SENSE OF PLACE
A Series of Community Forums on Outdoor Recreation and Public Lands in the Mount Washington Valley
Building Partnerships &
Maintaining Trails
Tuckerman Brewing Company | Feb 5 | 6-7:30pm
How do recreation groups and land managers work together to maintain and create trails? Granite Backcountry Alliance has made headlines with their active approach to working with land managers to expand local backcountry skiing opportunities. Join this forum to discuss how landowners, land managers, and recreation user groups can work together to maintain and improve the network of trails in and around the Mount Washington Valley. Panelists will share short stories illustrating how they’ve navigated user group–land manager relationships followed by a facilitated Q&A and group discussion about local trail-related issues.
Panelists:
Tyler Ray- Granite Backcountry Alliance
William Abbott- Upper Saco Valley Land Trust
Erik Nelson- New Hampshire State Parks
Cristin Bailey- U.S. Forest Service - WMNF Zack Urgese- Appalachian Mountain Club
FREE ADMISSION | RESERVE YOUR SPOT
Mountain Safety & Rescue: Beyond the Ten Essentials
Tuckerman Brewing Company | Mar 4 | 6-7:30pm
What happens when you do it all right and things still go wrong? Join this forum to hear stories from the front lines of accidents and adventures. We’ll discuss the common and uncommon hazards people face outdoors in the White Mountains. From mountain biking to winter hiking to climbing, we’ll hear what search and rescue efforts entail and what we can learn from recent events. Snow Rangers, Mountain Rescue Service, Conway Fire Department, and NH Fish and Game will be on hand to share stories and answer questions.
Panelists:
Helon Hoffer- Mount Washington Avalanche Center
Alex Lopochansk- New Hampshire Fish and Game
Alexa Siegel- Mountain Rescue Service
Chief Steve Solomon- Conway Fire Department
FREE ADMISSION | RESERVE YOUR SPOT
Supporting Diversity and Inclusion in the Outdoors
REI Co-op North | April 1 | 6-7:30pm
How can we cultivate a more inclusive outdoor recreation community in the Mount Washington Valley? What practical steps can user groups, local businesses, and local community members take to support more diverse participation in the outdoors, including people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGTBQ+ community? Panelists from Venture Outdoors, Outdoor Afro, the Kismet Rock Foundation, and the White Mountain National Forest will share their perspectives, followed by a facilitated discussion.
FREE ADMISSION | RESERVE YOUR SPOT
Balancing Sustainable Recreation & Wildlife - CANCELED
Ragged Mountain Equipment | May 6 | 6-7:30pm
What is the state of our wildlife populations in the Mount Washington Valley region and what tradeoffs exist between outdoor pursuits and wildlife? Join this forum for a discussion of the impacts of trails and trail use on wildlife and the steps land managers are taking to understand and balance human activity and wildlife protection.
Panelists:
Jessie Dubuque - Wildlife Biologist
Katie Callahan - NH Fish and Game
Lynn Christenson - Vassar College
FREE ADMISSION | RESERVE YOUR SPOT
Recreating in a Changing Climate
Zip’s Pub @ Cranmore | June 3 | 6-7:30pm
Decades of local weather data show clear trends of declining snowpack, warming winter air temperatures, increases in annual precipitation, and increases in large rain events. How are these current climate trends, which are expected to continue, affecting outdoor recreation and the growing outdoor recreation economy in the Mount Washington Valley? How are trails and trail infrastructure being affected and how are user groups and land managers mitigating the challenges of climate change? Join this forum for a discussion with ecologists, climate scientists, local business owners, and user groups about the local impacts of climate change and what actions we can all take.
Panelists:
Sara Nelson - AMC Director of Research
Lindsey Rustad- USFS Hubbard Brook’s Lead Investigator
Ben Wilcox- Cranmore Mountain Resort General Manager
FREE ADMISSION | RESERVE YOUR SPOT