News and Events

Groundwork Concord’s Green Team Off and...Planting!
The Green Team, an 8 member team of high school students and recent graduates, is planning to brighten up downtown Concord starting the week of July 7th. Visit them in Bicentennial Square, Eagle Square, and at the corner of Pleasant and Main Street where they will be planting annuals and perennials. Over the next 6 weeks the Green Team will plant flowers, prune trees, build and install kiosks and bridges, and take on many hands-on improvement projects to protect and restore important community, recreational, and natural resources. Come on out and visit the team at a worksite or at our Market Days booth to find out what motivates these young people to care for their community. Thanks to sponsors Preti Flaherty, Mason and Rich, the National Park Service, Stonyfield Farm Yogurt, the Friends of White Park, Merrill Lynch and Steve Yianakopolos, NH Distributors and Hope Zanes Butterworth for their support. Many of the team’s projects are done in partnership with city departments, Main Street Concord, and local community and volunteer groups.

Exit 13-Water Street Sidewalk Gets Shade Trees
Groundwork Concord installed 10 shade trees along the sidewalk that runs from the Exit 13 ramp to the I93 underpass along Water Street-Manchester Street corridor last week (just south of the Common Man Restaurant). The trees – maples and elms - came from the Groundwork-City Tree Nursery off of Hall Street. This was the last in a series of plantings conducted as part of Groundwork’s I93 Gateway Corridor Improvement Contract with the City. The trees will provide much needed shade on an otherwise hot and dry pedestrian way and will help to screen the highway from that section of the City.

City-Wide Street Tree Inventory
Maybe you’ve seen Martha on the sidewalk gazing up at a maple tree while juggling a PDA, a GPS and a leaf sample? Groundwork Concord hired UNH graduate student Martha Carlson and her husband Rudy, a forester, to inventory city street trees this spring and early summer. Random sample “plots” for conducting the inventory – much like city blocks - were generated by computer at Urban Forestry LLC, who will be taking the inventory data collected and providing Groundwork with an assessment of the overall condition and health of Concord’s street trees, and their economic, environmental, and infrastructure benefit to the city. Groundwork will present the report to City Council and City staff in the hopes that it will provide important cost-saving information in areas such as storm water management and tree maintenance. The project was made possible by a grant from the NH Charitable Foundation and a generous donation from a Groundwork supporter to purchase a PDA.

2008 City Trails Guide is Now Available!
One of the wonderful characteristics of Concord is the way the natural environment has not only shaped our city’s history, but continues to influence our opportunities for recreation for people of all ages and abilities. We are proud that city officials and community leaders continue to conserve and manage the city’s open spaces, woodlands and waterways for public use and enjoyment. Our diverse trail systems offer places for walking, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing, as well as bicycling, paddling, and swimming.

At Groundwork Concord we work to promote healthy outdoor lifestyles and advocate for a smaller carbon footprint through “one less car” on the road. As such, we have expanded the popular City Trails Guide to include in-town recreational and family-friendly bicycle routes, as well as public boat access facilities on our two major rivers. We hope that these additional river and bicycling “trails” concepts will continue to take hold as an integral part of our future growth and development, citywide. Explore and enjoy the wide range of trail experiences in Concord…and be sure to tell a friend!

The guide can be found at the following locations: S&W Sports, Crossroads Chiropractic, Goodale's Bike Shop, Cilley Animal Hospital, Concord Recreation Dept., Chamber of Commerce, YMCA, City Hall, and the Concord Library

2008 National Bike and Walk to Work Day in Concord
Groundwork Concord and Concord 20/20 report an over-the-top turnout for the May 16 event in front of the State House this year. 171 surveys were filled out so it’s estimated a crowd of around 200 people bicycle-commuted or walk-commuted to the State House and then to work to demonstrate their support for reducing the number of cars on the road. Mayor Bouley joined Governor Lynch and Dr. Susan Lynch at the podium in delivering proclamations in support of the “one less car” theme. The Governor and Dr. Lynch rode in from Hopkinton with NH DES Commissioner Tom Burack and an entourage of state employees and members of the Granite State Wheelman. Jeff Warner of the city engineering department was part of the governor’s ride. City Councilors Dick Lemieux and Jan McLure rode their bikes to the event, while four additional City Councilors had pledged earlier in the week to walk or ride to work that day. Several city employees, including Seth Pingree in Engineering, Becky Hebert in Planning, and Phil Bilodeau of General Services also attended on bike or on foot. Bagel Works and S&W Sports were sponsors again this year, providing bagels, coffee and free water bottles to participants. New sponsors Anthem Blue Shield and “PATH” (Program for Alternative Transportation and Health” were on hand to talk about health and economic benefits to “curbing your car”. Concord’s new Bicycle Master Plan was on display, and the recently updated regional bike maps and other free items were handed out to event participants in bags provided by Anthem. Several Concord High School students attended this year, along with a few employer-organized teams. The crowd shared “bragging rights” for distance walked or ridden that morning while listening to live music from local bluegrass band, The Grassdawgs.

Bare Root Tree Presentation Available
Groundwork Concord is available to make a presentation to your classroom, community group or event on the community benefits of bare-root tree planting. We have presented to the NH Tree Stewards, the NH Urban Forestry Advisory Committee, and will be at the NH Landscaping Association’s March meeting. For more information, contact nancy@groundworkconcord.org

NH team authors new book on Sustainable Landscaping
Integrated Landscaping: Following Nature’s Lead – A new way of thinking about shaping home grounds and public spaces in the Northeast is available through the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Web Site www.extension.unh.edu. The 162-page book is beautifully illustrated by NH artist and environmental educator Marilyn Wyzga who joins authors Kate Hartnett, Mary Tebo, and Loren Chase-Rowell in providing compelling alternatives to traditional, resource-dependent landscape designs and materials. A carefully researched guide with easy to read narrative and hands-on instructions.

Northeast Community Tree Guide is new
This guide on benefits, costs, and strategic planting of community trees provides the foundation for building the case for investing in urban forestry programs. 106 pages of integrated and strategic planting instructions and photographs, and lots of data and case study information on benefits and costs of urban forest programs are included. Go to www.fs.fed.us/psw/ for information on how to order copies.