A Bicentennial Celebration For the Second College Grant

IN JUNE THE COLLEGE unleashed a brontosaurus at the Second College Grant. It chomped trees from the top down as fearless bystanders watched with keen interest.

No, the biology department has not hatched a dinosaur. "Brontosaurus" is the nickname of a monster $325,000 brush hog run by a local contractor hired by the College to maintain woodcock habitat. And the bystanders were participating in the first of four celebrations honoring the bicenteninal of the Colleges ownership of 27,000 acres of wilderness near Errol, New Hampshire.

A commemorative book written for the bicentennial by history professor emeritus Jere Daniell '55 and Jack Noon '68, titled Dartmouth'sSecond College Grant: AHistory, explains that after selling an earlier land grant the College still needed money and lobbied the state for more aid. Ultimately the Second Grant was made and Dartmouth established a legacy of stewardship with an emphasis on renewable resources.

"Because this land has had the same owner for 200 years it not only has a solid foundation in habitat management for everything from salamanders to woodcock to bear but it also allows us to experiment with new techniques, then export them to other woodland areas," said Will Staats, a biologist with the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department, during the celebration.

Another speaker, Tom Burack '82, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, peppered his message of stewardship—"this college has done a good deed for this land, and this land has done a good deed for this college"—with moose calls.

A second event in October will focus on wildlife research and management, says Earl Jette, former director of outdoor programs and chair of the bicentennial committee. "The College hopes to connect with anglers and hunters. We'll schedule a weekend that overlaps with fishing and bird-hunting seasons." Jette was recognized at the June celebration with a naming of a bridge in his honor.

A February 2008 gathering will feature skiing and other winter recreation. The final event, in June 2008, will mark the date the state approved the boundaries of the Grant.

For information about bicentennial activities, go to www.dartmouth.edu/~doc/secondcollegegrant.

OVERHEARD

"There is no perfect job, but there is a right one for you.If you spend too long trying to conjure up the perfect oneyou may not find the right one. So, get started." COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER HENRY PAULSON JR. '68 ON JUNE 10