January 2002

Betsy Jane joins the EBFSP Board of Directors.

The EBFSP/Gilsum Organic Gardener’s Cooperative launches its 3rd annual Fedco Seed order. Proceeds fund school and community gardening efforts.

Valerie represents the EBFSP at the N.H. State Conversation on Youth Development. There are many organizations present such as "Character Through Sports", "Granite State Youth Mentors" and "Plus Time" promoting after school activities, that will serve as resources for future EBFSP programing.

The EBFSP circulates a petition and collects the signatures of nearly 80 Gilsum residents to give to the Alstead Planning Board. The petition asks Alstead residents to consider the impact a race track, proposed for the Kidder Pond Wilderness Area (3 miles north of the Gilsum Village), would have on the quality of life of local people and wildlife.

EBFSP attempts to gain funding for trails from the NH DRED, Bureau of Trails. We aren’t funded in this round of grants but learn much from the application process.

Theme Garden Seed fund raiser organized for the Gilsum Elementary School.

Valerie attends the Granite State Youth Mentor, 6 hour training Session entitled, "Working with Kids in the Deep End of the Pool."

April 2002

EBFSP Annual Meeting.

Jane Loud resigns from the Board of Directors.

Iris Piedmont-Fleischmann joins the Board of Directors.

On behalf of the Gilsum Elementary School, Valerie and Asst. principal Adrienne Noel apply for a "Growing Kids with Dutch Bulbs" award offered by Association of Mail-order Gardening Association. Funded!

The Spring Young Organic Gardener’s After school Program begins. 12-14 students participate in 9 weekly meetings. A "Theme Garden" fundraiser is a success. More than $700.00 is raised for school grounds beautification and student activities. Facilitators are Valerie, Robert Hoechster, and Melissa Fulwood.

May 2002

Revised Brochure printed.

EBFSP purchases liability and Board of Director’s insurance with Kapiloff Insurance. Total annual cost $1510.00.

BOD focuses on becoming a fiscal agent to umbrella other organizations efforts to preserve open lands.

Valerie and Robert write a proposal for a $2,000.00, "Schools Go Green" grant from the Center for Environmental Education at Antioch NE. The proposal for a School Organic Gardening-Based Approach to Sustainability is chosen for funding.

Bob Cook designs and frames the outhouse onsite in the Emerson Brook Forest.

Valerie and Robert are sponsored by the Cheshire County Conservation District to attend a "Food, Land and People Curriculum" training. This was a fun training but the event was sponsored by large corporations and agribusinesses that are out of step with environmental stewardship. Concepts such as "organic" or "sustainable" are absent from the curriculum.

June 2002

Fundraising letter sent out.

Gilsum School 6th Grade boys camp out with Robert. The composting latrine is christened.

Proposal for the Gilsum Social Self Directed Exercise Club is approved by Principal David Mousette and Gilsum Rec. committee. The program will start once the Community Gym floor is ready for use.

July 2002

Al Munichiello begins the stonework to make the Yurt accessible.

EMS sponsors an EBFSP trails day.

Sharon Poitras and her farm animals represent the EBFSP at the Gilsum Old Home Days.

Valerie attends a week-long Shalom/Saalam Seminar at the School for International Training.

Angy, with baby on the way, begins a transition away from holding the responsibilities of treasurer.

August 2002

Our energy focuses on trail work.

September 2002

The Gilsum Elementary After school gardening/nature studies club resumes with the help of Laura Manlon, an intern in the nutrition studies program at Keene State College. During the first week of school every student plants a tiny "Mother of Millions" seedling.

October 2002

The after school nature/gardener’s club participants build a stonewall garden. We get help from "Ground Up" landscape suppliers, Gilsum residents and Principal David Mousette.

Betsy and Valerie attend fundraising workshop at Antioch NE.

Valerie attends the Antioch "Schools Go Green" Symposium and accepts the "Schools Go Green Award" on behalf of the Gilsum Elementary School.

Cheshire Academy offers their services to the EBFSP in honor of "The annual Day of Giving." The first phase of the accessible trails in the EBFSP Center is complete and The EBFSP Center opens officially on October 20th, 2002. A wonderful trickle of visitors come to the opening. Three days later, a snowfall closes the access road.

The EBFSP donates heartfelt funding to "Friends for Africa," the Kidder Pond Project Alstead Citizens Trust, and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.

November 2002

Gilsum Elementary School students plant bulbs received by a grant from the National Mail-order group.

Gilsum Social and Self-Directed Exercise group begins twice weekly meetings.

The EBFSP sponsors a "Star Party" with Scott Saxby at the Gilsum Community Center Field.

December 2002

Earl Anderson offers to help us set up Quicken computer program for keeping our financial records.

The EBFSP website is under construction by Joe O’Hara and can be viewed http://www.johara.com/ebfsp. Our domain name will be emersonbrookforest.org.

Valerie completes 4 day Mediation Course with Cheshire Mediation.

Board agrees to have independent film maker,Judith Kesney make a 25 minute documentary in the spring of 2003.

George Corrette steps forward to supervise the construction of Emerson Brook forest garden site.

We look ahead to strengthening the EBFSP organization. We decide that we need: to enlist one or two new board members, one of whom will act as treasurer.

to organize an onsite counsel/think-tank for sustainable concepts

to create a manual describing EBFSP organizational philosophies and policies designed to protect the integrity of the Emerson Brook Forest and the project.

to create committees to take on:

• grant-writing
• fundraising
• program development and outreach
• media and public relations
• EBFSP site development
• coordinating donated help
• the Emerson Brook Forest land purchase
• budget
• EBFSP as "fiscal agent" (to assist grassroots groups to fundraise for land conservation.

Future projects:

• to create a survey identifying the resources and areas of need (both individual and group) in the community. Goals include identifying and rejuvenating local dormant gardens, exploring mutually beneficial arrangements with local farmers and others who are willing to act as mentors, willing to share their time, areas of interest and expertise with others in mutually beneficial relationships.

Some of the Organizations we would like to join in partnership with:

• The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
• "Earn-it" helping teens in trouble with the law (Judy Sadowski)
• Monadnock Sierra Club
• Marathon House
• Keene State College
• School for International Training
• Chesco, MDS and other support organizations
• Monadnock Regional School System regarding "service learning"
• Character Through Sports (CTS)
• Granite State Youth Mentors
• Cheshire Mediation
• Cheshire Academy