[Pollinator] New Hampshire News - El Nino and Wildlfie Habitiat Grants Deadline for Teachers

[Ladadams at aol.com]

El Nino's not the only weather maker 
Also: It's time for educators to apply for Wildlife Action grants 


By BOB WASHBURN
For the Monitor



January 21. 2007 10:02AM 


M
ild winter temperatures in New Hampshire and snow in Malibu, is there a 
responsible party to blame here? 
If you said El Nino, you can go to the head of the class. Most people have 
heard something about the weather influence of El Nino and La Nina, but I bet 
that unless you are as fascinated by weather as I am, you never heard of the 
Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) or the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). 
El Nino and La Nina are present at the equatorial band of the Pacific Ocean. 
When it's warm, it's called El Nino and when it's cold, it's called La Nina. 
The warming and cooling is accomplished by trade winds. When the trade winds 
subside, the water warms; when the trade winds increase, they have a cooling 
effect. Technically it is known as El Nino/Southern Oscillation ENSO. ENSO has up 
to an 18-month cycle and affects weather worldwide. Six months ago, a mild 
warming El Nino trend was detected, foretelling a mild winter. 
There are two other influences that affect weather. The Pacific Decadal 
Oscillation (PDO) appears to mostly influence Alaska. The range of the PDO is 10 to 
20 years. The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is the more fascinating 
of the two and lasts from 20 to 60 years. 
A recent study links the AMO to western wildfires. It seems when water 
temperature in the AMO increase, forest fires in the west increase, and when 
temperatures decline, the incidence of forest fires declines. Scientists were able to 
correlate tree rings from forest fires to recorded patterns of the AMO. 
---ADVERTISEMENT---
 
How the AMO and El Nino affect our weather awaits further scientific study, 
but it is known that at times they complement each other, making the effects 
stronger. Some are claiming the AMO masks the effects of global warming during 
the periods of temperature decline and makes it worse when there is temperature 
increase. 
• • q 
The first three months of the year allow for night hunting for coyotes, the 
rest of the year it is strictly during daylight hours. Montana allows for 
'round-the-clock coyote hunting year round. Last weekend, Baker, Mont. - a tiny but 
thriving community of 1,700 - held its annual coyote calling contest. The 
U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates coyotes caused $47 million in damages to 
the cattle industry and $10 million to the sheep industry. So you can imagine 
that those involved with raising sheep or cattle would be supporting such an 
event. The surprise reaction was kind of mixed. Shooters were organized into 
three-man teams with strict rules. There was also a requirement for written 
landowner permission. 
If the thought behind the contest was to thin coyote numbers, it never works. 
In reality, over time the coyotes will replace the number taken with new 
coyotes. They live in numbers that will be supported by habitat. For sheer 
numbers, the Department of Agriculture shoots, poisons, traps or otherwise destroys 
80,000 coyotes a year on public and private land. A total pool of some 200 
entrants were expected, which made for a potential pool of $8,000. Baker has yet 
to post the results. 
• • q 
It is time once again for teachers interested in starting wildlife habitat 
projects to apply to the Homes for Wildlife Action Grant Program at NH Fish and 
Game. The program provides mini-grants up to $300 or $600 with matching funds 
for projects allowing students and educators to enhance habitat for people and 
wildlife. 
The Homes for Wildlife Action Grant Program is designed to support student 
environmental action that can be measured in acres improved or protected for 
wildlife. Activities can include hands-on schoolyard or community habitat 
improvement or projects that influence community attitudes about maintaining or 
protecting wildlife habitat. 
The grant program is funded by the Conservation License Plate fund, through 
the Non-game and Endangered Wildlife Program at Fish and Game. Each applicant 
may request up to $300 or up to $600 if a dollar-for-dollar match can be 
provided by the school or organization for any amount over the initial $300. A match 
is not required for the first $300. 
To apply for a grant you must be a Project Home facilitator; teacher and 
educators trained in Project Wild; or any teacher with a member of one of these 
programs on a project team. 
Examples of past projects funded by Wildlife Action Grants include: Berlin 
High School installed 10 bat boxes along the Dead River and planted grasses for 
vegetative cover in runoff areas; St. Anthony's School in Manchester used its 
grant to initiate "Wildlife in the City," a bird and pollinator garden with 
native and ornamental plants, feeders and feeding stations; at Concord's Beaver 
Meadow School, students established four pollinator gardens using seeds and 
young plants that host butterflies and other insects and birds. They also 
replaced six invasive burning bushes with appropriate native plants. 
The contact person for this program is Marilyn Wyzga, Public Affairs Division 
at Fish and Game. Email her at mwyzga at wildlife.state.nh.us or call 271-3211. 
• • q 
I would be sadly remiss if I didn't mention the unfortunate passing of former 
mayor David Coeyman. Dave was an exceptional individual and a long-time 
friend. One of the projects we labored on was keeping the Broken Ground in its 
current state of being undeveloped broken ground. 
It was on a dark and stormy night that the Golden Bear, Jack Nicholas, was 
due to unveil his design for an 18-hole golf course that would forever change 
the footprint of this undeveloped part of the city. Storms cancelled Nicholas's 
arrival. 
Broken Ground earned its name by its many granite ledge outcroppings, swamps 
and other natural impediments that make hiking it a real challenge if you 
stray off certain trails. The city owns several large sections of land in the 
Broken Ground and I can think of no better memorial than to name one of the 
parcels after Coeymen. This action would help remind those who are using the area 
for recreational purposes of the man who helped keep part of the Broken Ground 
in a natural state. 
(Bob Washburn can be reached at hunterscorner at aol.com.) 
This article is: 2 days old. 



Laurie Davies Adams
Executive Director
Coevolution Institute
423 Washington St. 5th
San Francisco, CA 94111
415 362 1137
LDA at coevolution.org
http://www.coevolution.org/
http://www.pollinator.org/
http://www.nappc.org/

Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week:  June 24-30, 2007.  Contact us 
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