Gorham, NH – December 3, 2020-  The White Mountain National Forest is pleased to welcome new Androscoggin District Ranger, Josh Sjostrom.  Josh comes to the Androscoggin Ranger District from the Mother Lode Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in central California, where he has served as the Assistant Field Manager.

Prior to his service with the BLM Josh worked for the Forest Service for almost 15 years, beginning his federal career on the Androscoggin Ranger District of the White Mountain National Forest as a Forestry Technician.  “I’m very pleased to welcome Josh back to the White Mountain National Forest,” said White Mountain National Forest Supervisor Derek Ibarguen.  “His diverse background and leadership will be a great benefit on the District and the White Mountain NF.”

Josh grew up in Gorham, NH and holds a political science degree with a minor in business administration from the University of Maine.  He is an avid skier and hiker – and Red Sox fan – and looks forward to coming home to the Mt. Washington Valley.  “I am excited for the opportunity to work with the talented staff of the White Mountain National Forest,” said Sjostrom.  “I’m also looking forward to developing and strengthening the many valuable Forest Service partnerships here in the North Country.”

His Forest Service career also includes time as a Wildland Firefighter Apprentice and Hotshot on the Klamath National Forest in Region 5, and as a Natural Resource Specialist on the Eldorado National Forest where he spent almost 9 years.

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) announces partnerships with two social service agencies to provide community-based voluntary services (CBVS) for at-risk children and families. Waypoint, located in Manchester, and the Family Resources Center of Northern New Hampshire, located in Gorham, will provide critical support services across the state to promote safe, stable and nurturing families and communities.

Voluntary services are prevention tools to help families struggling with health and safety concerns that do not meet a finding of abuse or neglect today but could meet that standard without intervention by supportive community organizations. The new partnerships with Waypoint and the Family Resource Center will ensure that community-based voluntary services are available to families that have had initial contact with DCYF in order to strengthen the family setting and prevent future cases of abuse and neglect. These services will also increase DCYF’s statewide service array and advance efforts to provide New Hampshire families with the right services at the right time and in the right place.

“Ensuring that New Hampshire’s DCYF provides quality care and services to children and families across the Granite State has been a top priority of my administration,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “The announcement of these two partnerships, which will serve to provide voluntary services, is yet another step forward in ensuring we continue to meet that commitment and in ensuring support services are readily accessible to New Hampshire families directly within their communities.”

“We are thrilled to be working with two organizations with a demonstrated track record of helping children and families and with whom we have such a rich history,” said DCYF Director Joseph E. Ribsam. “Voluntary services help strengthen and preserve families, keep children safe at home, and foster environments in which they will thrive. As we continue to make our way through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, these community-based services will be a lifeline to our families as they regain their strength and resilience.”

“We are very excited by this opportunity,” says Borja Alvarez de Toledo, president and CEO of Waypoint. “Prevention services of this caliber will reduce reliance on state systems, and are transformative in the way they protect children and families.”

“We have been supporting families for more than 22 years through our five locations in the North Country,” said Patti Stolte, Executive Director of the Family Resource Center of Northern New Hampshire. “We’ve provided an array of services offered in our state from those seeking information on parenting to those needing interventions or even working towards family reunification. The new program under FRC known as Building Families Foundation is revolutionary in recognizing that families can experience a crisis, but with some intensive, short term care, can move quickly out of an at-risk situation with their family intact and achieve long-term success.”

In April 2020, DCYF issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to expand the system of CBVS with a focus on strengthening the protective factors of families, including nurturing parenting skills and capabilities, addressing concrete needs, and supporting healthy family functioning. Feedback from a Request for Information issued by DHHS in October of 2019 informed the RFP, which includes features such as family engagement, flexibility of services, performance improvement, and adequate funding for service delivery.

To read the RFP, please visit https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/business/rfp/rfp-2021-dcyf-03-commu.htm.

 

Conway, NH – The Upper Saco Valley Land Trust purchased a conservation easement on the Lucy Brook Farm earlier this month. Near the foot of Cathedral Ledge, this land includes over 3,000 feet of frontage along Lucy Brook and the Saco River. The farm also boasts a high-yield aquifer, important agricultural soils, and connectivity to other conserved lands. This corner of Conway was settled by the John Lucy family in the early 1800’s, and many of his descendants (including the Gaudettes) still live on and farm the land. This conservation easement will allow the farm to remain intact for future generations. We thank the Gaudette family for their vision, passion, and stewardship of the land.

“We offer our profound thanks to all the funders who made this project happen, as well as to the Gaudette family for their generosity and patience,” said the Land Trust’s President, Doug Burnell. “We first started talking with the Gaudettes more than four years ago about their conservation options and future vision for their land.  The conservation of their iconic farm is finally a reality, and it is now protected as farmland for generations to come, in perpetuity.”

This project was made possible with support from The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Conservation Easement Program; The New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund; The NH State Conservation Commission Moose Plate Grant; The Town of Conway; an anonymous family foundation; and several donors who are dedicated to sustainable agriculture. In addition, the Gaudette family was instrumental in getting the project accomplished, both through their patience and by taking a reduction in the sales price of the easement.

The Upper Saco Valley Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our motto is “Preserving Land for Community Benefit.” USVLT has completed 74 conservation projects since 2001, totaling over 12,800 acres throughout the towns of Hart’s Location, Bartlett, Jackson, Albany, Chatham, Conway, Eaton, and Madison in New Hampshire, and Brownfield, Denmark, and Fryeburg in Maine. Learn more about the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust by calling (603)662-0008 or visiting www.usvlt.org