My service Forester recommended me for this intensive training. I am happy to say that I was successful in completing it, I learned a lot, and I had a great time! 18 April 2016: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Richard Julian of Warren, Massachusetts successfully completed the 3-day Training Workshop for the Keystone Project, held at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, April 14 -17. In ecology, a keystone species is one whose impacts on its environment are larger and greater than would be expected from one species. The Keystone Project invests education and reference materials in important, keystone people making a large impact at their local level. The training covers subjects such as forest ecology and management, wildlife management, land protection, and community outreach. In exchange for the training and take-home resources, graduates of the program, called Cooperators, agree to return to their communities and volunteer at least 30-hours of their time towards projects that promote forest and wildlife conservation. For more information about the Keystone Project, visit: University of Massachusetts Amherst | The Massachusetts Keystone Project The Keystone Project is designed to stimulate forest landowners and community opinion leaders to be advocates of sound forest conservation, and to help inform the land management and conservation decisions of their friends, neighbors, organizations, and communities. Keystone Cooperators can be very effective in doing this, since they are well-connected community leaders. Other past Cooperator projects have included permanently conserving their own land, initiating a forest landowner cooperative, promoting management on municipal and conservation lands, writing newspaper articles, hosting educational events, and improving their own properties for wildlife, recreation, and timber. More than three-fourths of all woodland in Massachusetts is owned by thousands of private families and individuals. Much of this land is at risk of conversion to developed uses. It is important to reach woodland owners as well as communities and land trusts with information on the care of their land. Keystone training is designed to provide Cooperators with skills and information to better engage in this important activity at the local level. The Keystone Project is organized by the University of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Conservation and UMass Extension, with support from the Harvard Forest, MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, the MA DCR Service Forestry Program, and the Leo S. Walsh Foundation. For more information on forest conservation or Keystone, contact: Rich via PM or Paul Catanzaro, Extension Assistant Professor; University of Massachusetts; 413 545-4839; [email protected]
And here I thought that this was what it was called when you drank the whole case of keystone beer by yourself.
So you're one of those cops now? My alma mater, sounds like an interesting course. How do you plan to implement what you learned?
Not a cop by any means. What I plan to do is host a few woods walks on our property and hopefully give other landowners ideas on what the can do to improve their forest/farmland as well. A lot of these older landowners don't necessarily want to sell their land, but can't see how they can afford to keep it. Chapter 61 current use programs offer landowners significantly lower tax rates (my wood lot went from $370+/quarter to $13/quarter). There are conservation restrictions (CR's) that landowners can use to keep their land open and still be able to live on it, sell a few lots in the future, and work the land. There are programs within the Department of Agriculture that will pay landowners to manage their property for wildlife. There are a lot of options that are available that many people are just not aware of. Massachusetts is one of the most forested states by percentage of land area but also the 3rd most densely populated states. From a selfish perspective, I don't want the old landowner that has 200 acres that abuts mine to strip his forest for a quick buck when he could have it logged sustainably, probably get more money, and ensure a renewable income for his kids. Because you know when these guys usually sell their land they get stripped and houses get planted instead of trees. There's only so much land; they're not making any more of it. As a Keystone Coordinator I don't claim to have all the answers. What I hope to do is to be able to show people what can be done and point them to the people they need to help them achieve their goals.
Glad that this topic came up as I am in the process of starting a conservation project with the WV USDA office as I develop more pasture, water, and tree management on the farm. I`ll be talking with them today in order to see what my options are for assistance funds.
Check out NRCS. I have 4 management projects going on our farm with them and they've been very good to work with. I know an extension agent in VA who could maybe point you to some info. PM me if you're interested in contacting him.
