Letters
Region
Abstract Paintings & Tribal Masks Exhibition At New Hampshire Antique Co-Op
Now on view through May 31, 2020
Congregational Church Stays Connected
During the suspension of in-person activities in light of the Covid-19 situation, the Congregational Church of Amherst, UCC has a variety of ways for members and others to connect with church programs. This is especially important during April as Holy Week and Easter are on the horizon.
The most up-to-date information about church activities can be found on the church’s website (ccamherst.org) or by calling the church office at 673-3231. Sunday services are broadcast on FacebookLive and recorded for later on-line viewing. Services are followed by a Virtual Fellowship Hour. Links for these and other events can be found on the website.
The church’s Facebook page is another source of information, including updates and video messages from the pastors. Pastors Maureen Frescott and Kate Kennedy are available to provide pastoral care during this time, and the church welcomes community members to connect with this loving, serving, open and affirming community of faith.
Emergency Post ~ March 20, 2020
Groups
Amherst Garden Club
Changes to Morning Program, May 7, 2020
WEBINAR: Encouraging Wildlife Diversity in Designed Landscapes
Matt Tarr, Wildlife State Specialist
AMHERST - The Amherst Garden Club’s monthly meeting plans for Thursday, May 7 have changed. Due to the pandemic, the evening meeting has been cancelled, and the daytime business meeting will likely be held online and not open to the public.
Happily, we are still able to invite the public to our monthly program as originally scheduled, but with participation happening online rather than in person. At 10:30 AM, Matt Tarr, Wildlife State Specialist, will host a webinar titled “Encouraging Wildlife Diversity in Designed Landscapes.”
An abundance of wildlife is one of the best indicators of an ecologically well-designed landscape. By understanding how pollinators, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians select their habitats during each season of the year, we can design landscapes that effectively attract and support a diversity of wildlife.
Matt will provide practical methods for designing ecologically complete landscapes that invite human interaction and transcend simple aesthetics through their functioning interconnected elements.
Join us for this webinar and learn how to encourage wildlife diversity in your own landscape.
The details for joining the webinar will be published on the Amherst Garden Club web site and Facebook page closer to the event date. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.
Two books will be awarded as door prizes: “Bringing Nature Home” and “Nature’s Best Hope,” both by Doug Tallamy. These books are highly recommended by the speaker, even if you are unable to attend the presentation.
Matt is a professional wildlife biologist and NH Licensed forester and he works throughout NH in close partnership with the NH Fish and Game Department to assist private landowners and communities improve habitat for wildlife. His specialties include improving forested wildlife habitat through commercial timber harvesting, field management to benefit vertebrate and invertebrate wildlife, shrubland and young forest habitat management, wildlife food plot design and maintenance, wetlands wildlife ecology and management, and methods for improving hunting opportunities on private land.
Matt and his students are currently studying the factors that influence habitat selection and dispersal of shrubland-dependent songbirds and how non-native shrubs influence habitat quality for declining songbird species.
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AMHERST GARDEN CLUB PLANT SALE 2020 CANCELLED
...but the club hopes you will work in your gardens and landscapes and be ready for a great Plant Sale in 2021.
The Coronavirus will not keep spring from coming! In the mean time the club meetings continue on line with wonderful speakers, open to the public. Please check us out at amhertsgardenclub.org. Stay in touch with our local garden centers and when the time is right plan to visit them to purchase all your gardening needs.
AAUW News
Meeting at The Black Forest Cafe – March 25 CANCELLED
Branch Meeting and Program Expected to be Rescheduled This Fall
AMHERST – Given the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, the Southern NH Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) canceled the meeting and program scheduled for March 25 at the Black Forest Café in Amherst. Dr. Monica Galizzi, Chair of the Department of Economics and a Senior Associate of the Center for Women & Work at the University of Massachusetts Lowell was to present the third and final program in the Civic Engagement Series planned for 2019-2020. The hope is she will be able to present her program “Women and Labor” in the fall. Questions contact Program Vice President Susan Hoover at 603-213-6601; e-mail susnhoover@aol.com.
Closing the Gender Pay Gap – Work Smart Online - FREE Course
While waiting for the economy to get back on track, consider a program developed by AAUW to help women in salary negotiation. Work Smart Online is a free course that helps women earn the pay they deserve. To access the online course type salary.aauw.com in your search bar and begin preparation to negotiate a better salary and benefits. An easy, engaging e-tool will teach participants to learn the market value of their skills and experience, determine an equitable “target salary” based on skills and experience, and ask for the pay they deserve. In surveys nearly all participants reported having more confidence and better negotiating skills after taking the class.
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Upcoming Book Discussions
Members plan to meet to discuss the following books on the dates below. Meetings are held in members’ homes and begin at 7 p.m. with a social time. The discussions begin about 7:30.
Books to be discussed:
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May 4: “Educated” by Tara Westover
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June 1: “The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women” by Kate Moore
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If interested in participating, contact co-facilitators: Mary Marsh at amherst993@comcast.net, or Linda Pellerin at linda-82@comcast.net.
Candidates Night Was Well Attended
The Southern NH Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) hosted the Eighth Annual Amherst Candidates Night at the Amherst Town Hall on March 3. All candidates who filed for an Amherst school or town office received an invitation to participate. Over twenty accepted. The election was held on March 10.
AAUW is a non-partisan non-political organization that never endorses candidates or specific parties. The organization whose roots date back to the 1880s has two branches in NH. The Southern New Hampshire Branch, established in the 1970s, hosts a variety of programs concerning women’s education and equity issues that are open to the public. Members of the branch live in the following communities: Amherst, Atkinson, Dover, Exeter, Hanover, Manchester, Merrimack, Milford, Mont Vernon, Nashua, and Wilton.
Historical Society of Amherst’s Old Home Day
With all the uncertainly around social gatherings at the moment, we wanted to let everyone know that Old Home Day is still on for September 12th and that we would love to see this community event grow this year as a celebration of all things Amherst in light of the current social distancing quarantines in place.
The Old Home Day event committee is working to make this year’s event even bigger and better, and if your Amherst non-profit or Civic Group wants to be involved, please let us know.
A final decision won’t be made until June, but in the mean time, keep us on your calendar for 2020 and remember the memories of all the fun we had at the 2019 Old Home Day!
We have already had some preliminary discussions with other town groups about combining events into Old Home Day if necessary, so if your group is developing contingency plans for postponing your own event, the Old Home Day committee would be happy to discuss making Old Home Day a special one-year event that would work for everyone’s benefit.
We know there is a pent-up demand in Amherst for a community event and are looking forward to when we can all celebrate again!
Amherst Garden Club Charitable Fund Seeks Applications for Grants
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AMHERST – The Amherst garden Club Charitable Fund welcomes qualified applicants for the 2019-2020 year. Proceeds from our fund raising activities as well as memorial gifts are added to our fund each year and then awarded to local community projects that are consistent with our mission.
Our mission is to provide education, resources and networking opportunities for our members to promote the love of gardening, civic landscaping and environmental responsibility.
Recent grants have been awarded to the Women’s State Prison Gardening Program, Joshua’s Park and Community Gardens, The Amherst Town Library Gardens and the Amherst Garden Club Garden House Project and The Souhegan Valley Boys and Girls Club Edible Garden Project.
Information and applications can be found on our website: www.amherstgardenclub.org. Questions can be directed to Sheila_steele@comcast.net. Grants are awarded on a rolling basis and reviewed when applications are received.
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Amherst Area Newcomers
The Souhegan Valley Women’s Social & Newcomers Club, aka Amherst Area Newcomers Club, is a non-profit, social group for women. We welcome new residents as well as those who have lived here for years. We offer monthly general events and over 21 interest groups. Contact us at nhnewcomers@gmail.com, & check out our website at NHNewcomers.com.