Brookline winter fest in February

Calling all local Artisans for the Winter Festival Artisan Fair to be held on Saturday, Feb. 17 at RMMS from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Looking for community talent to display and sell their arts and crafts. Please contact Sylvia Mansfield at slm724@aol.com or 801-4802. Applications can be found on the Brookline NH Winter Festival Facebook Page.

The second annual Brookline Winter Festival will be held Feb. 16-18 and will feature: ice skating, sledding, hockey, cribbage, the fire department spaghetti dinner, church breakfast, conservation commission hike, fishing derby, the over 21 Snow “Ball” Social held on Saturday night at the Brookline Event Center and so much more! Please see a list of activities on the Brookline NH Winter Festival FB page. T-shirts on sale now!

The fourth annual Chili Chowder Cook off will be held on Sunday, Feb. 18 at the Brookline Event Center from noon-3 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Brookline Economic Development Committee. Contact Valerie at the Brookline Town Hall 673-8855, ext. 215 or Valerie@Brookline.nh.us for more information.

Proceeds will help sponsor the Brookline 250th Anniversary Celebration in 2019.

Note: Availability and restrictions for this program vary at each resort. Remember – this program is designed for Level 1 students – that is, people who have never been on skis or snowboards before. If you want to improve your skiing, lessons are available for all levels of ability!

Help sought for rabbit survey

DURHAM – This winter, wildlife biologists need help from citizen science volunteers to conduct surveys for Eastern cottontail rabbits in southern New Hampshire. On Feb. 3, from 9 a.m.-noon in Hollis, UNH Cooperative Extension and New Hampshire Fish and Game will train volunteers to collect pellets from Eastern cottontail rabbits, a known threat to the state-endangered New England cottontail. Winter is the best time to survey for cottontail rabbits, because they leave telltale signs (pellets) in the snow, making it possible to locate and sample for different species.

During the training, which will be held at Hollis Brookline High School, volunteers will be introduced to the project, learn about rabbit habitat, and review sampling and data collection techniques. Participants will receive supplies and instructions to collect samples on their own following the training. Volunteers should be willing to commit to survey at least one property (public/conserved land, or privately owned land with landowner permission) in southern New Hampshire this winter.

For more information and to sign up, visit www.naturegroupie.org. If you have questions, contact Haley Andreozzi at haley.andreozzi@unh.edu or 862-5327.

Ski and snowboard lessons Jan. 27, 28

Ski New Hampshire kicks off Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month in January with discount lesson packages offered by ski resorts across the state, which will culminate in a statewide celebration of Ski New Hampshire Weekend on Jan. 27-28.

There’s no better time to learn to ski and snowboard than in January. Skiers and snowboarders of all abilities agree that taking a lesson your first time makes a huge difference, and our Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month special is a great and affordable way to try a new sport. Offers include a $39 lift, lesson and rentals beginner package for alpine skiing and riding, and a $19 trail pass, lesson, and rentals beginner package at cross-country ski areas.

In addition, Ski New Hampshire members were part of the national Bring a Friend Weekend efforts on Jan. 5-7, as well as the upcoming World Snow Day on Jan. 21.