Thetford Town Newsletter
No.
52 JUNE 2008
SPECIAL THANK YOU
A big “Thank You!” goes out
to Ann O’Hearn for delivering Town Newsletters for many years! Her willingness
to help was greatly appreciated!
We’re now looking for someone
to, each month, drive the newsletters to various public buildings, bulletin
boards, and places of business in Thetford.
If you’re interested in
helping, please email Cathee at turtlepond@netzero.net.
Thank you!
TOWN CLERK NOTES
Summer Hours are now in
effect:
Monday 6pm - 8 pm
Tuesday-Thursday 8am - 4pm
Also by appointment
THETFORD BOARD OF SCHOOL
DIRECTORS
As noted at town meeting, the
Thetford Board of School Directors is focusing this year on the following
objective from Goal 4 of the Thetford School District Strategic Plan:
“Objective C. The School Board will continue to promote a collaborative
working relationship with
To
this end, the School Board will take a more active role in evaluating
educational services provided to secondary students. We invite and
encourage Thetford residents to participate in our meetings. These occur
twice a month at
Submitted by Elise Tillinghast
ART CAMP - PASTEPAPERS &
BOOKMAKING
Community Artist, Debra Kraemer will be offering children's art classes again
this summer at Rice's
When: July 7-11(Ages: 7–11) July 28-Aug 1(Ages: 11-14)
Time: 9:30 am - 12:30pm
Cost: $145/session
To
Register Contact:
Debra Kraemer
432 Ulman Rd
Deposit of $75 due with registration.
T.E.N. THETFORD ELDER
NETWORK NEWS
"In order to strengthen
the Thetford community, we the citizens have formed the Thetford Elder Network.
Our mission is to encourage an intergenerational network that listens to senior
needs and promotes access to health education, transportation and local
resources. We believe that aging can be a positive experience." -
Roger & Martha Daum, Susan and Paul Rump,
Inge Trebitz, Gina Sonne, Betty Campbell, Dale Gephart, Bonnie Ray, Ridge
Satterthwaite, Deecie Dennison.
We
have a list of volunteer jobs for folks interested in assisting
seniors. Contact Inge Trebitz at 785-2129 to sign up.
We
are planning to offer a once a month Senior Meal at the
Community
Forums
T.E.N. and the
Senior/Affordable Housing Committee will be holding several community
forums in late June or early July to present the findings of our surveys,
elicit community input, discuss the future of building senior housing and
availability of properties in Thetford. Stay tuned! Contact: Mark McMahon,
Dale Gephart, Susan Rump or Gina Sonne.
All
are welcome to join in this project.
Submitted by Gina Sonne
Energy tip from the
Thetford Energy Committee
Save gas and reduce pollution this summer – let your grass grow!
“Longer grass blades retain
moisture better, shade the root system, and encourage roots to grow deeper and
stronger” (NH Department of Environmental Services). And, according to the US
EPA, “Operating a typical gasoline-powered lawn mower for one hour produces the
same amount of smog-forming hydrocarbons as driving an average care almost 200
miles under typical driving conditions.” Lawn equipment emits hazardous air
pollutants, particle pollution, and volatile organic compounds that can
contribute to health problems.
Reduce your impact on the
environment by maintaining your equipment, reducing your mowing time (mow less
land, less often), or using an electric or reel mower. Learn more at <www.epa.gov/air/community/details/yardequip_addl_info.html>
Submitted by
Alice Stewart
LATHAM LIBRARY
"Bugs In Your Backyard"
A Family Event!
On Monday, June 30, 6:30 p.m., families are invited to meet Jerry Schneider,
a.k.a. "The Bug Guy" for a presentation on the wonderful world of
backyard insects and spiders! Schneider will introduce families to live bugs
and talk about life cycles, adaptations such as camouflage and other
interesting features of our most common creepy crawlies. For questions
about this event, please see children's librarian Simon Brooks.
Submitted by Elise Tillinghast
TA NOTES
*
Baccalaureate exercises will be held at the First Congregational Church in
Thetford on Sunday, June 8, at 7:00 pm.
*Spring Sports Awards and
Cookout will be held on Wednesday, June 4, at 6:30 pm at the
school. Parents and families are welcome to join us as we celebrate the
spring athletes.
*The Spring Choral Concert
will be held on Sunday, June 8, at 5:00 pm at the First Congregational Church
in Thetford.
*Calling TA
Alumni: Please join us for all the activities planned for June
14. Contact Jessica Eaton, 333-9491, or the TA Development Office,
785-2600, for more information and scheduling.
*Talk with TA will happen
again on Thursday, June 26, at 6:00 pm in the TA Library. Please join TA
trustees for a question and information session. The quarterly meeting of
the Board of Trustees will follow at 7:00 pm, and all are invited to attend.
Submitted by Wendy Cole
RICES MILLS DANCE PARTY
WALTZ AND SWING
2ND Wednesdays 7-8:30pm
JUNE 11 ~ JULY 9 ~ AUGUST 13 ~ SEPTEMBER 10
Bring Water to Drink and Clean Shoes!
Donations Appreciated
RICES MILLS COMMUNITY CENTER
132 & TUCKER HILL RD
THETFORD CENTER
INFO: Gina Sonne 785-4220 gsonne@sover.net
Can’t dance Wednesday? We can schedule other times!
Submitted by Gina Sonne
COVER PICKUP DAY IN THETFORD
Wednesday, June 25 is COVER
pickup day in Thetford.
COVER, a local nonprofit
that helps
Donated items are repaired as
needed and sold at a discount at the ReCover Store in White River
Junction. Proceeds from these sales are used to support
weatherization of houses and other repair projects that help people in
need stay in their homes. For more info about the group, here's the
website: http://www.coverhomerepair.org.
Submitted by Elise Tillinghast
RIVER CELEBRATION
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2008
11:00am-2pm PADDLE FLOTILLA
9am - leave your boat at Wilson-Fullerton Landing, Rt 10 N of Hanover or
Norwich Landing ½ mi North of Ledyard Bridge. Leave cars at Wilder Picnic
Area
10 am Shuttle - Wilder Picnic Area to
Bring snacks/ lunch/ water
bottles/ sunscreen/ hat/ layers of clothing/ boat/ lifejacket/ paddle
11am Launch from Wilson Landing--Paddle to Wilder Picnic Area
12:30 launch from Norwich
Landing--Paddle to Wilder Picnic Area WILDER PICNIC AREA
(Rt
2-6pm PICNIC at
Wilder Picnic Area
PADDLE borrow kayaks and canoes – North Star Canoes and Bold Paths
MUSIC ** Musicians welcome to jam **
CELEBRATE
THE RIVER
American Canoe Association (ACA) sponsors the event.
All participants must sign waivers and pitch in $6 for insurance.
For more information:
info@ctriverfest.org
802-333-3549
www.ctriverfest.org
Submitted by Bonna Wieler
CONSERVATION COMMISSION NOTES
In
Praise Of Bumblebees
Growing backyard apples is trickier than it seems. As a novice grower I soon
found that a host of obstacles stood between me and the seemingly simple goal
of some apples. After more than a decade of pruning, fertilizing, removing
webworms, fending off trunk-chewing mice and branch-chewing deer, the long
anticipated flower buds emerged. But more hurdles lay in store. As the
buds unfurled, the calm, sunny weather we'd all enjoyed in early May gave way
to chilly, blustery wind and intermittent rain. Just great for keeping the
blackflies down, since it's hard to for insects to fly in the breeze,
especially when cold and wet. But such conditions also deter pollinating
insects, and without pollination - no apples.
Scanning the trees for signs of activity nonetheless, I was greeted by the
sounds of buzzing. Proceeding from bloom to bloom at a stately pace,
several large bumblebees gathered nectar in defiance of the weather.
Unlike domesticated honeybees whose origins lie in Africa and the milder zones
of Europe, bumblebees are evolved for colder climates and live as far north as
Ellesmere Island above the
Perhaps bumblebees are in haste to work the flowers in the cool of spring
because they have but a few short months to complete their life cycle. The big,
fat bee one sees at apple blossom time is the queen bee that hatched and mated
the previous year and whose goal is to build a colony as fast as
possible. In an old rodent burrow or a tussock of grass she stockpiles
nectar and pollen, mixing some of it into a ball on which she lays 4-16 eggs.
She then broods the eggs at about 86 degrees F, pressing them, bird-like,
against a bald area of her abdomen. While brooding she rarely leaves the nest,
surviving on her stored food. The eggs hatch into larvae that
metamorphose into worker bees, this whole process taking about five weeks. Once
a workforce of foragers has been raised the queen limits herself to egg laying
and brooding. The beginning of the end is in sight when male bees and new
queens are produced at the end of summer. They eat the colony's stores but do
not replace them.
Bumblebee colonies are small compared to those of honeybees, numbering 50 or so
bees. However they are valued as pollinators because they fly earlier in the
day and in worse weather than their domesticated cousins. They also have a
trick that honeybees lack. Some plants, including tomatoes, peppers and
eggplants keep their pollen in a chamber with a tiny opening, like salt in a
salt shaker. To release the pollen a bee must cling to the flower and
vibrate vigorously. Honeybees simply
cannot do this, however bumblebees are adept at this so-called 'buzz
pollination.' They are so effective that they are used commercially to
pollinate hothouse tomatoes, replacing the expensive, electric vibrating
machines formerly used. In addition, some flowers can only be pollinated
by bumblebees. An example is monkshood that has stiffly hinged flowers that
open to expose their pollen and stigma only when a heavy bumblebee alights on the
lip.
The apple blossoms have faded, but thanks to bumblebees I see tiny green
swellings. In the fall, when new queen bees are seeking their winter
hibernation sites, there will be apples.
Submitted by Li Shen
Thetford Conservation Commission
The deadline for submissions
is the 20th of each month. Send news including contact name and telephone
number to Cathee Clement at 785-2668 or turtlepond@netzero.net.
Please list Thetford Town
Newsletter in the subject line.