UNH program seeks volunteers to train for helping wildlife and forests

By ABIGAIL HAM

Keene Sentinel

Published: 01-11-2025 5:30 PM

A UNH Extension and N.H. Fish and Game training program is seeking volunteers interested in learning more about wildlife habitats and land management.

Because most New Hampshire lands are privately owned, equipping landowners to manage their lands in ways that are beneficial to native wildlife is a priority for the state's Fish and Game Department, said Haley Andreozzi, UNH extension state specialist for wildlife conservation. 

The three-and-a-half-day training introduces participants to wildlife habitats, forest and habitat conservation, forest management and outreach through indoor lessons and outdoor excursions. The goal of the program is to equip people with information and skills to bring back to their own properties and communities, Andreozzi said.

Interested people can apply by downloading and completing the 2025 N.H. Coverts Project Application at nhcoverts.org by March 1. A covert (pronounced like "cover" with a "t") is "a thicket that provides shelter for wildlife," according to UNH Extension, symbolizing "the project’s goal of enhancing, restoring and conserving habitat for native wildlife in New Hampshire."

Program staff seek volunteers with the potential to have a significant positive effect on New Hampshire lands and wildlife. That includes landowners who want to learn more about how to manage their own fields and forests, people who serve on local planning boards or with conservation organizations, as well as artists and educators.

About 80 percent of Granite State land is privately owned, according to data from the Protected Areas Database of the United States, managed by the U.S. Geological Survey. For the U.S. overall, about 60 percent of land is privately owned. 

Andreozzi described the program as a “choose your own adventure” for volunteers. People who complete the training take a variety of approaches to putting their new knowledge to work, she said, from leading nature hikes and writing articles for local newsletters to better managing family land.

Former Cheshire County trainees in the program include Norman Spicher of Keene, who completed the program in 2014. Spicher grew up exploring woodlots that belonged to his uncle, a forester, and said an interest in conservation is "in his blood." 

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

The Coverts training empowered Spicher to spend several summers working for the Monadnock Conservancy and prepared him for his ongoing role as caretaker of one of his uncle's woodlots in Swanzey, which he inherited. 

Spicher said the training was a "great educational experience" where he learned about possibilities and resources and made connections. "About 25 people walk into a room that have never even seen each other ... three days later you're on top of Crotched Mountain and it's tears and laughter while you say goodbye to these people."

The program has trained a number of individuals in the Monadnock Region over the years, Andreozzi said. She described the volunteers in the region as “extremely dedicated, very collaborative and driven by community.”

These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.