DURHAM, N.H. - NH Listens announces an opportunity for citizens to gather throughout the state to share their thoughts on the challenges, opportunities, issues, and needs relating to local and state outdoor recreation.

NH Listens will facilitate small-group, community conversations to gather ideas, experiences, and recommendations from a wide range of New Hampshire citizens with special emphasis placed on hearing the views of citizens about unmet outdoor recreation needs and innovative approaches to meeting those needs.

"NH Listens is very excited to be using a conversation process statewide to gather citizen thoughts on outdoor recreation and we would especially like to hear from those with limited use of outdoor recreation resources for reasons of access, age, income, or knowledge," said Bruce Mallory, director of NH Listens and interim director of the Carsey Institute at UNH.

Community Conversations are scheduled in Berlin, Conway, Portsmouth, Lebanon, Manchester, and Keene Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., with an additional session in Laconia Oct. 6, 2011. Citizen input from these listening sessions will be used to develop priorities for the statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan currently under revision by the state Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) and the state Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED). 

"DRED is pleased to partner with NH Listens and OEP on this project and we look forward to hearing from our citizens on outdoor recreation" said Diane Holmes, community recreation specialist at DRED.

NH Listens, a civic engagement initiative of the Carsey Institute at UNH, works to strengthen communities by helping citizens to participate directly in discussions about policies that affect their daily lives. For more information please contact Michele Holt-Shannon at 603-862-0692 or e-mail Michele.Holt-Shannon@unh.edu.
New Hampshire residents can register to attend any of these sessions online at www.nhlistens.org.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

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