the Critters” contest for kids 12 and younger appears in the August issue of the Beacon and on the Web site here.
ACC’s “Taking Action for Wildlife” project has been guided by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. You can access the Andover wildlife maps at TinyURL.com/Andover-Wildlife-Maps or learn more about the state program at Extension.UNH.edu/fwt/tafw.